CNN: Parallels to country's racist past haunt age of Obama (long)

[skinsfan_1215]

See link for more: http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/...ama/?hpt=hp_c1

A tall, caramel-complexioned man marched across the steps of the U.S. Capitol to be sworn into office as a jubilant crowd watched history being made.

The man was an African-American of mixed-race heritage, an eloquent speaker whose election was hailed as a reminder of how far America had come.

But the man who placed his hand on the Bible that winter day in Washington wasn't Barack Obama. He was Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate.

His election and that of many other African-Americans to public office triggered a white backlash that helped destroy Reconstruction, America’s first attempt to build an interracial democracy in the wake of the Civil War.

To some historians, Revels' story offers sobering lessons for our time: that this year's presidential election is about the past as well as the future. These historians say Obama isn't a post-racial president but a "post-Reconstructionist" leader. They say his presidency has sparked a white backlash with parallels to a brutal period in U.S. history that began with dramatic racial progress.

Some of the biggest controversies of the 2012 contest could have been ripped from the headlines of that late 19th-century era, they say: Debates erupt over voting rights restrictions and racial preferences, a new federal health care act divides the country, an economic crisis sparks a small government movement. And then there's a vocal minority accusing a national black political leader of not being a "legitimate" U.S. citizen.

All were major issues during Reconstruction, an attempt to bring the former Confederate states back into the national fold and create a new era of racial justice. And many of the same forces that destroyed Reconstruction may be converging again, some scholars and historians say.

I don’t agree with everything the article points out, but a number of the points they make and parallels they draw really make you think. Not trying to instigate any sort of ES race war with this thread, I just thought it was a really good read so I wanted to share it.

[10fttall]

It is a pretty good read, quite fit for the fiction section in your local library. This piece teaches us an important lesson: if you have an adgenda, string together some unrelated facts, present anecdotes and opinion as evidence, stretch a little truth, and throw in a pinch of wishful thinking; you can make that essay go for the full 10 pages, like it seems he was trying to do for some teacher.

[Jumbo]

It is a pretty good read, quite fit for the fiction section in your local library. This piece teaches us an important lesson: if you have an adgenda, string together some unrelated facts, present anecdotes and opinion as evidence, stretch a little truth, and throw in a pinch of wishful thinking; you can make that essay go for the full 10 pages, like it seems he was trying to do for some teacher.

Well, I'd like to challenge you to refute and rebut in actual specific detail (and i say that with absolutely zero position on it either way, not even having read the article). I just want to see you do something different than your typical "no-meat same-side on every issue wind-up doll" routine (since some of the mods are in a culling phase).

[SkinsFTW]

Well Jumbo, it is a piece that comes from CNN, which is the other side of the same coin with Foxnews,

[SteveFromYellowstone]

There are a lot of valid points made, but I'm not sure if it's gotten to the level of post reconstruction yet. I do think race relations have gotten worse since President Obama was elected. There is an abnormal amount of anger, almost hatred.

[Jumbo]

Well Jumbo, it is a piece that comes from CNN, which is the other side of the same coin with Foxnews,

First, I admit I am not real forgiving of misrepresentation or false equivalencies (even figuring you're likely joking).

MSNBC is the closet to "other side of the coin" of Fox. CNN is weak and lame and biased often enough, but still pales next to Fox. Competent discernment and informed self-awareness are two things I note frequently lacking in a number of otherwise intelligent tailgate politicos of any affiliation.

But on this---hey, the piece could be well full of ****, factually, for all I know. I do know 10ft from past posting and his user notes, and that classic tell of "what I choose to reply to when and how and what I don't." I will say that it seems that any piece suggesting there are still serious racial issues (including various historical parallels) that feed division in the nation's political and social discourse, consciously or subconsciously, shouldn't have to do much "stretching" of the nature ascribed to this article by the "first responder." But ****, there I go being rational.

I just wanted to see 10ft do the work and offer something different in effort than what he did, or like one of his other golden hits, below.

Aside from a few random rednecks right after 9/11, Muslims have been
overprotected if anything. Anyone with half a brain knows that you can't look
cross-eyed at a Muslim without suffering the wrath of stupid civil rights groups
and risking worldwide riots.

But he made his important drive-by and then split.

[Thiebear]

Mexican actor urges Latino vote for Romney
UPI.com‎ - 1 hour ago

Everything doesn't have to be MSNBC racism on parade every single day.

Interrupting Obama Was Blatantly Racist Says MSNBC Panel .

MSNBC's Touré: Romney Engaging In The '******ization' Of Obama ...
http://www.mediaite.com/.../msnbcs-t...ng-in-th...Aug 16, 2012 – On Thursday's edition of MSNBC's The Cycle the group discussed ... is now calling Romney a “racist” for saying the Obama campaign is “angry.

just a couple days ago:
Could Obama's struggles with white voters cost him the election - CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/25/politi.../index.htmlOct 26, 2012 – 40% of white voters say they'll vote for President Obama-

In 2012, racism's tenacious hold on U.S. - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/01/opinio..../index.html22 hours ago – Editor's note: Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and a Democratic

MSNBC Host Actually Says Talking About Obama Golfing Is Racist ...
http://www.theblaze.com/.../msnbc-ho...ng-about-obama...

MSNBC's Ed Schultz Blames Racism For Obama's Debate Defeat ...
weaselzippers.us/.../msnbcs-ed-schultz-blames-racism-for-obamas-de...Oct 4, 2012 – MSNBC's Ed Schultz Blames Racism For Obama's Debate Defeat: “He Was Afraid He's Going To Be Called An Angry Black Man”

And what? 40 million Caucazoids will vote for him in 4 days.

[SkinsFTW]

It was a good article and makes some points. It just took a long time to read. I had no idea that there were that many black congressmen and a governor before it all went back to almost how it was before the civil war.

My only major disagreement with the article is: just because people want to make the federal government smaller and don't see the need for a lot of the things the government spend our money on, it doesn't make any of them individually a racist. The fact that real racists do take advantage of the situation is a different argument altogether. In the 1870's they had real reasons for decreasing spending just like today but then once it was done the racists took advantage of the situation. The article seems to argue that it was just about racism. The supreme court at the time didn't help either, their decisions directly reinforced the racists agenda. I don't see anything even close to that happening today.

---------- Post added November-2nd-2012 at 03:01 PM ----------

MSNBC is the closet to "other side of the coin" of Fox. CNN is weak and lame and biased often enough, but still pales next to Fox. Competent discernment and informed self-awareness are two things I note frequently lacking in a number of otherwise intelligent tailgate politicos of any affiliation.

True, I don't get MSNBC though so I didn't even think about it. I've just been watching all the hysterics on Fox and CNN and how the past few days, even reporting on the storm, it's obviously politically motivated with FOX focusing on people stranded without any help on Staten Island and CNN pretending that everything is going fine and on time. As if Obama has anything to do with the relief effort but I get the point since Bush got dragged into Katrina and he didn't help things with his attitude at the time either. I can't imagine what MSNBC is saying though lol.

[Thiebear]

And for MSNBC the "Racism" is made up out of political Want.

The Cycle co-host Toure said of Romney, “You notice he said anger twice. He’s really trying to use racial coding and access some really deep stereotypes about the angry black man. This is part of the playbook against Obama, the ‘otherization,’ he’s not like us.”

“I know it’s a heavy thing, I don’t say it lightly, but this is ‘ni**erization,’ he added. “You are not one of us, you are like the scary black man who we’ve been trained to fear.”

After playing the audio, Glenn jumped in, “You talk about a conspiracy theorist, you know, me being a conspiracy theorist, I didn’t get the decoder ring in the box of cereal.”

In the segment,fellow co-host S.E. Cupp, however, shot back “Certainly you were implying that Mitt Romney and the base will respond to this dog-whistle, racially-charged coding, and hate Obama, the angry black man?”

When Toure said that was “absolutely” what he meant, Cupp said, “Joe Biden made the overtly racial comment and has a history of making bigoted remarks. Mitt Romney was responding to the comment. Yet he is the one responsible for the whole Republican history of racism in politics?”

Every single week its being over reported, Every single week.
What do you think happens after 4 years of this? It's horrible.

This going to be like Global Warming: We all know racism is there, we just trying to figure out how MSNBC pushed it over the event horizon?

[twa]

There are a lot of valid points made, but I'm not sure if it's gotten to the level of post reconstruction yet. I do think race relations have gotten worse since President Obama was elected. There is an abnormal amount of anger, almost hatred.

you are not sure?

I look forward to the day you can say someone is ****ing up w/o being labelled a racist


'All white folks are going to hell' anyway
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...lly-Obama.html

‘I don’t know what kind of a ****** wouldn’t vote with a black man running

[skinsfan_1215]

Thiebear, you're so incredibly off topic I seriously doubt you read more than the title of this thread.

---------- Post added November-2nd-2012 at 06:48 PM ----------

There are a lot of valid points made, but I'm not sure if it's gotten to the level of post reconstruction yet. I do think race relations have gotten worse since President Obama was elected. There is an abnormal amount of anger, almost hatred.

Agreed, the national political discourse has deteriorated rapidly since Obama's inauguration. It's hard to say how much is race related, but I know they didn't hate Clinton like this.

[skinsfan07]

So can someone give me the cliff notes version of this ****. I don't wanna read it, but certainly want to know what it's about.

[SkinsFTW]

So can someone give me the cliff notes version of this ****. I don't wanna read it, but certainly want to know what it's about.

Wait for the movie to come out then you lazy ****

[skinsfan07]

Wait for the movie to come out then you lazy ****

hahaha it's a long ass read and I just got off a long ass day of work, cut me some slack! haha

[Thiebear]

Thiebear, you're so incredibly off topic I seriously doubt you read more than the title of this thread.
---------- Post added November-2nd-2012 at 06:48 PM ----------

Agreed, the national political discourse has deteriorated rapidly since Obama's inauguration. It's hard to say how much is race related, but I know they didn't hate Clinton like this.

Based on what?
Its an article that argues with itself: Are we like the old days, No obviously not we could never get to that again, but could we? No, but we do see this and we see that.
the end.

And I say we see this and we see that because there are news organizations and people that make things up every couple days that are nonsense that escalate a real issue