Sunday, March 28, 2010

Alright, ENOUGH Already!

The audacity of the left no longer astonishes me but it certainly knows how to set my blood to boiling every time. This latest insult to intelligence and logic comes from Frank Rich in an op-ed column with the New York Times (that should tell you something right there) on March 27, 2010.

In true fashion, Mr. Rich proceeds to insult conservative figures such as Karl Rove and Sarah Palin while dismissing all the foibles of liberal figures. He laid the foundations of the health care monstrosity, Obamacare at the feet of the Republicans, stating that the roots could be found in RomneyCare in Massachusetts. Ok, first off, we ALL know what a disaster RomneyCare is and the hell it's reaping on the state's economy, why would any one in their right mind want to replicate it on a national level? It was taken for a test drive in Massachusetts and even in Hawai'i, where it bombed big time and was discontinued after about seven months (oh, but you don't hear about that much, do you?). It's called learning your lesson. You CANNOT blame this Goliath on the Republicans.

Mr. Rich then goes on to attack citizens who are clearly and understandably infuriated by the travesty of a vote and who spoke out against it. I'm sorry, Mr. Rich, but in a case such as this, silence invariably equals consent, and the people DO NOT consent to this. I personally would like to think that for the money that members of the House are being paid that their skins should be a tad bit thicker and they should be impervious to any kind of harsh words. And as for the so-called spitting incident, I would encourage Rep. Lewis to produce said suit as evidence (blue dress, anyone?)

As if he can't help himself, Mr. Rich then links the battle for health care with the Civil Rights struggle, which culminated with the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. For reasons wholly unknown by yours truly, he mentions the assassination of the Freedom Riders in Philadelphia, MS in 1964. From where I sit, this appears to be another attempt of the left to paint this as an issue of race inequality rather than what it really is, a unconstitutional usurpation of states rights and a monumental power grab for the sole purpose of permeating every aspect of our lives.

At almost every turn, Mr. Rich seeks to infuse the matter of race in his opinion. Why, I was under the impression that the left was color blind (Chris Matthews, anyone?) and that the right wing extremists were motivated by color. Mr. Rich also dared to say that those in opposition were a minority, which could not be further from the truth. When all else fails, when (accurate) numbers don't defend your cause, and when the polls you so love are overwhelmingly against you, what else do you have to fall back on to shut down an argument but race? Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Rich, you've come to the WRONG place, and what I have to say next, you most probably will not like.

First, conservatives DO NOT care that the president is black. Quite honestly, it was for this very reason that he WAS elected, it certainly wasn't due to merit, because he has none. I still firmly believe that there were many white people who voted for him because they felt it was "time" and that they would be viewed as "un-progressive" or feared the stigma of being the one in their intellectual circles who did not vote for him.

Second, blacks tend to vote based on emotion and not logic (hate to say it, really). Do you know how many times I've gotten "how can you not be proud of the first black president"? But ask them what his policies are and his background is, and you can literally see the question marks in the dialogue bubble above their heads. If more blacks voted according to their values instead of by color, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I gave quite a few friends and family a "diagnostic" test of their values and beliefs and their bent was almost always more conservative than liberal, many of which did not remotely coincide with Obama's values. But heaven forbid you call it by name!

I went on to say that in the military, you certainly couldn't gauge the caliber of a commander by their race, it's not like they could go to the enemy and say "but I'm Black/Asian/Native American" and expect that to make a difference, so why should it make a difference here? Obama certainly can't go up to Dmitry Medvedev or Nicolas Sarkozy and expect his color to resolve any issues.

Third, so what if you don't see that many black Tea Partiers or Republicans? That doesn't mean we don't exist! There are actually a hell of a lot more than you're willing to give credit for, Mr. Rich. Didn't it ever occur to you that the backlash for actually being an outward black conservative is especially harsh? And not even from whites, but our very own people. There are many who are hiding in the shadows, afraid to come out, so the ones who actually do come out and are vocal bear the extra burden of being the voice for those who maintain silence. The ostracizing from the black community can ill be afforded in some cases. Also, don't expect the Mainstream Media to shed much light on this subject either, because it would negate so many of the ridiculous claims they set forth. I have lost friends and even had some very heated arguments with family members over this matter, so there is a lot to lose in become embroiled in this argument.

Fourth, Mr. Rich, you are hardly strengthening your argument by calling out some of the weakest of the Republicans like Olympia Snowe and Lindsey Graham. And why should we challenge Sarah Palin, Rick Perry or John Boehner when they send such a powerful message? Are you basically telling us that we should be keeping our "dogs" on a short leash? Mr. Rich, we conservatives are NOT like your average liberal followers, we do not need to be poked and prodded or have our fires "stoked" as you put it in order to go out and do things. We do not need to be deceived, cajoled or bribed to do our civic and patriotic duties. Palin, Perry and Boehner are JOINING us in the fight, not pushing or "organizing" us.

This is NOT a Civil Rights/race issue, but in my view quite the opposite. Pulling the race card is a cheap shot, totally uncreative, and quite frankly VERY old. Turning everything into a race issue has never fared well places like Detroit or New Orleans well and it never will. If you are too blind and/or deluded to see that, Mr. Rich, then you're really not worth your salary.

5 comments:

  1. Not a civil rights issue it's a freedom issue. why is that so hard for them to understand?

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  2. Very well written post and it certainly expresses what so many of us are feeling. Accusations of racism (due to, gasp, disagreement) are getting old and are laughable at this point. I think many things are hard for them to understand because they're not honest with themselves. They throw wild accusations around with no evidence to support their claims with no true, honest analysis of the issues.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. "If more blacks voted according to their values instead of by color, we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

    How many times have I thought the same? Thanks for posting this.

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