Point/Counterpoint on: The Race Card and Bigotry - UPDATED

Concerning the playing of the race card referenced in this post, Sarah Palin brings a whole new dimension to the political arena. This link is admittedly from the "kook" osphere, but it needs reading anyway, I mean it's a waitress in Alaska for heaven's sake! In the context of "Who is Sarah Palin?"

Here's and interesting point/counterpoint from the Obiter Dicta in the DNR today: Who's playing the race card, exactly what is the race card? Which side is the most anxious to put it in play? All good questions for a confused electorate. Seems that nobody really knows how to handle Senator Obama's race and that the typical, usual smears don't seem to be having much effect, though not for lack of trying. Read on:

Point: (Daily News Record editorialist)

Barack Obama should quit while he’s ahead, but he doesn’t just seem to understand that Americans are wise to the race card and won’t be fooled when he deals it, as his opponent John McCain said, from the bottom of the deck.

Reprising comments he made in June, Mr. Obama unbosomed these ridiculous remarks last week in Rolla, Mo.: “Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama said. "You know, he’s not patriotic enough, he’s got a funny name, you know, he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

The ploy isn’t working. The latest Rasmussen Poll reveals these interesting data: Only 22 percent of those polled think John McCain’s ad comparing Mr. Obama to a celebrity is racist. Yet 53 percent of those polled think Mr. Obama’s dollar-bill remark is racist.

A few things about Mr. Obama’s remarks. First, he does have a funny name. Second, he doesn’t look like any other presidents. But if he loses this election, those won’t be the reasons. He’ll lose because he’s the most extremist liberal in the U.S. Senate."

Counterpoint: (Blue Rager)

Interesting points and counterpoint. Polling indicates the confusion of the American people concerning the race issue. I agree that Senator McCain has avoided the whole topic of race and the race card, but his campaign has played it rather aggressively. Senator Graham, one of Sen. McCain's surrogates played the race card loud and clear on "Fox News Sunday" when he put the words, "victim" and "racist" into play. Never mind that Obama never spoke them, Graham and friends know very well who they are talking too, and what they mean to say when they put words like this in Obama's mouth. As Gene Robinson of the WAPO stated,

"This battle over Obama's image as a black man is arguably the central front of the presidential campaign right now. Once-sharp lines between the candidates on issues such as withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq or allowing new offshore oil drilling are becoming blurred. The Democratic Party's structural advantages going into the election are formidable. It's hard to imagine how McCain could possibly win unless he generates doubt in voters' minds about Obama

One way to do that would be to fabricate the impression that Obama is demanding special treatment and privilege because he is black -- in other words, turn a self-made man into a stereotypical beneficiary of affirmative action."

The last point of the letter today, reveals the silliness of this newspaper's point of view. I have a funny name, LOTS of folks have a funny name, I think the name of this newspaper is pretty funny... I think the editorialist is a real scream! If he wants to be taken seriously, I'd suggest leaving the name alone. Veiled bigotry is still bigotry. No candidate for president has ever looked like John McCain either. Of course ALL presidents look like John McCain, but only AFTER their terms in office are over and the stress and strain of holding the highest office in the land is etched on their faces....

And... much to our editorialist's dismay, being liberal is a point of pride for Mr. Obama, for me, and for the progressive community. The editorialist's use of the word liberal as a pejorative renders his opinion meaningless and uselessly one-sided. Anything he writes becomes simplistic political propaganda, and a danger to our pluralistic democracy.

The history of liberalism in America is filled with the ideals, the leadership, and heroism that we all associate with our great country. The same can be said about the history of conservatism! To disrespect and dismiss half of the political spectrum as useless simply because of what they believe is yet another form of bigotry, pure and simple. Nothing can be written herein by the editorialist without a dramatic reinterpretation of the remarks by the reader to remove the prejudice.