J. TODD FOSTER: Will GOP Continue To Isolate Itself With Vocal Base?
Racism in 2008 doesn’t wear a hooded sheet, or come with a shaved head and jack boots. It’s not a “whites only” sign above a public water fountain or a fire hose aimed at civil rights marchers. It’s not a burning cross or the n-word.
Racism today is latent, subtle, insidious. It disguises itself as intolerance wrapped in gullibility and packaged in Internet lies bandied across the ether. Or maybe it’s the parroting of empty bumper-sticker slogans like “Socialist” or “Terrorist.” Or it’s a fabricated room-service receipt for $447 from the Waldorf Astoria with a forged Michelle Obama signature below a list of such items as lobster, Iranian caviar and champagne.
In the past few months, as the most critical presidential election in many of our lifetimes reached its crescendo, millions of Americans – some who read this newspaper – shamed themselves. They shed any semblance of the critical-thinking skills they were endowed with by our creator and took the easy way out: passing around rumors or false Internet attacks they could have debunked with a few clicks of a computer mouse.
In Washington County, Va., 6-year-olds armed with the angst, fear and ignorance of their parents, teased other children – and worse – for voting for Barack Obama in mock elections.
On the eve of the real election, social worker Misty Workman Funk e-mailed me.
“... I am turning to you to express to you my disgust and disappointment with some people in our community who are Republicans teaching hate and hostility to their children while using Jesus as a smoke screen to justify their hateful ignorant words and behaviors. My son is a first grader ... in Abingdon. On Friday they had a mock election at school … . My son returned home with a confused and hurt tone in his voice informing me that … other six year olds in his class said to him “BARACK OBAMA KILLS BABIES,” “OBAMA DOES NOT BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE,” “OBAMA DOES NOT BELIEVE IN GOD” AND “OBAMA SUCKS” and even his school bus driver made a comment in agreement with a statement made on the bus.”
Her e-mail continued: “I teach my son to be compassionate toward all people and to stand up for the weak and yourself.
“What we do for others and having compassion for others is what makes us better persons and community. But why are these other parents teaching these kids these things and saying anything to them about babies being killed to a six year old? … Rich, ignorant or just plain mean no one will influence my child to spout hate or hostility.”
There were other such e-mails and anecdotes from parents whose children were victimized with Obama slurs by children of so-called evangelicals, whose lives are nowhere close to being as Christ-filled as Obama’s.
There were two moments late Tuesday that illustrated the tonal differences in the presidential campaign like no other fleeting image from this laboriously long march to the White House.
In Chicago’s Grant Park, as the hour bore down on midnight Tuesday, 200,000 Obama supporters fell silent and respectful in a split second as a mammoth television screen flashed the image of John McCain, who was ready to concede from Arizona. When Obama, during his victory speech, spoke of McCain’s honor, the throng again shut off the mighty volume of its celebration as if it were tied to a spigot. It was an ode to an American hero and noble opponent.
Contrast that to McCain’s supporters, who booed at their candidate’s mere mention of Obama’s name. Even McCain looked ashamed as his stiff arms – the byproduct of North Vietnamese torture – tamped down a sea of sore losers.
The Republican Party has lost its way and is now at a crossroads. Tuesday was a come-to-Jesus call.
Will the GOP be the party of Palin – intellectually incurious, parochial, vacuous, George W. Bush – or a new party that rejects the politics of hate, intolerance and narrow-mindedness?
Will the GOP continue to isolate itself with a small but vocal base out of step with the rest of America, or will it pitch a bigger tent and welcome back moderates such as Colin Powell?
If it goes the route of the former, GOP faithful had better brace for a long slog as a distinct minority in both houses of Congress and in the executive branch.
This newspaper in mid-October gave its institutional endorsement to McCain. It was tepid at best – owed to McCain’s iconic past and blunted by Obama’s promise and masterful campaign. On Tuesday, I got to cast my own personal vote outside the shadow of an editorial board.
As my not-yet-4-year-old son, Jake, stood hand-in-hand with me in a short line of voters at Washington County’s John Battle High School, the significance of the moment hit home. I slipped off the little wool gloves Jake insisted on wearing even though the morning broke warm.
We walked up to the computerized voting machine, and I hoisted Jake up to the screen. I took his little right index finger and tapped the glass.
Fifteen years from now, when Jake is a young man and able to grasp history, he will learn that the box he checked on Nov. 4, 2008, helped elect the first black president in the history of the United States.
Jake was 90 minutes behind his 6-year-old brother, Tyler, who cast the same vote while in the arms of his mother, a lifelong Republican who would love to return to the GOP fold. But first it must change. And embrace the hope and promise of Reagan – and yes, Obama – instead of the fear-mongering of Karl Rove and Sean Hannity.
J. Todd Foster is managing editor of the Bristol Herald Courier and can be reached at or (276) 645-2513.
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Reader Reactions
Our friend, HUTCH said:
“But here is a question for each of you to answer or at least ponder. Why is it that racism seems to be most prevalent among evangelical christian conservative republicans?“
That’s the “fear” we spoke of.
The Right Wing Evanganoid (Taliban) is the single most fear-consumed individual in this nation. In the same class of fear as Al Qaida and the Zionist.
They fear everything. The people around them, other religions, other races, other creeds and colors.
They don’t believe their own religion, yet they claim it. Often for personal gain but largely due to psychological problems.
Jesus told us that if we have faith we are not to fear. Yet fear rules the life of the Religious Extremist.
That’s all it is, paranoia. A by-product of either a weak faith or a total lack thereof.
People like this show fear and hate as animalistic tendency. They lunge at what they fear in an effort to strike fear in that which they, in fact, fear. There is no more primitive a function in humanoids than saber rattling.
These people have to be watched closely. They are dangerous as is any animal that feels cornered.
The good news is, history teaches us that zealots such as these consume themselves with their own fear. Often self-destructing or becoming so introverted that they hide in the house for the duration.
Either way, I’m cool with it.
Racism has no territorial boundries, it is evenly distributed from State to State, North to South. KD, captainkona and Bigmoccasins, you all make some valid points in your statements that I can relate to. Racism rears it’s ugly head in many forms during an election year. It will again when the congressional elections are held, but in a differient manner.
But here is a question for each of you to answer or at least ponder. Why is it that racism seems to be most prevalent among evangelical christian conservative republicans? If you attend a church on Sundays, look around you and count the number of people in your church that are not white, then ask yourself WHY? Have you ever wondered how many of your fellow church goers are republicans and how many are democratics? Wouldn’t it be interesting to take a blind political survey of that in your church? might explain a lot don’t you think.
KD the statement you made about what was, “proudly” said, “that if you were a person other than white persuasion, the sun shouldn’t set on you getting out of the county”, wasn’t something that was only said, it was in print. There were two rather large signs at each end of the Buchanan County line, one on State Rt. 460 at Shorts Gap the other below Big Rock on the Ky. state line, that made that statement, but with bolder words than what you stated. Those signs were there when Rt. 460 was a two lane road, told my age didn’t I. That wasn’t something to be proud of then, nor is it now.
It has taken decades for Buchanan County to rid itself of that racial image, believe me I know, and along comes someone that represents the Buchanan County republican party Elect McCain President commity, write a racist column in a tabloid, to refester that sore.
Capt. Kona
I agree with you 1000% You made some excellent points that I have tried to make in many arguments.
kona, I had to pinch myself when I read your post. You and I are in total aggreement.
I’m always amused when groups like the KKK and others, of their simple minded ideology, march displaying the US flag and the Confederate flag. However, the only one that’s seen is the Confederate flag.
Racism is certainly NOT an issue that is simply isolated to only this area. In fact, it is world wide. It is due to ignorance and fear.
BTW, the original white settlers of this area were mainly Scots-Irish who came over in the early to mid-1600s. They landed in the Jamestown area and migrated west. Over the years, other nationalities such as the Irish, the Greeks, Russians, etc. followed.
I am angered by the woman in No. Va. who insinuated that the “real Virginia” resided outside of the Beltway. That remark reminds one of Allen. In fact, the “real Virginia” is morphing into a very diverse multi-cultural population. Hopefully “old Virginia” attitudes will become a memory and reality will show us what this country has long been referred to - a melting pot.
Stereotypes are hard to swallow and harder still to live down and prove wrong. Unfortunately, the GOP’s campaign in more than just this state pandered to that. Bobby May’s article, for example, gave fuel for the fire to be spread. At one point, during a rally, a woman referred to Obama as a terrorist. When MeCain protested and denied that, he was booed by the crowd. Another person yelled out to “kill him.“ These incidents were not in our area, but they WERE from a crowd where such erronous ideas had been encouraged and fostered.
This election had the advantage and disadvantage of modern technology. The disadvange being that rumors abounded through the internet as if they were gosphel truth. The advanatage was that factcheck.org was around and proved/disproved truths and lies on BOTH SIDES.
The main point of this article is that the GOP HAS lost its way. It has become one who panders to the extreme right, one that panders to the self-rightous, and one whose only way of running a campaign is to turn to hate. Btw, look at the NC Senate race for another example. Ironic that a Republican incumbant would call a Sunday School teacher (her opponent) “Godless”.
The GOP needs to get back to the center where it belongs and BOTH sides need to stop extremism in its tracks.
“I agree with Capt.Kona racism is not a regional issue.“
It’s not. Statistical facts prove that conclusively. No longer a matter of opinion.
As for the Confederate flag, it’s not the flag’s fault that some brainless human turds from the KKK or similar group of miscreants use it for hate expression.
The Confederate flags represent the courage to fight for what one believes in, even if some of those beliefs are inherently wrong such as slavery or Classism.
it was the South that ended slavery. The Slave State of Delaware is a good topic for study.
So is the genocide of the Native American at the hands of the “Union”.
People see the Confederate Flags as symbols of hate because that’s what they want to see. They need something to “hate” themselves. The South is convenient.
KD
What in the world are you talking about? I did not say that there are no racists in southwest Virginia, I was stating that not everyone is. I agree with Capt.Kona racism is not a regional issue. I was making a point that it is unfair to judge our region based on a few ignorant people. I don’t know why you have gotten on this rant about the Civil War and flying the confederate flag. I was not making an argument about the legitimacy of the Civil War. And sir I do not need a lesson on the Civil War and who Mr. Robertson is. And I do not need a lesson about the settlement of Buchanan County or where my ancestors migrated here from. And it was not tidewater! I am sure that surprises you since I am so uneducated. Why is it when someone makes a comment on here they are instantly attacked as being uneducated and ignorant? I saw the other day a man being called a racist for using Obama’s middle name. That is what his name is, his parants named him that. Why is that such a big deal? KD you did nothing but twist my comments to fit your rant. I have grown to accept the fact that I am an uneducated redneck racist because if I make a comment that is what I am attacked for being. People like you are not helping the problem of racism, I think you are prolonging it by calling everyone in a certain region racists and bigots.
Oh, Todd.
Honestly, who cares what happens to the GOP? They dug their grave, they can die in it.
Good riddance.
Racism is a product of sheer stupidity and/or fear.
“ I am turning to you to express to you my disgust and disappointment with some people in our community who are Republicans teaching hate and hostility to their children while using Jesus as a smoke screen to justify their hateful ignorant words and behaviors.“
This is exactly the problem, but is NOT confined to “The South”. Anyone who thinks it is is as ignorant as any racist.
Read the link carefully.
LINK
Note in particular the FBI Hate Crime Statistics for 2006. The “Liberal” state of California had more racist hate crime than nearly the entire Southern States combined.
Racism is not something that is regionally confined. It is the product of fear and ignorance. Fear and ignorance know no boundaries.
Love the South, hate the racist. That’s how it is in the New America.
To Bigmoccasin:
I don’t know where you live, BUT obviously your head must be in the sand. I’m originally from Buchanan County and when I was growing up there many years ago, it was “proudly” said that if you were a person of the other than white persuasion, the sun shouldn’t set on you getting out of the county. And btw, my family’s been here in these hills since the 17th Century. Not to mention that some of my family have chosen mates that are non-white. AND they have endured hateful comments because of it.
Proproganda? I think not. Perhaps you need to educate yourself on race relations within Southwest Virginia before speaking of something you obviously know nothing about or are too blind as well.
Take a GOOD look at the stupidity exhibited by George Allen. By Bobby May, and by others. How many of you think of nothing of displaying the Confederate battle flag because you want to thumb your nose at others who deem it offensive and rightfully so? The Civil War was an unfortunate time in our country’s history - a time that saw people enslaved simply because of the color of their skin. Have you not matured enough and become educated enough to understand that what happened then was WRONG? Granted, the War, or as some who can’t move on call it “the recent unpleasantness”, was about more than slavery, and those who fought on both sides are to be mourned and remembered, particularly on this day.
But stupidity and ignorance abounds in this area. It wasn’t that many years ago when “conservative Democrats” were exactly the same as conservative Republicans are now. Narrow-minded and self-righteous, and in a lot of areas, bigoted. How many of the “conservative Democrats” fought against equal rights and desegration? How many “conservative Democrats” fought against the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
So, before you talk about “proproganda”, educate yourself
And btw, my family never owned slaves either. If you know ANYTHING about the history of this region, you would know that the original settlers came west from the Tidewater region and when the Civil War broke out, they didn’t want anything to do with either side. They simply wanted to be left alone. For your education, I would heavily suggest works written by Dr. James Robertson of Va. Tech. He’s a world known expert on the subject matter.
Again, you can NOT call yourself religious, abeit Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, etc, and be a BIGOT. The 2 words do NOT mean, and never have meant the same thing. If you think you can be both, then you are a hypocrite.
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