If alienating the Latino vote is guaranteed to kill the Republican Party in future elections, why are they going so overboard to do it?
Well, what gets the biggest applause line in this little GOP get-together? [hint: it comes at about the 5:30 minute mark].
The whole episode is a pathetic little window into the diseased mind of the right-wing base. I don’t mind the eager citizen quality of Marg Baker’s outsider campaign. I respect her getting off her duff and trying to do something about the direction of the country. No, what I mind is the reaction of the people gathered together in that room. They’re the people forcing the GOP so far to the right. They are ones who are nominating nut-jobs for positions in high office. And they cheer when a confused realtor tells them that her plan for immigration reform is to round up Latinos into internment camps. Talk about the banality of evil. It doesn’t get any more banal that that video.
But that’s the road down which the GOP is currently careening. And it doesn’t matter that the bridge is out. There’s a long stretch of road ahead before we get to that bridge.
“Oh! We’ve gotta have guns!” (Raucous applause)
Yeah, you’ve gotta have guns because armed insurrection is all you’ll have left after November, Marge.
And yeah. She looked totally flustered and confused as she spun back and forth trying to answer the immigration question. Truly pathetic.
I have just spent the last couple of hours replying to a whole slew of e-mails I received today from my Tea Party brother in law. It is pointless but I guess I consider it a way of “keeping in shape” on how to respond to some of the insanity that is floating around out there. It is uncanny that right after I finished I came over here and saw this post. It is chilling, to say the least. This cancer that is so evident in the video is here, there and everywhere. And it is spreading. Spreading like wildfire. I sometimes feel like I’m floating along in some kind of parallel universe where I’m looking at everything through some kind of opaque window shade and I’m trying to make out what on the other side is for real and what is conjured up by my imagination. I’m afraid that what is on the other side really is my worst imaginable scenario.
I’ve got to say, I’m a little scared right now. Scared of what kind of capacity for evil lurks in so many of the people I see and pass every day throughout my repetitive grind. I hear the sentiments in this video expressed every day. People so seamlessly go from “round ’em up and put ’em in camps. Just like the 40’s” to “And oh, yeah, we need more guns”. It’s like they’re just deciding between the breakfast special or the biscuits and gravy. It is that nonchalant. They really do feel like they are fighting for their cultural survival. And it is a non-starter in their minds that the people they are going to fight are the ones with the dark skins and those, like me, who are their fellow travelers.
Sometimes I think I spend too much time buried up to my hips in all this politics stuff and debating the issues such as race and the slow deterioration of our middle class. But every time I feel like walking away to save just a bit of my sanity, there is another slap in the face like this video that makes me realize that if there aren’t some people willing to stand up and call the bullshit, then people like these, the ones clapping and applauding the creation of internment camps for the “others”, will be ceded the keys to our government without so much as a whimper.
And that scares the living daylights of me. And it should scare everyone else as well.
This is what I’ve been trying to say for a year now. People are taking this shit too lightly.
Really agree. I’m afraid waiting for “demographic change” to move things in our favor and make Dems unbeatable will find “the ones with the dark skins and those, like me, who are their fellow travelers” already rounded up.
These f*ckers might seem inept, but on some things they know how to move, and fast. They ran ads non-stop in Pennsylvania, targeting Spector on EFCA before he switched parties. That’s what killed EFCA, not Obama.
And the MSM has given them waaay too much credibility!
Until the MSM starts calling them out on how crazy they really are and making them answer for their actions and words this will get worse. I am afraid that there will be blood before the MSM and politicians will admit that this is a real problem.
There are too many of these people who are just on the verge of violence now and seem to be the types that any perceived slight could set them off and others will follow.
It won’t be pretty but hopefully one incident is all it will take for people to wake up to the danger. 2nd Amendment solutions, indeed!
I know a few racist people but I never would have guessed that having a black President would set so many people off. If you are a Democrat there are a lot more people out to bring you down but if you are a black President, it is much worse. Our President handles it outwardly quite well but it must really intensify the stress of the Presidency.
You know, it’s not really the blatantly racist people that worry me. This is something I have said for many years and when I have had conversations about race with friends or family. Most will say, “Well I can’t say I know anyone who is racist”. And they are visualizing someone with a sheet on their head or someone beating a black guy over the head at a lunch counter. Those people are out there with their racism for everyone to see. They are worrisome, yes. But it’s the people you see in those pictures who are standing on the sidewalk watching things unfold, with a little smile on their face or a cheer of encouragement for those perpetrating the crimes they are witnessing that really worry me. And those are the people I know. The followers. Those who will give substantive momentum to the “round’em up and put ’em in camps” crowd. These are the people most of us know; the closet bigots. And they are the ones who fail to see the connection. It is these people, the ones who will reflexively join the crowd once the momentum has taken hold and they will be the ones who feed the hydra of hate and give it life.
I have been called hyperbolic by some I know when it comes to this issue. But I have always had a sensitivity to this type of subtle bigotry that is woven through the fabric of our society. What we are seeing today is not something born just since November 2008. This has been lying, for the most part silently dormant, for generations. And now, with the election of a black President, it has woken from its slumber and is roaming the country wildly looking to satiate its appetite. And it is finding a bounty of stores everywhere it goes.
I don’t believe it is hyperbolic to say that, yes, there will blood shed at some point on a fairly significant scale. I have been saying this for a long, long time. I don’t see how that will be avoided. And I will take no joy in being able to look back at words I have penned and say, “See, I told you so”. No joy at all, my friend.
I was hoping that not too much blood would be spilled before things were brought under control.
What concerns me the most is the number of law enforcement people who are in the crazy category. If the DOJ and local law enforcement are smart, they will start trying to cull those that they know would be trouble makers since when trouble starts those people should not have a badge and uniform. Organizations of ‘patriots’ and retired law enforcement & military could be especially problematic.
So far this summer has been calmer than last summer but if the Dems are still in control of both the House and Senate after Nov. 2, there will be some really angry crazies. They think that their movement is so huge that they can’t possibly lose this fall.
I don’t know anyone in the KKK but most people put out signals with their body language and facial expressions. I grew up in NW Kansas, in a very small town. I was about 8, I think, when I embarrassed my parents by asking questions about someone with dark skin when we were traveling and had stopped for lunch.
Then I was about 9 or 10 when a Black couple moved to our town. He was a retired baseball player… very tall and huge hands and his wife was rolly polly and always had a smile. I still find it hard to believe that noone would sit at the same table with them at a church potluck, except me. Not even the pastor. They stuck it out for most of a year but then gave it up and moved away. I think that I have been sensitive to racism ever since then.
You are so right about this being dormant for generations. The pictures of the Tea Partiers are so reminiscent of pictures during the 1960s. The only difference is that the 1960s pictures were generally in black and white and today they are in color but the facial expressions of anger and hatred are much the same.
I hope that the GOPs ginning up of hate for Hispanics and the unemployed, school teachers, policemen, and firemen backfires on them big time this fall. The talk radio haters gin up hate for Hispanics, Blacks, Muslims, the unemployed and the librul commies, among others. If they keep it up, their world will be really, really small!
to be blunt with you, BooMan. I don’t think Black folks take them too lightly, but I do think a whole lotta White folks take them too lightly.
for me and mine – they are who we thought they were, and we know, that, if left up to a fucking VOTE, that they’d strip me of my rights in a nanosecond.
they don’t fool me.
they are who we thought they were, and who we always knew them to be.
Problem is the tea-party candidates are responding to a genuine fear and helplessness on the part of many ppl, based on the fragility of their economic situation – fear of loss of livlihood. To use an example from last summer, there are/ were de facto death panels via hc rationing, they are not in hcr legislation. another example – fear of gov taking over private property b/c of the bailouts. that’s not what Obama is about, but the financial industry seems to have cared less (to coin a phrase) about so many losing their homes and businesses. Your time spent engaging your tp brother in law is time well spent imo – how to identify genuine underlying problems and propose legislative solutions.
Yes, the fear is real. But like so often the case, it is being exploited for political gain. And much of what is being said is totally baseless. The Republicans are experts on how to use fear to their advantage. And the circumstances in the country are tailor made for that right now.
The tsunami of mis-information that has swamped the public is unprecedented. And it has worked, as can attested by the recent poll on health care.
When people are driven by fear, all rationality goes out the window. It becomes extremely difficult at that point to get anyone to even accept simple facts. The fear overtakes them. Studies have shown that to be the case. That is where we are right now, as my conversation with my brother in law shows. He is oblivious to facts. It just doesn’t matter that I have the facts on my side. They will just be dismissed with a wave of the hand right before he spouts another easily refutable pile of BS. It is hard not to just be an asshole to him. My snark and sarcasm is lost on him. But he keeps saying he wants to “educate me”, so I will continue to endure.
The problems generating the fear are genuine, is what I meant to write, sorry I didn’t state clearly in first comment. ppl are in fact losing their homes, businesses, farms, hc is being rationed, etc – your brother in laws facts about the underlying causes for fear are correct, but the gop proposed remedies are irrational – you’d think everyone would know by now cutting taxes isn’t going to create jobs, for example. The challenge is to introduce rational discourse on how to deal with the problems. For example interning all undocumented workers is not going to save any $, I am guessing – and may cause even more agricultural products to rot in the fields like last year.
The challenge is to introduce rational discourse on how to deal with the problems.
Yes. That is the challenge. There are many people who can be engaged in rational discussions. It is difficult, though, when hiding just beneath the surface is this visceral impulse that is running through so many of the Tea Party faithful right now to kick some dark skinned ass to show everyone who’s boss. As we see right now in the Republican Party, those inclined to “rational discussion” and who give a hint that they are willing to talk to the “other side” are quickly consumed by the fiery rage of their base. They know it is political suicide if they don’t appeal to the reptilian instincts of these people. It is nearly out of control and they know it. My fear is that a huge swath of these people will not be satisfied until something very dramatic, and likely violent, takes place. Lurking somewhere in their subconscious seems to be a need for bloodlust. All of the dogwhistles are there, all of the code words are being mouthed and you have the likes of Glenn Beck aiding and abetting it. The planets are quickly aligning for some sort of cathartic release for these people. The only question is when and where it will take place and who will be the object of their anger.
p.s. snark does not help – it’s understood (legitimately I’d say) as a minimizing of the person’s fears. The image that comes to mind for me is the post tsunami beaches – ppl replaced by club meds.
What I see is that the Republicans have decided to wager that they can enact apartheid before they become obsolete.
Will they become obsolete though with “principled” democrats not wanting to vote for Democratic candidates. This was a recent entry at FDL:
“Come November, I’m absolutely not voting for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate. I may even commit heresy as a Democratic precinct delegate and split my ticket; my vote is very much a toss between a Republican moderate or None-Of-The-Above.
Before you just roll your eyes and hit the back button, you need to know I’m not merely the base or the “professional left.” I’m an elected party official, a chair of a Democratic committee at local level. I’m a co-founder of a local Democratic organization and I’ve spent days-weeks-months of time and a lot of resources on behalf of Democratic candidates.
In short, I AM the Democratic Party and I am finding it impossible to vote for a Democrat. . . .
And you [Gibbs] and your boss [Obama] and his chief of staff [Rahm] are a very big part of the reason why I cannot simply swallow my anger and frustration and fill in the black mark to vote “Democrat – Straight Ticket.””
This is a local Democratic committee chair who thinks his personal value and principles (read “feelings”) are more important than saving the country from Republican assholes.
Democrats shouldn’t have to explain to people who consider themselves involved in politics that Republicans are going to wreck the country even more if they get control of the House. They shouldn’t have to explain that when you are in a contest between complete and utter corruption and vile political views on the one hand and (on their case) incremental and not-quick-enough progress on the other there is no question that incremental and not-quick-enough progress is the better choice. They also shouldn’t have to explain that constant criticism of the incrememental and not-quick-enough progress does not help in the country-wide effort to frame the choice properly. They shouldn’t have to explain that the choice is not between the lesser of two evils (or that both parties are the same) but rather a choice of either going back to 1950’s bigoted, racist, selfish America or moving forward to 21st century America (albeit measured in paces rather that kilometres).
I posted this over on Democratic Underground. More liked it than not — no one figured it was snark.
I’m in a similar bind as that person, sorta. I’m a Democratic Precinct Chair, and I am as disgusted with our leadership as anyone — to the point that I’m considering starting a local branch of the Socialist Party. (In Texas!)
BUT…
No matter how much Gibbs and Rahm and Harry Reid may piss me off, the alternative is a party whose presents goals are the end of the American republic and the extinction of the human race. So I’ve got no choice. We have got no choice. It’s a coalition, a Popular Front if you will, or darkness. It’s 1930 in the Weimar Republic and we had better accept the wake-up call… or else.
Leave the Party; otherwise, you are a fraud and a cheat! You have no business belonging to any organization that you can not fully commit yourself to. If your personal values and so-called principles supercede your official responsibilities as a Democratic Party chair, then quit! You are not better than a health care practioner working at womens’ health center but proclaims her opposition to abortion is more important than protecting the legal right of women to the full spectrum of womens’ health care services including abortion. Get the hell out!
To be clear, that was in response to that poster not you.
I agree. At their roots they are all Likudnicks. They think they can just kick the Latinos out to maintain demographic superiority. Just like their israelly counterparts that think ethnic cleansing is the only arab/palestinian solution. They have done it in the past ( see the Chinese who built the railroads ) The references to internment camps like the Japaneses Americans is truly despicable since large numbers of these people are of Germanic, Italian, Croatian, … ( Axis partners ) heritage who did not get put into internment camps.
I was working on a construction site for a $28 million home in NY — I counted 50! guys just working on the stonework (literally breaking rocks in the hot sun) — if those people were making a living wage the house would have cost $128 million or if they were in internment camps the house would never get finished.
it looks like the GOP is finally making the jump from fascist to Nazi.
You’re right it is scary and a real threat. This isn’t merely election year politicking; this is a REAL strategic plan at Latino population control. With the help of apathetic black folks who do not think this is their battle coupled with white Democrats, INCLUDING WHITE LIBERALS, who don’t want to risk the anger of “good” working class white folks who “understandably” fear Latinos undercutting them for already scarce jobs, it may very well succeed. And yet you have Ramos of Univision, the Hispanic Caucus and Latinos generally directing–MISDIRECTING–their anger at the President. How is it that everyone else in the Democratic Party gets a pass? How is it that the President who sent signals weeks ago that he was willing to take-up immigration reform to the fear of Democrats and liberals alike– Hello, Boo Man!–can be solely blamed for collective cowardice of Democratic Party? This is a prime example of the professional left’s selective outrage
Hey, I just knew immigration reform was going nowhere in this Congress. If we could get cloture for it, I’d put it right after an energy bill.
Meanwhile, Marg is sticking to her guns.
I understand your pragmatic view. I just don’t like it. I’ll give you credit for stating your opinion on the record unlike most of your fellow progressive bloggers and tv commentators who’ve remained silent on the issue but secretly share your view. I guess I should give Ed Schultz credit too. His sanctimonious ass wants to send troops to the AZ border. I just think the hypocrisy of the professional left (yes, I really like that term) needs to be called out. To pretend like the President is the only Democratic who has engahed in political compromise and pragmatism and that liberals are pure and will take on any fight is bull shit! Latinos are the largest minority in this country and the fastest growing population, but liberals, namely white liberals, don’t want to touch the issue of immigration reform any more than moderate/conservative Dems. Immigration Reform doesn’t quite fit into this fake ass Hughey Long white working class populism movement. They’d rather take on the cause of DADT that effects less than half of 1 percent of the entire population. It’s self-serving, selfish and all around fucked up!
Boo, you confuse me so much. Isn’t calling names being “not helpful,” in your assessment? Don’t we need to reach out and lie down for the GOP and Lieberman to achieve anything? Obama keeps telling everyone that the GOP has good ideas somewhere and that we just need to accommodate them so that we can craft legislation that is still deeply resented by many. Is He right? (There goes that pun again…) Calling them crazy isn’t going to help them see your point. Or that’s what you keep telling me and my dispirited brethren.
Which is it? Unerring politeness or “not helpful” name-calling?