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Will the race card be played out? By Michael C. Guilmette Jr. Originally published on Sept. 17, 2009, in the Connersville News-Examiner. While campaigning before Congress last Wednesday evening, President Barack Obama was faced with a refreshing bit of truth.
“You lie!” Those two words brought firth cheers across the fruited plains while bringing much consternation in the hallowed halls of Congress. Apparently, it’s not OK for a Republican to accuse a Democrat president of lying in the same chamber where Democrats have done so for so many years. Obama, who is known for playing fast and loose with the truth himself — claiming this year he has never supported a single-payer health care system even though he is on tape plainly saying he did in 2003 — drew Wilson’s ire by saying his health care proposal would not cover illegal immigrants. The only thing more important to far-left liberal Democrats than getting non-Americans on the public dole is continuing the wholesale slaughter of the unborn while having the government pay for it. Since the now widely-read and much-maligned House health care proposal does not specifically prohibit either covering illegal immigrants or paying for abortions with taxpayer money, the door is wide open for proponents to attempt either — or both — if the bill is passed. It’s this dangerous possibility that prompted Joe Wilson to take his unprecedented step to challenge the president and bring to light the looming disaster that will result from an unbridled and immoral expansion of federal power and entitlements. However, following his now-famous outburst, Joe Wilson had a charge leveled against him that I doubt he expected to get — his remarks were driven by racism. Maureen Dowd at the New York Times was the first pundit to bring this assertion into the limelight, writing in her column that “[s]ome people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it.” The White House itself quickly tried to douse the flames Dowd was fanning with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs saying Sunday race was not the issue. But the fire was already growing. In the run-up to Tuesday’s Congressional rebuke against Joe Wilson — or as it is more commonly known, the Joe Wilson Guaranteed Re-election Act of 2009 — more political notables have happily thrown the same charge into the ring. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., speaking with reporters Tuesday while thoughtfully staring out into space, said that Wilson “did not help the cause of diversity and tolerance with his remarks — if I were a betting man I would say it instigated more racist sentiment. And so I guess we’ll probably have folks putting on white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside intimidating people.” Even noted one-term president Jimmy Carter said Wednesday Wilson’s outburst was “based on racism.” Sadly, this comes as little surprise. Early on, we knew the race-baters were going to use the race card in an attempt to deflect legitimate criticism of our so-called “first black president.” Apparently, nobody should have any reason to oppose a very liberal president with a neo-Marxist agenda who has already taken control of the banks, the mortgage industry and the auto industry while planning to spend trillions of dollars we do not have. Apparently, the only reason anyone could oppose President Barack Obama is because the color of his skin. What is a little surprising is how much the race card is being played now. Obama has only been in office for just shy of eight months, and he has more than 40 months left in his presidency. What’s more, Obama’s job approval ratings are in free fall and his administration is facing the real possibility — if polls are to be believed — of a voter revolt next November that could lead to a hostile Congress. As opposition mounts, I thoroughly expect race will be thrown as the trump card in any situation that becomes politically uncomfortable for the president. In fact, if ACORN — Obama’s community organizing front group — faces a RICO investigation as they should, race will probably be a factor in that case as well. The more it happens, however, the more the American people will treat race allegations with skepticism. Already, Rasmussen polling found Wednesday that only 12 percent of Americans think that health care reform opponents are motivated by race while five times as many think otherwise. Poll results like this illustrate just how much the American people are getting tired of being pigeonholed into arbitrary groups by a political party with a history of slavery, segregation and racism and a mass media that thrives on group conflict. As race complaints are thrown in more absurd, desperate ways, Americans will be more inclined and less afraid to call out the bogus claims for what they are — bogus. And Joe Wilson will deserve some of the credit. Joe Wilson unwittingly fired the first volley in the counterattack against the forces who would continue to have us believe their definition race should be held on high while clubbing us into silence out of an irrational fear of the dreaded “R” world. Now that the battle is joined, we will see if the race card remains as an effective defense. It may actually be Obama’s legacy to fold that bitter hand once and for all. • Guilmette is managing editor of the News-Examiner. He may be contacted at mguilmette@newsexaminer.com. |
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Copyright © 2009, Michael C. Guilmette Jr. |
Joe Wilson, the Republican congressman from South Carolina, boldly stood up and told the president exactly what many Americans believe about his claims about the health care reform proposal.
