February 21, 2011

Why Are Republicans Playing the Race Card in Southern States?

You have to wonder if the Republican Party in the southern part of the United States is making a conscious effort to piss off African Americans so that they can gain support from bigoted white folks? Has the GOP decided that the best way to beat President Obama in 2012 is to play the race card over and over again?

Can there be any other explanation for the recent actions of Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) or Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS)?

Gov. Scott had a Gov. Rick Scott welcomed Black legislators to lunch earlier this week at the Governor’s Mansion. His intentions may have been good. However, during his welcoming remarks, Scott implied that all Black lawmakers grew up poor and lived in the projects. [SOURCE]
I grew up probably in the same situation as you guys,” Scott said to the group of 20 Democrats. “I started school in public housing. My dad had a sixth-grade education.”
Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa, said she was offended by the remark, but did not protest at the time because she said it was more important to have a productive dialogue with the new governor.
Afterward, she said, “He assumed that everyone [in the room] was poor and that can only be because you’re Black.”
It is much worse over in Mississippi where the state is considering a proposal to issue specialty license plates honoring Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Mississippi Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans wants to sponsor a series of state-issued license plates to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which it calls the "War Between the States." The group proposes a different design each year between now and 2015, with Forrest slated for 2014. [SOURCE]

I wonder if these wingnuts realize that the Confederates lost that war?

For those villagers who may not know -- Forrest, a Tennessee native, is revered by some as a military genius and reviled by others for leading an 1864 massacre of Black Union troops at Fort Pillow, Tenn. If it happened today, we would call it a 'war crime'.

Forrest was a Klan grand wizard in Tennessee after the war.

Gov. Barbour hasn't stepped in to end this discussion about honoring a war criminal and racist KKK grand wizard with his own license plate. Is Barbour being a racist? Or is he just ignorant about the way that African Americans would react to seeing a KKK grand wizard honored on the back of every car in Mississippi?

It appears more and more that the Republican Party is willing to play the race card to try to regain the White House in 2012. What say u?

3 comments:

Daddy Squeeze Me! said...

It certainly pisses me off because a lot of thse black folks are not paying attention to how once again, they are trying to close in on us. It doesn't have to be plastered on a billboard for all of us to see what these white racist bigots are doing. It infuriates me that our main and most visible media outlet B E T is not doing much to educate black folks. Most of the shows they have like ed gordon weekly only come on late at night.

We need to take some initiative and start something in the evening program wise to help educate and point out whats happening. I dont see how they spend 5 hours on friendbook fussing and cursing over dead beat baby's daddies but cant take five mins out to make sure we have our strength in numbers.

I am very young myself but I know that for sure these last 2 or 3 years that obama has been here, have been the worst racially. Its saddening and maddening.

Unknown said...

Miss Reese - I feel your rage and frustration. I know that we are lost if we count on BET to do anything educational. They have proven themselves incapable of doing anything more that appealing to the worst in our community with the majority of their programming.

We are going to have to rely on ourselves. We need to beat the drums regularly in a manner that causes us to be aware of issues in our community ... and hopefully provide alternative solutions for the problems that we see.

I'll keep doing my part with this blog...

Daddy Squeeze Me! said...

And I promise like hell I am going to try with everything in me to do my part as well.