"Racism" As Defined by the Left

Racism is a nasty word when accurately applied, but becomes even nastier when it is falsely used to bludgeon one's opponents. Charging one's opponent with racism has become, for the Left, a tacit admission that they have neither the facts or reason on their side and they are losing the argument.

Consider the recent tirade of Sheila Jackson Lee: Sheila Jackson Lee's Insanity on Parade. She ranted that the only reason that Barack Obama was being singled out to deny his raising the debt ceiling was...wait for it...because he's black. The fact that the debt ceiling was already raised twice before during Obama's first, and hopefully only term, seemed to have escaped her.

But all too often, I'll be having a discussion with some liberal, who's losing the argument, because neither the facts or logic is on his side, and out comes the 20 Megaton Libel: "You're only opposing Obama because he's black." Usually at this point, the thread is hijacked for a fruitless discussion of race ("Fruitless" because liberals never learn. Not an indication of their sexual preference. NTTAWWT), and I'm sure the liberals hope that they have diverted your attention from yet another argument that they were losing on the merits.

So, I got to thinking about all the presidents and presidential candidates that I have criticized to see if the "because he's black" meme holds any water. Here's the list I came up with:

Woodrow Wilson
FDR
LBJ
Jimmy Carter
Walter Mondale
Teddy Kennedy
Bill Clinton
Lyndon LaRouche
George Wallace
George H.W. Bush
George W. Bush
Michael Dukakis
John F. Kerry
John Edwards
Al Gore
Newt Gingrich
Mitt Romney
Hillary Clinton
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
and Ron Paul

I may have left some out. These were the more memorable ones. Now, I usually don't like to characterize people by race, but I believe the list above qualifies at the very least as "not black".

Here's the list that fits the meme:

Barack Obama
Jesse Jackson
Al Sharpton

I included Sharpton's name on there, not because he was ever a serious candidate, but he called himself one, and he is black. Al's more of a "boutique" candidate, in it to garner some attention for himself. Take the frivolous campaigning of Sharpton out of the mix, and the ratio is over ten to one whites to blacks. Some might even discount Jackson as a serious candidate, then the ratio is twenty to one.


So, let's do the math. C'mon, you liberals! It's not that hard, despite what Barbie™ says! If five to ten percent of the presidents or presidential candidates are black, and we criticize virtually all of them, how do you figure that any criticism of Obama is "just because he's black"?

Sometimes, I even get the "Well, you'd never vote for a black man for President". Except, that I did. In 1996, I voted for Alan Keyes in the California Republican primary. This was long before* Obama was ever around to vote "present" for anything.

And even though Mr. Keyes has taken some positions where I cannot fully support him today, there are still any number of qualified blacks whom I would vote for, over the dregs at the bottom of the Chicago political barrel we have today. Race has absolutely nothing to do with it.

So, please, all you liberals out there. If you have no facts and no argument, just say so. Save your lame and tired insults for those who may actually deserve it. You will clutter fewer discussions and hijack fewer threads that way.

Unless, that was your intention all along...

Update : I probably should add JFK to that first list. Even though I was a big fan of his in the day, and still quote him for his outstanding economic leadership, I believe I have criticized him for his actions, or rather inaction at the Bay of Pigs. And possibly because of some dead people in Chicago who voted for him in 1960.

Update II : Just for giggles, I looked at the percentage of Republicans in that mix. Approximately 30% of those criticized were Republicans. Statistically, I guess, that means I am three to six times more likely to criticize a Republican than I am blacks. Sounds more like a closet Democrat than a "racist"! Heh.

*Okay. Not that long. Barry was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 and was able to start voting "present" in 1997.

Cross posted at LCR.