So, how many articles have we read recently that claimed the President is losing African American support? No, not the support of Maxine Waters, Cornel West and Tavis Smiley – African Americans living in the real world.
I know, too many to count.
Take GOPolitico. For months they’ve promoted the line that the President is disproportionately losing Jewish support, much to the amusement of serious commentators – because the polls repeatedly contradicted their claims. (See here, here and here)
That didn’t work too well, so now they’re pushing the ‘African Americans Desert Obama’ line.
In a piece today they talk about the President’s “relationship with African-Americans (being) complicated from the beginning by questions about whether a mixed-race senator born in Hawaii was “authentically black” enough to win their support”.
Seriously, almost three years after he was elected, GOPolitico is still wondering if he’s black enough. (The author, who has written three similar pieces in the last month, is African American, so that’s okay).
The most critical quotes in the piece are from two ‘sources’ “speaking under condition of anonymity”. GOPolitico really do love their anonymous sources, especially when they give them quotes that neatly match their agenda. Whether they are real people or not, hey, who knows?
But if their thesis is true, that African-Americans are rising up against the President, how come they need to quote people anonymously? Surely if there was that much anger out there they could find someone other than Waters willing to lash out publicly?
The problem?
The President isn’t losing the support of African Americans living in the real world – in fact, that support is increasing.
GOPolitico and most other outlets – including supposedly ‘progressive’ ones – love quoting Gallup polls when their findings aren’t good for the President.
The latest Gallup poll? They’re not mentioning that much.
Why?
Because it shows that African American support for the President is up five points to 87%.
Considering how the struggling economy has impacted on his figures across most groups, and bearing in mind how African Americans suffer disproportionately in terms of unemployment, that 87% figure is remarkable.
But still we’re told that Waters, West, Smiley and Co speak for African Americans. Well, clearly they don’t for 87% of them.
Just like that other media darling, Dan Choi, doesn’t speak for the entire gay community, most of whom appreciate the work this administration has done – and is trying to do – to promote equality.
That GOPolitico produces this kind of dishonesty is, of course, no surprise at all – it’s their area of expertise. But, as we all know, the Firebagger crew – especially at Salon – are relentlessly spreading the lie too. Rather than mentioning that 87%, they persist in claiming that Waters, West and Smiley speak for African Americans.
Of course, Salon’s Joan Walsh doesn’t have much time for that 87%:
After all, only those who oppose the President represent the base, right?
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I see Gene Lyons at Salon has described Melissa Harris-Perry as “a left-wing Michele Bachmann, an attractive woman seeking fame and fortune by saying silly things on cable TV”. That was the level of his response to her thoughtful article on white ‘liberal’ racism. “A photo negative of KKK racial thought,” he wrote.
See the Reid Report on the article here
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And see this post by Flaming Emilia
a quick word
Tags: Barack, campaign, choi, comment, comments, dan, gay, homophobia, homophobic, Human, lgbt, maddow, marriages, new, Obama, President, rachel, rights, york
Hi everyone, sorry for going all preachy on you, but after some of the comments on the blog today – which I have since deleted, but should have deleted much earlier (and I sincerely apologize for that) – I really need to clarify a couple of things.
Needless to say, everyone’s entitled to their own views, but there are some views I just don’t want here.
Just as I block people trying to post racist abuse here every day, I will also block anyone trying to post homophobic comments or who attempt to denigrate the gay community in any way. There are endless sites where people can go to express those opinions, this isn’t one of them.
I know there’s huge anger with the Choi wing of the LGBT movement and suspicion about its true agenda – if I shared my true feelings about the guy you would be shellshocked by my vulgarity – but I’d guess every equal rights movement in history had its obnoxious characters. It didn’t make the cause any less just.
And we all know that Choi & Co represent no one but themselves and their attention-seeking egos, they just make the loudest noise – so, naturally, the MSM can’t get enough of them, to the point where you’d imagine they represented the entire movement. They don’t.
Meanwhile, the true voices of the LGBT movement get on with their work. Remember, the Human Rights Campaign (America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBT equality) endorsed the President for 2012 – “The decision was made based on the President’s demonstrated commitment to LGBT equality and his record of accomplishment, from major legislative victories to critical administrative reforms.”
Choi and his cheerleaders want to create division and ill-will, that’s just how they work, so they paint the President and his supporters as homophobes in an attempt to widen those divisions. It’s their only hope of extending their 15 minutes of fame.
Rachel Maddow’s blatant Choi-like dishonesty last night heightened feelings even more today, but almost all of you refused to take the bait and simply restated your support for LGBT rights. And that’s what really drives Choi & Co crazy, when their own bigotry isn’t mirrored by supporters of President Obama.
So, for what it’s worth, this entirely insignificant speck in cyberspace supports – 100% – gay rights, and no amount of venom spewed by Choi & Co will ever change that.
So, just to repeat, if you want to post homophobic comments, this is most certainly not the place for you.
Thanks everyone.
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Thank you Proud of Obama 😉