Never one to let an opportunity to spew his hatred and play upon the ignorance and bigotry of his listening audience pass by, Republican Party spokesman and race-baiter-in-chief Rush Limbaugh said on his radio program yesterday about the incident on a Belleville, Illinois schoolbus:
"It's Obama's America, is it not? Obama's America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. You put your kids on a school bus, you expect safety but in Obama's America the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering." Listen:
Pay no attention this:
"A student on a Belleville West High School bus was beaten for his choice of seat, not because he was white, according to a witness and police.
"The incident appears now to be more about a couple of bullies on a bus dictating where people sit," said Belleville Police Capt. Don Sax."
No, that gets in the way of Limbaugh's story line; that violent mobs of African-Americans are now roaming the streets of America looking for white people to assault-and it's all somehow President Obama's fault.
Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish calls it what it is-outrageous, irresponsible, reckless, and repulsive:
"I'm sorry but this is outrageous. The story was a classic schoolbus bully incident; it could happen anywhere any time and has happened everywhere at all times with kids of all races, backgrounds and religions. To infer both that it was racially motivated and that this is somehow connected to having a black president is repulsive.
...This man is spewing incendiary racial hatred. He is conjuring up images of lonely whites being besieged by angry violent blacks ... based on an incident that had nothing to do with race at all."
...These people are going off the deep end entirely: open panic at a black president is morphing into the conscious fanning of racial polarization...The far right is seizing any racial story to fan white fears of black power in order to destroy Obama. And the far right now controls the entire right.
Do they understand how irresonsible this is? How recklessly dangerous to a society's cohesion and calm? Or is that what they need and thrive on?"
Obsidian Wings adds this:
"But even if it was racially motivated, what on earth does Obama have to do with it? The answer is nothing other race. The only goal here was to stir up racial resentment and then pin it on Obama. I'm sorry, but this is infuriating. We shouldn't be putting up with this in 2009."
I've never been an advocate of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine, but this has me re-thinking that position. What Limbaugh and his ilk are doing is akin to screaming "Fire" in a crowded theater.
"It's Obama's America, is it not? Obama's America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. You put your kids on a school bus, you expect safety but in Obama's America the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering." Listen:
Pay no attention this:
"A student on a Belleville West High School bus was beaten for his choice of seat, not because he was white, according to a witness and police.
"The incident appears now to be more about a couple of bullies on a bus dictating where people sit," said Belleville Police Capt. Don Sax."
No, that gets in the way of Limbaugh's story line; that violent mobs of African-Americans are now roaming the streets of America looking for white people to assault-and it's all somehow President Obama's fault.
Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish calls it what it is-outrageous, irresponsible, reckless, and repulsive:
"I'm sorry but this is outrageous. The story was a classic schoolbus bully incident; it could happen anywhere any time and has happened everywhere at all times with kids of all races, backgrounds and religions. To infer both that it was racially motivated and that this is somehow connected to having a black president is repulsive.
...This man is spewing incendiary racial hatred. He is conjuring up images of lonely whites being besieged by angry violent blacks ... based on an incident that had nothing to do with race at all."
...These people are going off the deep end entirely: open panic at a black president is morphing into the conscious fanning of racial polarization...The far right is seizing any racial story to fan white fears of black power in order to destroy Obama. And the far right now controls the entire right.
Do they understand how irresonsible this is? How recklessly dangerous to a society's cohesion and calm? Or is that what they need and thrive on?"
Obsidian Wings adds this:
"But even if it was racially motivated, what on earth does Obama have to do with it? The answer is nothing other race. The only goal here was to stir up racial resentment and then pin it on Obama. I'm sorry, but this is infuriating. We shouldn't be putting up with this in 2009."
I've never been an advocate of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine, but this has me re-thinking that position. What Limbaugh and his ilk are doing is akin to screaming "Fire" in a crowded theater.
PLEASE don't ask me to listen to this idiot speak again.
Of course they only say these vile things to people who look like them. They wouldn't be caught dead in the Midtown/Third Ward area where I live spouting their bigoted bullshit. If they ever did, they would quickly be the recipients of a world class ass-whooping. Not that I wouldn't find that immensely entertaining to watch, but lets face it, it'll never happen. These peoples political leaders and the morons that they listen to on the radio have always been too cowardly to put their privileged asses on the line when called to, why should these racist cowards be any different ?
I wasn't around when MLK was killed but I clearly remember the acquittal of the police officers who beat Rodney King and the subsequent aftermath of rioting and violence that occurred across the country, mainly in South Central Los Angeles. You're absolutely right when you talk about what will occur if anything happens to the President. The rioting and violence will make the Watts and South Central riots look like pillow fights. I think it will be a black vs. white thing, and even though many whites voted for Obama, myself included, I don't think that will keep us safe. The fact is, if someone actually does harm the President, you can almost 100% guarantee that it will be a white male, which will make me and many others guilty by association, and therefore targets. Hundreds of years of pent up rage and frustration in the black community will be unleashed, and in my opinion, even though some white Americans probably deserve it, unfortunately a lot of innocent white people will be injured and killed because of the acts of a few idiots who refuse to let go of past prejudices and ignorance.
What baffles me is the fact that these morons don't have any compunction to say shit like that to a total stranger.
What the fuck is wrong with these people?
Oh yeah. They listen to Rush the Ugly Racist Bastard.
What a total waste of oxygen that man is.
I can't believe any person who is halfway educated would use words such as those.
And not realize how low-class trashy it sounds.
I guess it’s getting to be a common occurrence.
I was sitting in my company truck this afternoon eating lunch when I noticed a man approaching, probably early to mid 30's. My first thought was, another panhandler looking for some change or a couple of dollars. He said he was an out of work welder and wanted to know if Centerpoint was hiring. I told him no, not right now.
He said he had been looking for work for 2 months and hadn’t been able to find anything. Then out of the blue he says, “Well maybe somebody will shoot Obama and the economy will get better.” Then he just walked away like we had been discussing the weather. This guy didn’t know me from Adam but I guess he assumed because I’m white and he’s white it’s OK to talk about hoping somebody shoots the president.
I’ve heard about this kind of stuff happening but it didn’t really hit home until I actually heard somebody say it.
This is a scary time for our country. I remember watching cities burning on TV after MLK was assassinated. Multiply that times 10,000 and that’s what we’ll have if anything happens to President Obama.
Sad -- so very, very sad -- and freakin' pathetic!
We have become a nation of losers -- or lost souls.
I had a similar situation happen to me a couple of hours ago. There's a man who works in another office adjacent to mine. Pretty good guy except when it comes to politics, as he is a die-hard Republican, so I try to avoid the subject like the plague when he's around. Anyways, he came into my office holding the Wall Street Journal and stating that he was sick about something in it. Then he showed me what it was that was making him so agitated. A picture of Obama holding what appeared to be a toy light saber. He was posing with another guy holding a fencing sword. Michelle and the girls could be seen in the background. Then came the comments of "Look at that ni**er", "I can't believe that ji**aboo is in the White House", along with a jab at one of the daughters that went something like "look at the gap in those teeth, you could fit a pencil in there". Now, this guy is married to a woman from another country, so you think he would be somewhat more tolerant, but from his comments it was fairly easy for me to reach the conclusion that he doesn't like the fact that Obama is President, and it sure as hell doesn't seem to have anything to do with his politics. Sadly, I bet incidents like this go on in almost every workplace in this country on a daily basis, but there are still some on the right who can't figure out why in the world other people might paint them and their party as a bunch of racists.
Elowe, why are you here?
Obviously you aren't here for any intellectual or mind-expanding debate.
Hit the road, Jack(ass).
Typical...if it isn't part of the echo chamber, you can't deal with it.
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Doesn't it get boring having the same 6 people chant the same nonsense day ofter day without anyone challenging how absurd these arguments really are?
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Calling dissenters bigots and racists isn't vitriol?
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What happened to that 70% Obama approval rating? Seriously, did half of those who approved of Obama suddenly turn into bigots and racists? Really?
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Editor's Note: No, elowe, it doesn't get boring having rational conversation with rational people. It does get boring though, have people parachute in, fact challenged, who try to change the subject and start an argument over basic well know facts. You succeeded for a little while yesterday when I was away from the board. That won't happen again.
Oh, the 70% approval rating? When there are people like you and the right wing media lying in a continuous stream about non existent policies, resurrecting fears of Nazis, communists, socialists, and other bullshit, it will affect Obama's rating. You must be so proud participating in that slander on a daily basis.
Now, hit the road. Run on back over to the cockroach infested board where you will be more comfortable.
Jefe
I heard about it on channel 11 news the following morning.
Rush and Des weren't the only ones who saw it.
What I find appalling is that this lady felt no hesitancy or compunction about saying that to you.
Jeez. What a dumbass. Totally lacking in couth or common sense.
I would have said, "I wonder what you said when President Bush was in office and things didn't go as fast as you thought they should? Did you blame him?"
Or else I would have said, "don't be such a dumb shit!"
I just have to relate this to you all because it shows.....hell, I don't know WHAT it shows. I guess, how incredibly STUPID people have become since November 5, 2008.
I'm standing in line at the post office, yesterday. There were exactly 16 people in front of me. I counted them. Kinda high number for 3:15pm but not uncommon.
The USPS personnel were working at their usual "pace". Things were moving a little slow. The white lady in front of me in line, 49-55, average looking, no visible scars or weapons, turns to me and says:
"Well, I guess with Obama in office, we'll have to put up with this for a while."
The white guy behind me, 50-60, average, 2 visible tatoos, says:
"Yeah, he's NOT gonna git rid of this mess. Anybody could do a better job than the post office."
Now, let me add, there were 3 clerks, two white and one Indo-Pakistani dude.
I have wrestled with this now for 24 hours to see exactly WHAT train of thought these people were riding. This just goes to show how these crazy people are going out of their way to justify their racial hatred of the black man in their white house.
I don't know that bringing back the Firness Doctrine would be of any immediate help. So many of Rush's listeners live in a constant state of denial with regards to anything that doesn't jibe with the alternate reality they live in. In the long run, it may help to keep a new generation from being quite so brainwashed.
There is nothing more ironic then hearing a conservative blather on about the left wing media conspiracy. Then, you turn around and see 90 percent of talk radio as conservative. It's laughable. If you want to stop it then you reinstall the Fairness doctrine. I never heard a progessive on radio until I got XM. They don't exist in Houston in a town that went Democratic last year. Absolutely ridiculous.
Yeah, Rush is a racist....
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Barack Obama is "the first mainstream African-American [presidential candidate] who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man." --Joe Biden
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"You cannot go into a Dunkin' Donuts or a 7-Eleven unless you have a slight Indian accent." --Joe Biden
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"You don't know my state. My state was a slave state. My state is a border state. My state is the eighth largest black population in the country. My state is anything from a northeast liberal state."— Joe Bide
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Editor's note: Give it a rest, elowe. Have something to contribute, do so. Have vitriol and insults, pedal that over on the chron.
What can be done, within the bounds of the law, and without taking away any constitutional rights? I don't ask to be a smart ass - I ask honestly. Other than continue to call them out on venues like these, what other recourse is there?
These people have been here all along, and Rush is just a symptom. Have we ignored the racist hate filled scum in this country long enough? Are we gonna do something about it?
Doubt it.....
Chances are that Limbaugh will be the first resident to grace the internment camps we have carefully provided for the wingnut population. Hope he has a good supply of KY Jelly in his dopkit!
I was curious about the demographics of Rush listeners.
http://www.quantcast.com/rushlimbaugh.com
Almost exclusively middle-age to elderly white males. Some of the other statistics are revealing too. What surprised me is that most of these guys are college educated.
Why is it last week, when an African-American woman returned home in NW Houston to a swastika spray-painted on her garage door, local conservatives said "It's just some kids trying to get attention" and "kids will be kids" and "stop making everything about race" but this happens, and it's about race?
I notice the usual lamebrains commenting over on the chron bog about this.
They don't have any logical argument so all they can do is insult the blogger. Typical.
"You are the race baiter". "Libs do this all the time".
Such bullshit.
Time to shut them down. Bullies keep bullying as long as they can get away with it. We've been letting them get away with this shit for too long.
Bring back the Fairness Doctrine.
Rush is a terrible racist - spends his time on the air venting his resentment, fear and bigotry, egging on his listeners to feel as aggrieved as he does over some fear that someone may be gaining an advantage over a white guy.
At least ESPN had the nerve to fire his ass as a result of his racist BS.
Des,
You and Limbaugh may be the only people who know what happened in Bellville. It wasn't front page news -- at least I didn't read about it -- and I avoid -- at all costs --- listening to Limbaugh.
The Washington Post this morning has a story, in which Anne Kornblut writes that the White House is trying to figure out how to deal with this.
IMHO - there is only one way to deal with a bully: You knock them on their a**. You don't give them your lunch money.
The meek may inherit the earth, but for the time being, the uncivilized are getting all the media coverage... in this country anyway..... where "sensationalism" rules the choice of a lead story -- in print -- or wherever, and where "ratings" are deemed more important than "facts".
Bring back the "Fairness Doctrine."