Currently, I am not aware of any effort by the Palin/McCain ticket to conjure up either the courage or decency to condemn unapologetic Republican Georgia Rep. Lynn Westmoreland's blatantly racist use of the term "uppity" to describe Barack and Michelle Obama? Has anyone ever heard the word “uppity” used to describe an individual other than one who is black? We all know that in this context, “uppity” is regarded as part of a two-word phrase; and we all know what the other word in that phrase is. Forget about the ominous inferences contained in the charge that Obama is little more than an unqualified "community organizer." They now aren’t even trying to mask their naked racism.
At the drop of a hat, these issues-averse, gleefully ignorant, undiagnosed supremacists whine like beaten-down bullies over the perceived slights they manage to dig out of any remark directed at them by non-conservatives. Yet who, within this flag-waving, chicken-hawk wing or any other contingent of the GOP has demonstrated the integrity to unequivocally condemn Westmoreland for clear unabashed racism?
Of course this behavior remains one of the reasons why, in its superficial, albeit measurably successful embrace of feminism via the Palin "outrage," the contemporary Grand Old Party continues to be a tough sell to black Americans. It has yet to discern how black voters see the GOP's "tough love" approach to improving conditions for non-whites can be translated as "loving hatred."
This disconnect is strong on both sides. I recall some years back when the Republican Party, at that time furiously and overtly anti-feminist, was attempting to stake a claim to a larger share of black voters, in part, by claiming there was “no room” for racists in their party. A friend of mine, upon hearing this noted, “Of course there’s no room. It’s filled to capacity with racists!”
Is there any more proof of this today than the example set by these newly-minted feminist right-wing conservatives -- wailing like teething infants about a perceived "slight" against Palin -- in the midst of their enthusiastic silence regarding Westmoreland? Then of course, there's the spurious, ongoing “Obama is a Muslim” smear campaign and the pejoratively toned “community organizer” talking point.
This apparent instance of politics-stoked philosophical/cultural schizophrenia should come as no surprise to any steady observer. For certainly, in terms of rational thinking, there cannot be any more off-kilter breed than contemporary post-Reagan era right-wingers. As if propelled by a sadistic aversion to facts, their peculiar post-rational thought process produces the ability to zealously swallow up any appropriately packaged fraud, or bestow validity upon the most irrationally convoluted premise.
While predominately a right-wing conservative GOP phenomenon, it has elements within the Democratic Party and among some apparent fly-by-night progressives. To wit: the emergence of PUMA (Party Unity My Ass). These agitated former Hillary Clinton supporters have demonstrated a deft utilization of post-rational self flagellation by switching their support for Hillary to McCain, many of them having done so before McCain chose Palin. Their primary rationale: indignation over their party's sexist treatment of Hillary.
Thus, these PUMAs have pledged to join forces with supporters of a clone of the most profoundly inept president in the nation's history. They are folks whom disaffected Democrats need to avoid like the plague for having (twice) committing the quintessential act of stupidity -- voting for Dubya. Yet, they now troop in Michael Flatley-like lockstep with their GOP talking-point regurgitating, home-schooled, uber-patriotic Rove-clones, carrying on as if the last seven-plus years never happened.
To them, it's a blissful "ta-ta!" to nearly eight years of runaway government spending, skyrocketing deficits, thousands dead and maimed soldiers, mold-infested VA hospitals, a “broken” military, endless GOP scandals and legions of the frog-walking indicted.
It's a slack-jawed "whuuuuutt?" to mind-numbingly high gasoline prices, steadily rising inflation, lost jobs, high unemployment, declines in wages, tax breaks for the “middle class” (i.e., those making under “$5 million" annually), non-stop global saber-rattling, and a president now despised by roughly 70 percent of the American public and arguably 100 percent of the world.
The concept of "change" seems, well, French to them. They are dogged in their compelling pursuit of “more of the same.”Dubya was dead wrong a few years back when he clumsily uttered: “fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.”
Really?
It was the great American showman P.T. Barnum who is widely credited with noting, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Proof of Barnum's spot-on prescience is evinced by the large number of whining, Obama-hating, outraged, neo-feminist McCain followers, obviously convinced that they are better off today after nearly eight years of Bush than they were during the Clinton years.
Throughout the post-primary campaign, their primary goal has been to figure out clever ways of demonstrating Obama's supposed "inexperience." Lately, it’s been hammering home the idea that his experience comprises little more than work as a "community organizer."
Folks, sometimes experience ain’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be. Dubya had plenty of experience at completely mucking up whatever he laid his hands around. His unique reverse Midas touch effect has always been evidenced by an on-the-record portfolio of ineptitude readily available for voter scrutiny from day one.
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