3/28/13

Fat Cats And Racists, Part Two

I was having a conversation with a union employee a few years ago, a middle aged man suffering from infallibility, who assured me that if you were an old Republican, you were a racist.

I thought to myself, “What a moron.”  I wondered if Lenin would call him a “useful idiot”, somebody who would believe anything you told them, as long as it reinforces their prejudices and made them feel good about themselves.

I also wondered, “Why in Hell do the Republicans allow this sort of BS to be perpetrated, year in and year out?” I suppose Republicans think such imbecilic charges don’t need to be countered, given such prominent Republicans such as Condi Rice, Colin Powell, Michael Steele, Allen West, etc.  They are wrong.

In general, Democrats are the party of big government, and big government means big money and big power.  More than one pundit has said that, without the black vote, the Democratic Party  wouldn’t win very many elections, and wouldn’t therefore be able to get its hands on all that power and money. Here’s what Thomas Sowell wrote about the 2010 Congressional elections in his 1/22/10 column,  “How Republicans Can Win the Black Vote”:

It may be years before Republicans can again get a majority of the black vote. But Republicans don’t need to get a majority of the black vote. If they get 20 percent of the black vote, the Democrats are in trouble — and if they get 30 percent, the Democrats have had it in the general elections. In some close congressional elections, if the Republicans increase their share of the black vote by even modest amounts, that will be the difference between victory and defeat.

Because the black vote can be THE crucial difference between victory and defeat, liberals and progressives, at the first sign of any challenge to Big Government, run the “racism” charge up the flagpole. You want welfare reform? Racist! Cuts to food stamps? Racist! Budget controls? Racist! Oppose gun control? Racist!

This silliness has been going on for years. My favorite example is Congressman Charles Rangel back in 1994 on a Republican plan to make some budget cuts, not actual spending cuts, just budget cuts:

Rangel denounced the plan as a form of modern-day racism. “It’s not ‘spic’ or ‘nigger’ anymore,” he raged. “[Instead,] they say, ‘Let’s cut taxes.’ ”

(Given Rangel’s recent problems, it‘s a wonder he‘s not in prison, let alone still in Congress.)

The most recent threat to big government has been the TEA Party.  Essentially, the TEA Party is a protest movement against the government’s abuse of power, especially unnecessary spending.  As such, the TEA Party is a threat to government programs, money, and jobs and must be stopped at all costs. Hence, the “racism” charges, proofs be damned, and to hell with black Tea Party supporters Herman Cain, Tim Scott, Allen West, Lloyd Marcus, et al.

Sure enough, all over America the weak-minded useful idiots and true believers accepted as gospel that the TEA Party was a bunch of racists.  In a refreshing moment of candor, Mary Frances Barry, former Chairwoman, US Commission on Civil Rights, had this to say, (note her casual assumption that Republicans are racists):

“Tainting the TEA Party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats. There is no evidence that TEA Party adherents are any more racist than other Republicans —  . Having one’s opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness.”

Here’s what then Representative Tim Scott, now Senator, from South Carolina said about the smear campaign:

“I’ve been to dozens of Tea Party rallies. I’ve given at least half a dozen or more speeches.  I have yet to find the first racist comment or the first person who approaches me from a racist perspective. —when you look at the basis of the Tea Party, it has nothing to do with race. It has to do with an economic recovery.—It has to do with limiting the role of government in our lives. —How do you fight that?  The only way you fight that is to create an emotional distraction called racism. It doesn’t have to be real. It can be rhetoric but it gets the media focusing on something other than the truth of why the Tea Party is resonating so well with the average person.”

When I was Chairman of our local TEA Party in 2011, we had a lending library at our front desk which included books by four black libertarian/conservative, TEA Party supporters: Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Larry Elder, and Star Parker. Sowell and Williams, both economists, are two of America’s foremost scholars, and the typical lib/progressive has never heard of either, let alone read anything by them.

Also, two members of our TEA Party Board of Directors made campaign donations to Herman Cain, and one member gave to Star Parker’s campaign.  I wonder how that compares with the Democrats, Republicans, or Progressives of Grant County?

In fairness to the people of Grant County, in the past two years I’ve made it a point to rub elbows with Democrats, Progressives, Greens, and even the ACLU. Only once did I encounter a hate-filled true-believer-moron. With that one exception, I’ve found all of these people to be friendly, receptive and (I’ll be damned!) likeable. Not one of them accused me or the TEA Party of racism.

Two more disclaimers: Not all Democrats want our national motto changed to “In Government We Trust”, and there are more than a few Republicans who worship Big Government. One that comes to mind is ex-President George H.W. Bush, who, when asked about his long and varied career in and out of government, began to gush about “public service” to such an extent I thought they were going to have to put a paper bag over his head, stop the hyperventilation.

I was embarrassed for him. Sounded just like Michelle Obama would a few years later.

Next week: Who Are The Real Racists?