Blatant Republican Racism

I have covered many amazingly disgusting examples of Republican racism and anti-Semitism over the years.

Not too long ago there was an idiot bar owner in Cobb Co. Georgia who made T-shirts with a picture of Curious George (registered trademark of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) eating a banana with the caption "Obama '08." When confronted by some uppity civil rights groups the bar owner insisted he wasn't racist. From a Daily Kos article because the original newspaper article keeps crashing Firefox:

The T-shirts are being peddled by Marietta bar owner Mike Norman at his Mulligan's Bar and Grill in Cobb County. They show a picture of Curious Georgie peeling a banana, with the words "Obama '08" underneath.

...

Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey.

Of course this fool got slapped down by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for copyright infringement and generally being an a racist idiot:

Rick Blake, a spokesman for publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which owns Curious George, said Wednesday that the company didn't authorize the use of the character's image, but hasn't been in touch with anybody selling or manufacturing the shirts.

"We find it offensive and obviously utterly out of keeping with the value Curious George represents," Blake said. "We're monitoring the situation and weighing our options with respect to legal action."

Now we have another example of stupid, racist Republican "humor." The ill-named American Values and Focus on the Family Action Forum (a group which seems unAmerican and displays terrible values) sells "Obama Waffles" with several racial stereotypes. From this article:

Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.

On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" that says it can serve "4 or more illegal aliens." The recipe includes a tip: "While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?"

Wow, insulting blacks, Muslims and Hispanics all in one shot. I guess the Republican Party has abandoned all attempts to reach out to the true diversity of America. I guess they have embraced intolerance wholeheartedly. What is with Republicans? How can they think this kind of adolescent racism is okay? This is a forum attended by the likes of Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney and they are engaging in blatant racism.

And speaking of Republican Racism, here's an article from an Arizona blog that is apropos: McCain and the Race Card - The Corporate Media's Role. And let's remember McCain opposed the Martin Luther King, jr. holiday. For those who want to read more about Republican racism, I've discussed it here (from before Obama won the primary), and it is covered in Drew Westin's book The Political Brain with some pretty nasty examples.

To quote Drew Westen's book, The Political Brain:

Since the mid-1960's, the party of Lincoln has desecrated his memory. Republicans have opposed every effort to extend equal rights to anyone who isn't white. They have played the race card in every presidential election they have won since 1968. As long as Democrats don't turn racism into a character issue, Republicans will continue to use it as an instrument of political persuasion.

Remember Trent Lott's glowing, gushing, loving speech about Strom Thurmond's 1948 presidential run. Remember, that Trent Lott was the LEADER of the Republican Senate, yet he said that had Strom Thurmond won the presidency in 1948, America wouldn't have the problems it has today.

What was the focus of Thurmond's run for presidency? His central platform was segregation, upholding the "right" of, in his words, "Southern People" to keep "niggers" out of "our theaters...swimming pools...homes and...churches." Trent Lott in 2002 was praising one of the most blatantly racist campaigns for president in the 20th century. (Note: remeber that Thurmond was a "Dixiecrat" who left the Democratic Party BECAUSE of the Democratic fight for Civil Rights, finding the Republican Party more accepting of his racism).

Then in 2006 there were two very instructive Senate races: Virginia and Tennessee. In Virginia, the Republican incumbent used a racial slur against a dark-skinned American and it blew up in his face. He lost. Democrats hit him hard for his open racism, and we now have Senator Jim Webb of Virginia instead of the racist Republican incumbent.

In Tennessee, racist Republican candidate Corker and the Republican Party ran an ad that implied his oponent, Henry Ford, jr. (a black) was having sex with white women. In it, they use the phrase, "Harold Ford...He's just not right."

A phrase that sounds suspiciously like "Harold Ford...He's just not white." And the truth is, neurologically our brains will interpret that phrase to mean "white." The pairing of the sex with white women, and the "he's just not white" line was clearly trying to play on the racism many voters might have deep down.

This ad, by the way, was crafted by Karl Rove.

And let's not forget the fact that Republicans claim Jews don't matter because they only make up 2% of the population. Then there is their blatant anti-Muslim stand. Then there have been countless racist remarks by Rep. Ed Butcher (R-MT) denigrating Native Americans.

I predicted that if Obama got the nomination republican racism would reach new lows. Seems that is coming through loud and clear to the American people. Republicans stand for racism and intolerance and it is about time for the American people to say, "enough is enough."