Yeah. They ain’t racists. That’ s why the “clever” headline on the phony news story of the day about Obama’s supposed SNUBBING of the Republicans at his first State Dinner (no GASP! invitations) has this headline (here’s the screen capture on 24 Nov. 2009 @ 9:56 AM Pacific Standard Time) “Guess Who Isn’t Coming to Dinner”:
Gee Whiz, what was that reference?
(click here for full screencap .png)
You might remember the movie, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? with Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier and “introducing Katharine Houghton.” Here’s the poster:
“A love story of today.” Yeah. About the difficulties of our society in accepting inter-racial marriage. I remember it well, having seen it, first run, at the Wyo Theater in Laramie, Wyoming when it came out, in December of 1967. It was a powerful film, highly influential in educating a generation in racial tolerance, and is remembered both as Spencer Tracy’s last film, and an Oscar® winning performance by Katherine Hepburn. The film also took the Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay.
The Wyo Theater today, virtually unchanged 41 years later:
Roger Ailes was busily repackaging Tricky Dick Nixon at the
very instant that the Hepburn/Tracy/Poitier classic was released
And it’s sad and sick to see this very (for its time) brave Stanley Kramer film turned into a cheap racial shot by the Klansmen and Klanswomen who boldly weave the bedtime story that is Faux Nooz™. And, worse, that nobody’s going to call them on it, it would appear.
But soft …
Is the story even true?
Er, not exactly …
Steve Benin of the Washington Monthly’s blog Political Animal catches the fact that No, Virginia (and the other 49) there ain’t no Sanity Clause:
November 24, 2009
MANUFACTURED STORY OF THE DAY…. With an Indian delegation, led by Prime Minister Singh, at the White House today, President Obama will host his first State Dinner this evening. The conservative media machine has already decided on its preferred angle.
The far-right Washington Times, with its few remaining staffers and editors, published a report this morning with this headline: “Top Republican lawmakers not invited to State Dinner.” (The print edition said, “Obama’s big tent leaves out GOP bigwigs.”) Drudge, naturally, took the bait, telling readers, “Not invited: Republican lawmakers…” Fox News, not surprisingly, soon followed, republishing the Times piece.
All of this might be more compelling if it weren’t for the leading Republicans who were, in fact, invited.
… But the best they could come up with is an invitation list that only included some prominent Republican leaders? And that turned into a headline that read, “Top Republican lawmakers not invited to State Dinner”?
Yup. As usual, the Faux Nooz™ slug line ought to read “County Fair and Dangerously Imbalanced.”
Read the whole Benin post. It’s short.
Roger Ailes (creator of Faux Nooz and the “New Nixon”)
and Rupert Murdoch, owner of Faux and entirely too many
racial gaffes this year … this MONTH.
What was that story a couple weeks the racist and sexist atmosphere in the New York Post newsroom? Oh yeah. From Reuters, November 10, 2009:
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A former New York Post editor has sued the newspaper and its parent News Corp, saying she was fired after complaining about sexism and racism, including a cartoon that appeared to liken U.S. President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee
According to according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, Sandra Guzman, a black and Puerto Rican associate editor, was terminated on September 29 in retaliation for complaints about allegedly pervasive racism and sexism at the newspaper. …
And there was that little “backing up Glenn Beck” on calling President Obama a “racist,” and then the phony Palinesque retraction of saying that something that happened (ON VIDEO) never actually happened.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
And Rupert? Gee, creepy old Australian racist dude: Your white sheet is showing.
(And yes, “Rag” is probably the wrong word for Faux Nooz™, but it works fine for this author’s atavistic alliterative affectation as adduced from the header.)
Courage.
Of course Fuchs Noose is filled with racists and bigots from Murdoch and Ailes down to Hannity and Beck. They are also cowards because they say things, and when they are challenged, try to weasel out of them. I would go as far as to say that many of the members of Congress are also racists and bigots, otherwise why would people like Boehner, King, Kyl, Cantor, Foxx, Wilson, Bachmann, and others say the things they do about the president, immigrants, LBGTQ persons, Muslims, and persons of color wherever they are with not one thought that they might be wrong. They are also cowards. You couldn’t have paid them $100 million to say anything about Bush or his actions during his 8 years in office because they would have received a visit from Cheney or one of his henchmen. I refuse to let them shape my opinion of anything to do with running our government or any other subject because I don’t consult people who have failed miserably at governing for advice, and one thing that irks them about Obama is that he doesn’t either.
Well, the salient characteristic of the bully is cowardice, as some lucky schoolboys (myself included) found out when the bully’s nose finally stuck itself just a little too far into others’ business.
If you look at the average Wingnut blogger, talk show host or Faux Nooz nastymouth, they are the losers from high school: the kids so obnoxious, pampered or just plain dorky that nobody of any consequence ever socialized with them. This is the revenge of the mall cops on civil society for complaining about the butt crack in their levis.
They are certain that they are our social superiors, but they have the manners (and aroma) of a plumber’s helper.
In many cases, the figure of one, as well.