Beck, Boortz, Limbaugh, Bunker and Bigotry

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Joe Conason blogged about how racist Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are. Keith Olbermann has accused Neal Boortz of the same. The trend is that conservative talk radio and television news shows are soaring in ratings while the liberal media outlets sulk under the table waiting for a scrap to hit the floor, and they don’t like it. The truth is everyone is vying for ratings.

I was a senior in college when I first saw a bigot on television. It was on January 12, 1971. It was a Tuesday night and I had gone to the empty family room on my floor to use the oven. The TV there was on, although there was no one watching. More and more students had TVs in their rooms, so we were losing the camaraderie of watching and discussing current programs, news, and events. Two screeching voices came on singing the most horrible song I had ever heard, and I had to check it out. I sat down with my “dinner” to watch the premiere of All in the Family, and I was shocked! I was watching a young black man making fun of an old white bigot and hearing that white bigot talking about "spicks and gooks and pollocks"! During the first commercial, I ran up and down the hall and we filled the room for the rest of the show.

Archie Bunker’s show held the top slot in ratings for over 5 years (The Cosby Show and American Idol are the only other two to ever do so), as America gathered to watch Archie, the Dingbat, the Meathead and Mr. Jefferson debate race, homosexuality, women’s lib, rape, divorce and impotence. No subject was off limits for Norman Lear and the excellent cast that he had brought together.

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My father and I often discussed the show. We weren’t sure why it was happening, but we knew the whole nation either loved Archie or loved to hate him. Bigoted Americans evidently never realized the irony and satire of the show, so they championed behind his stance on issues. Liberated Americans did understand the satire, and championed the stance of those around Archie. Those clueless Americans with no agenda just loved the humor and were amazed by the topics that were exposed. Regardless of the category, everyone entered the discussion at the coffee pot or water cooler every Wednesday at work.

So why don’t we love bigoted show hosts or a bigoted president?

Conason said:

The behavior of those media provocateurs over the past few months is almost beyond parody. They call the president a racist, even though there is no evidence of prejudice on his part and much evidence to the contrary.

I beg to differ. In these last few months, the FIRST person to “play the race card” was the President when he, after admitting that he was uninformed about the details of the arrest of Professor Gates, said the Cambridge police acted “stupidly” because of racial profiling. President Obama, with a few inappropriate and unsolicited sentences, ushered in the Gates-gate, put “beer summit” in the dictionary and killed any chance of his administration being post-racial.

Conason and Olbermann will point to the past of Beck, Limbaugh and Boortz and accuse them of mimicking black dialect or expounding on black stereotypes or playing the music from The Jeffersons, also a top rated show. These guys are selling books, playing the ratings game and entertaining while they enlighten us. (They are not, Bette, inciting genocide!) But the liberal pundits never mention Obama’s past when he was steeped in socialist and communist communities. And, since he has thumbed his nose at his own promise of transparency and buried the records of his past, no one can completely follow a paper trail on the president. But we can follow public records and testimonies of those that worked with him, follow the teachings of Rev. Wright, read the works of Holdren and Sunstein, and read about the corrupt Chicago Health Initiative that made Michelle Obama wealthy at the behest of Valarie Jarrett… and on … and on… and on… They never point out his lies. They never point out his ineffectiveness, weakness, or inexperience that has destroyed our economy and weakened our position on the international stage.

So, we don’t laugh at his antics or love him like we did the dear, bigoted Archie Bunker.

Obama's Fall From Grace

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There has been a lot of conjecture about why President Obama’s approval ratings continue to fall. Some say the public is simply super-saturated from his media blitzes and has quit listening to the “same old same old” daily campaign sound bites. Some, like Jimmy Carter and Maureen Dowd, attribute it to innate racism. Chris Wallace even said that it’s because the administration is made up of a bunch of “cry babies.”

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Obama’s fall from grace is actually quite easy to understand. Proverbs gives us a list of things that the Lord hates, but the public hates them, too. It is not my intention to preach, but the list is a good guide for going through Obama’s mistakes.

Haughty eyes
Obama covers his feelings of superiority, or tries to, with twinkling eyes and hollow humor. He plays the cute and funny, cuddly and clever guy to avoid giving a straight answer. When asked if he would subscribe to the public option for his own health care, he answered with, “I’m the President,” and then regaled all with remarks about how his personal doctor follows him around. When asked if he had apologized to Office Crowley, he laughed about inviting him for a beer. He’s insulted doctors with stories of malpractice for money, dismissed Republicans who questioned the size of the stimulus package with his arrogant, “I won,” statement, said he didn’t want to listen to his opposition and even insulted George Stephanopoulos over the definition of a “tax.”

A lying tongue
How do we know when Obama is lying?
When his lips are moving.

It’s an old joke, but it seems to be true. He lies and purposefully misleads and intentionally misrepresents something every day. In the single speech before the joint sessions of Congress (made famous by Rep. Wilson’s “You lie” outburst), he lied about illegal immigrants having coverage, about the Republicans’ efforts to have input, about his commitment to “choice and competition,” and about public funding for abortions. He even stood before the UN to claim that more has been done to reduce carbons during his administration than ever before! The one statement that we all pray will not turn out to be a lie was his promise not to sign any bill if it costs us over a dime.

Hands that shed innocent blood
This one can be “hung” on the President as a known supporter of abortions and as our Commander-in-Chief. He has weakened our national security in too many ways to enumerate. He’s allowing a political witch hunt against the CIA, has traveled the world to cow-tow to evil leaders and apologize for the strength and dominance of the greatest country in the world (the one Michelle Obama spent the first 44 years of her life being ashamed of), and betrayed Poland and the Czech Republic. While he has been busy out-sourcing his duties to Congress and his Czars, he has actively put us all in harm’s way.

A heart that devises wicked plots
Our president favors abortion and purposefully will not allow a statement to prevent it in health care legislation. He assigned a known Communist to his fleet of socialist Czars. He used a corrupt organization to help him get elected and accepted illegal donations from them. He refuses still to allow access to the documents and records from his past. He claims “transparency” while he completely circumvents the checks and balances on the executive branch of our government. He seeks to control every aspect of our lives through socialized medicine, rather than addressing the most important issue of all, unemployment. He should be working to help small businesses put American’s back to work.

Feet that are swift to run into mischief
Did his feet even hit the floor before he signed us up for the largest national debt in the world? Did he hesitate at all to bail out company after company? Did he have any plan in mind before he signed away Gitmo? Did he think that we were too stupid or lazy to care that he had flag.gov set up without any discussion? Did anyone take time to think about the backlash from the clunkers idea, such as waste and further unemployment of used car salesmen and scrap metal yards? We’ve stood at town halls and on the mall before his steamroller, and now his spiteful, selfish nature is beginning to show.

Him that soweth discord among brethren
And what is the source of the discord? Is it because of “right-winged terrorists” or “anti-American” “swastika-wearing” “astroturfs?” No, it’s because of the rising debt, rising unemployment, huge governmental power grabs, despicable appointees, playing the race card himself with the Gates-gate incident, and the incessant word “spinning” to cover his lies. No more “war on terror.” Let’s hope there’s no more terror! When health care reform hit a brick wall, he suddenly vilified insurers and began speaking of health care “insurance” reform. Because he is being “called out” on the Internet by thousands and thousands of blogs, he wants to take that freedom away. And, he still continues to blame it all on Bush. HE is the source of the anger. HE is the reason for the discord.

So, how does Obama get back in the good graces of the public? If it’s possible at all, he will have to address the following:
• Reduce the size of the federal government.
• Balance the federal budget.
• Rid budgets and policies of earmarks and special interests.
• Honor the Constitution.

I Beg to Differ, Mr. Cosby!

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We have already seen a “knee jerk” reaction that went viral over the US Department of Education’s lesson for our children to “help the president” and Demi Moore’s video telling them to “pledge allegiance to Obama.” No one expected such a fire storm. Now, a beloved celebrity and admired educator has weighed in on "racist" Americans. I surely hope and pray that the comments from Bill Cosby will not stir up a similar overboard reaction on the other side. He is well-respected, loved and admired, but I respectfully disagree with him on several fronts.

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These are his words as printed in his Facebook notes, followed by my reply to Professor Cosby:

I agree with President Carter that racism is playing a role in recent outbursts against President Obama. During President Obama’s speech on the status of health care reform, some members of congress engaged in a public display of disrespect. While one Representative hurled the now infamous “you lie” insult at the President, others made their lack of interest known by exhibiting rude behavior such as deliberately yawning and sending text messages.

Health care reform is the most important domestic issue facing America today. Disease does not discriminate. African American, White, Asian, Latino, Republican, Democrat, no one in America is immune. So it seems obvious that a debate on health care reform should not include views born solely of partisanship or bigotry.

Various polls prior to the election indicated that between five and ten percent of Americans would never vote for an African American president. That number, of course, only includes those who actually admitted to their prejudice. How many others harbored such feelings but did not respond honestly when asked the question? And how many people oppose Obama’s plan because the President is African American?

In "Birth of a Nation," D.W. Griffith used white actors in black face to portray black legislators as having low intelligence and acting like fools. Today, we have a band of real life congressional fools seemingly bent on blocking any meaningful reform of the health care system. But if we allow even one American to die simply because he or she cannot afford treatment, we are creating a shameful scenario that could aptly be called “Death of a Nation.”

I’ve watched legislative bodies in person and on TV for years. There are always people reading, sleeping, and, as we saw recently, playing solitaire on laptops while someone was speaking. They said it was because what they were hearing was the “same old same old,” and Obama has certainly done that! Those yawns may not have been deliberate at all! Bottom line: it’s not racial. It’s poor judgment, poor decorum and what we would call a lack of “home-training.” Some that you saw “sending text messages” may have just been taking notes, or may have been keeping their office or constituents informed. I rely on unbiased tweets to my phone from Mark Knoller, Jake Tapper and Chuck Todd to keep me informed of Presidential statements when I cannot watch or listen to broadcasts. I’m sure there are some Congressmen who provide similar information. It’s not necessarily rude. It’s just indicative of a new day.

If you think that the opposition to health care reform is born solely of partisanship and/or bigotry, try working this word into your thoughts: DEBT! Right now, my part of the national debt is $38,444. (It will probably be higher before I finish my rebuttal to your remarks.) The only way I could pay that would be to sell my house and move into a bus. Yes, we could us health care reform. But the health care system is no so terribly broken that it can’t wait for the most important job that faces Congress, and that is balancing the budget and giving us some kind of fiscal security. Even Obama said that it was not critical in his address to Congress. By far, the majority of Americans consider the economy to be their most important concern. IF someone comes up with a bill that will not add “one dime” to the national debt, we’re all for it! If Obama breaks yet another promise and signs a bill that deepens the debt for our children and grandchildren, you will hear the outcry! THAT would be immoral.

You said that 5% to 10% of Americans would never vote for a black president. In polls, those numbers are considered insignificant. We could all find survey numbers that would prove different sides. We could find much higher numbers somewhere for how many blacks are prejudiced against whites, Jews and Hispanics. You are an intelligent man who knows that data can prove anything. I think before you pontificate, you should find the answers to your own questions about numbers!

And, do you think you could go any further back in history to make your point than you did? There are at least 3 generations of Americans who have never seen or heard of “Birth of a Nation!” (There are 2 who don't know or care about Martin Luther King.) You know as well as I do that the majority of people will always fall into social norms and mores. When it was acceptable to have slaves, it was acceptable to have slaves. Only a very small minority had them, but it was “the way it was.” When Al Jolson sang in black face, it was acceptable, as minstrel shows traveled all over the USA to entertain with the wonderful music of Stephen Foster and patriotic music (the kind that Nancy Pelosi tried to ban from the Congressional “land of hold”). Each generation of free Americans have pushed us closer and closer to the founding fathers’ ideal of “equality.” How? By speaking their minds. By going against norms. By standing firm for their beliefs. By disagreeing with the “powers that be.” THAT, Professor Cosby, is the way our Republic works.

And last, for all the criticism of Sarah Palin’s characterization of end of life counseling as “death panels,” you have the audacity to say that we “allow” Americans to die? There is no hospital in this great country that will not treat ANYONE that comes in for treatment (unless it is the University of Chicago Hospital following the “health initiative” of Michelle Obama). We don’t “allow” people to die! We freely contribute to charities and hospitals that provide short term and long term treatment, or local banks that establish accounts to help a specific victim. We can’t stop cars from hitting people, or pebbles in a mountain path from rolling under a foot, or mechanical problems in trains and planes. We can and do try to prevent drunk driving, build guard rails and require documented maintenance for public transportation. But we are dealing with people who have free choice. We can’t force a person not to drive drunk any more than we can force a pregnant woman to seek prenatal care or a twenty-two year old to accept his mortality and buy health care insurance. And, I, for one, am not willing to spend trillions of dollars to try.

You Lie!

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I've been torn like everyone else over the behavior on the House floor when Rep. Wilson (SC-R) blurted out an accusation against the President of the United States. I wondered why is is acceptable to stand and applaud and cheer in overt demonstrations, but not acceptable to show disagreement. Perhaps Rep. Wilson should have stood with thumbs down and his mouth shut. Or perhaps he should have joined his colleagues with bills and or signs in his hand or lap. Regardless, he did not lie.

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The liar that evening was the President, not Rep. Wilson. Neal Boortz shared a very well put together summary of an answer to the predominant lie of the evening by Obama, that the Republicans have not offered substantive suggestions or solutions to the health care debate. According to Markay on Newsbusters.com, the Republicans have done precisely what the president has asked them to do, echoing his own ideas, and, in some cases, his own words. Yet in his last speech delivered to the House and the Senate, he repeatedly claimed that Republicans have refused to or have yet to offer input. The lies were so prevalent, that Republican Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina could not contain his disgust as he audibly uttered words heard around the world, “You Lie.” So, let’s look at the “truths.”

• The President told the Joint Session of Congress that his "guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition." In full agreement with this Rep. Shaddeg (AZ-R) introduced a bill last summer to allow us to shop for health insurance in any and all states. The Energy and Commerce Committee is still sitting on that bill (HR 3217).

• The President claimed that, “Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions." But when four republican Representatives; Deal (GA), Johnson (TX), Cantor (VA), and Souder (IN); offered amendments to specify that this would not be the case, the amendments were killed by votes along party lines.

• Obama claimed that he “will not sign” a health care bill that “adds one dime to the deficit." Again, Rep. McClintock (CA-R) offered an amendment to explicitly prohibit any legislation that is not “deficit neutral” from going into effect. The result? Another “squash” by democrats.

• The President asserted that "I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need." Again, in agreement, Rep. Gingrey (GA-R) penned an amendment that would state in no uncertain terms that no federal official could make a decision about an individual’s health care. Henry Waxman (CA-D) and his crew killed the amendment.

• Besides misrepresenting Sarah Palin, again, Obama also denigrated those who make claims about “death panels” and rationed care for the elderly. However, when Rep. Herger (CA-R) submitted an amendment to forbid the government from conducting “comparative effectiveness research (and thus nullify the need for yet another expensive and expansive agency, office, staff, etc.), the lawbreaker Charlie Rangel and his committee killed that idea.

• Another “promise” from our leader was that taxes would not be raised on those making under $200K/year. But amendments by both Rep. Ryan (WI-R) and Rep. Rodgers (WA-R) offered to “insure” this promise both suffered an unnoticed but purposeful death. And the “promise” not to cut Medicare benefits for seniors that was put into motion by Rep. Brown-Waite (FL-R) in an attempt to totally remove any language in the bill that would even suggest such for Medicare Advantage suffered the same fate, as did several amendments to protect small businesses charged with offering health insurance for their workers.

• In proposed HR 3200, the employer mandate would result in 1.6 million fewer jobs, a $200 billion contraction in GDP, 1.2 million fewer work hours per week, and an annual decline in wages of $71 billion, within five years of its enactment. Reps. Hoekstra (MI-R), Herger (CA-R), Reichert (WA-R), Hunter (CA-R), and McKeon (CA-R) offered a variety of amendments to protect employers in the event of high unemployment or proven financial hardships from the mandate itself. Democrats had no use for them.

When Rep. Joe Wilson uttered his infamous, “You Lie,” statement, it was in response to the President’s assurance that illegal immigrants would not be covered in his health care bill. Numerous attempts to specifically block this had been thwarted prior to this breech of decorum. However, it is now being proposed that some form of ID system be used for anyone seeking health insurance in the United States.
So, Mr. President and Democratic officials, stop lying and claiming that the Republicans are inactive, inert, incapable, uncooperative, or disengaged. They are speaking. Listen!

Afterthought: As this was being posted, the House officially condemned Representative Wilson’s conduct, the first such action in the history of the United States. “If you don’t agree with the President, you are a racist.” Shame on the House.

Lessons on Race from my Father

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I’m not sure why the race card got pulled at Obama’s press conference on health care. My guess is that it was planned, as it seems that every move our president makes is extremely orchestrated. It also appears that, if you don’t like his liberal policies, you are considered to be a racist.

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I know that is not true. I know what racism is. I was in a restaurant in Memphis as a little girl when a lovely black family came in and there was a huge gasp from all the patrons at other tables. My parents smiled at them, as they also had a large “brood” of children. I saw the caravans of teens that left school the first day of integration in Birmingham as a protest. (Or, perhaps, just so they could go to Burger in a Hurry instead of school!) I had long time family “friends” leave my wedding in a tiff because my black friends came to my church to celebrate an important event in my life.

My father taught us all a lesson long ago without a single lecture. We, a family of nine, came home from church one Sunday evening to find a black man rummaging through our kitchen. DoDad chased him out the back door, down the rickety wooden steps, through the yard full of bamboo, to the back ally. We watched from the back windows as they disappeared from sight. Then my “hero,” my daddy, came back with the man in tow. But, instead of wrestling with him, they were talking and smiling. Instead of calling the police, he called to mother to fix some dinner for the man. He was hungry. He was looking for food. We were poor, too, but we always had food. This poor guy’s punishment that day was to have 7 curious little kids crawling all over him and asking him a thousand questions!

My son is currently teaching in Korea, and he said his little ones stroke his hairy arms out of curiosity in much the way that we stroked that man’s hair. It’s not racist. You have to feel comfortable about yourself and someone else to touch them in that way. I remember an evening of laughter and fun.

Later, DoDad explained a bit about relationships to me. We were in his office building on a weekend, watching some protestors down on the sidewalk. Birmingham had a bad reputation for the way that the police and fire department and dogs treated protestors, and we were witnessing some of that. He told me that basically everyone wants to feel good about themselves and wants to feel more important than someone else. It is part of human nature to want to be special, and that there are two ways to achieve that goal. One way is difficult. We must work hard, get a good education, improve ourselves, and constantly try to achieve the high goals that we set for ourselves. The other way is easy. You merely sit back, call other people names and slap them down so that you can believe that you tower above them. “Which way are you going to choose?” he asked me.

I think I made the right choice.

Which choice will you make?