Crazy Brit Journalist: The insanity and enduring racism of the American right

[Eric Arthur Blair]

As we gloomily maintain the deathbed vigil for a Government whose end cannot come soon enough, it is the opposite end of the life-cycle that fixates US politics. Fittingly enough, on the eve of the nine-month anniversary of Barack Obama's election, America obsesses about the President's birth, and specifically his birthplace.

The gestation period for any conspiracy theory is far longer than that for human infants, of course, or even elephants. It tends, in fact, to be endless. It is 45 years since JFK was murdered, 40 since the first moon walk, and almost eight since the Twin Towers fell, and while the various notions (second gunman, studio mock-up, Mossad plot) were conceived almost immediately after those events, they have yet to deliver anything more substantial than lovingly nurtured insanity.

That rag-tag coalition of shock jocks, publicity hungry attorneys, the credulous and simple-minded, plain nutters and above all frustrated racists collectively known as "the birthers" have spent a year banging on about Mr Obama's arrival in this world, and their successors will be banging on about it long after he's left it for the next.

With the hissing wrath of those struggling ferociously to repress the volcanic pressure to screech "uppity ******" at their head of state, these people conveniently conclude that Obama isn't their head of state at all. The second article of the US Constitution dictates that "no person except a natural born citizen" can be president, and the birthers argue that since Mr Obama was born in Mombasa, Kenya, he is disqualified.

continues at http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/matthew-norman/matthew-norman-the-insanity-and-enduring-racism-of-the-american-right-1764520.html

[jkr]

way to generalize

bet he has bad teeth...

[acptulsa]

What do you expect from someone who stops work in the middle of the afternoon to make a big deal out of hot tea and buttered unrolled ice cream cones?

Oh, sorry--did I just engage in rampant and inexcusable stereotyping even though I live thousands of miles away and have no clue..?

[free.alive]

The most important line in the article:


Politically speaking, this is a gift from heaven... that should help sweep him to a second term.

The tone of the writer, his invective and conclusions about the right are almost equally important, however wrong they are. Important because the press have the power to echo this argument for months, years even. And they will, as he's telling you now.

Let's get conspiratorial for a moment. If you're a Democrat who expected there to be backlash to Barack Obama and outrage to his agenda; and you knew the right-wing grassroots would respond maniacally to a glaring process error, such as presidential birth requirements; and you were a member of a party absolutely obsessed with collectivism in all its forms, especially race; and if you and your political party made political use of race at every possible opportunity, would it not make political sense to drum up an issue among the right to make it look crazy, hateful and racist?

Would it not be fantastic for your agenda, politically, to tie your political opposition to such rampant, irrational fanaticism. If you were a Democrat Party operative, such as - oh, Philip Berg, wouldn't it be politically profitable for you to stoke the flames that would engulf all "reactionary" elements among the right?

If you were Barack Obama, would you ever release your birth certificate, sine the simple act of not providing it gives more ammo to you politically then anything else ever could? Would it make a difference that this ammo was in the guns of your enemies, guns which they were pointing at themselves, staring down the barrels blindly, and pulling the trigger in crazed frustration.

If I were a Democrat, I would show up at every political meeting possible and bring up the issue of Barack Obama's birth. I would do just what the crazy chick from Delaware did. You know, to secure a progressive future.

My question for all you, a question you should ask everyone you know who knows about the issue is: Do you want to be a dupe - a dupe who aids your political enemy in cementing his power?

I'm interested to hear your answers.

[Deborah K]

Geezus! It's not his place of birth that is the issue, it's whether he is eligible to be President in accordance with the Constitution. The evidence for that has been sufficiently blocked since the day after his inauguration when he signed an excutive order barring release of all of his records - among other issues revolving around this topic.

And now, anyone raising legitimate questions is a racist. :rolleyes: I should have figured as much.

:mad:

[Freedom 4 all]

"The second article of the US Constitution dictates that "no person except a natural born citizen" can be president, and the birthers argue that since Mr Obama was born in Mombasa, Kenya, he is disqualified."

I'm not a birther myself but this line seems to imply that the journalist actually believes Obama was born in Kenya and just doesn't see it as a problem.

[free.alive]

Although I hate the issue, I can find only two reasons the guy won't produce the birth certificate.

1) Everything the "birthers" are alleging is true - that he was born in Kenya or elsewhere outside the US

2) Questions about Obama's nationality early on in the campaign flicked a light bulb on Rahm's or Axelrod's head. Now, they're milking the paranoia for all it's worth and will produce the real McCoy when it's most politically advantageous to them. This will make those on the right, many of whom will have accepted it as readily as the left accepted Bush was a buffoon, look fucking delusional, thus totally discrediting them - and all just in time for the next election.


Since there's no way you nor I nor anyone who is not investigating this issue backed by tons of money and tons of contacts can do anything about it, I say play the game as if the latter were true. Populist fervor will not work on this issue either way.