About a month ago, Ron Brownstein analyzed 2010 census data and 2008 presidential votes to suggest that one strategy the Republicans might adopt for the 2012 race is to attempt to limit Obama's share of the white vote to less than 40%. Since its clear they are not attempting to rebuild the bridges they have blown up with communities of color in this country, its clear that is the strategy they have adopted and that its their only hope of victory.
That is the framework within which I view the controversy that was stirred up these last couple of days about the White House inviting rapper Common to perform at the poetry event last night.
Notice how one of Sean Hannity's guests conflates this invitation with the fact that President Obama attended Easter services as Shiloh Baptist Church. He says its part of Obama's "class and ethnic warfare." This follows the despicable insinuations Hannity made not too long ago about Rev. Wallace Charles Smith of Shiloh Baptist Church that resulted in hundreds of threatening emails and faxes.
Yesterday when I was reading about some of this nonsense, I went to a few of our young African American staff at work to ask about Common. I told them that I'm an ignorant old white lady and need to be educated. I got an earful. Of course they'd heard about the controversy and walked me through the record of this young man's career. One of them, who happens to be a VERY strict father of young children, went so far as to say that Common's rap is the kind you want your kids to be listening to.
But imagine if I didn't bother to check things out (I'm so ignorant, I'd never heard of Common). Or didn't have these kinds of people in my life to educate me. And imagine that I'm also a low information voter who doesn't take the time to check things out or watch Jon Stewarts amazing take-down of the wingnuts over this. It would all be pretty effective in casting the seeds of doubt about Obama - at least for an ignorant old white lady.
This is how they'll do it. Whether or not it works will be up to us.
Oh, and if you'd like a taste of what that scary black rapper did last night at the White House...here's a look.
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Along these lines of the Republican strategy being to keep the white vote below 40%, I was reminded of this strategy in Minnesota (where I live). It has been noted by one Democratic congressman that the state Republicans are pushing hard for a ballot vote on changing the state constitution to ban gay marriages which is really a ploy to next year bring out the conservative, religious (and typically white) voter. They are willing to move the clock back 50 years in regards to civil rights so that our president (who happens to be African American) doesn't get reelected. Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteyou are definitely on point..
ReplyDeletethe scary Black man as President.