"This is the arbiter on the propriety of racial politics? Seriously?"

[babylonsister]

Posted with permission.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/27/13508289-the-wrong-gop-messenger-on-race?lite

The wrong GOP messenger on race
By Steve Benen
-
Mon Aug 27, 2012 2:17 PM EDT


OK, which strategic genius in the Republican Party thought it'd be a good idea to have Haley Barbour out in front talking about politics and race?

{Former} Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, one of his party's elder statesmen and leading strategists, today accused Democrats of playing the "race card" in accusing Republicans of making race a subtext of the campaign.

Democrats have argued heatedly that Mitt Romney's unexpected new focus on welfare policy, his reference to President Barack Obama's birth certificate, and his embrace of Donald Trump -- who campaigned on the latter subject -- represent thinly-coded appeals to working-class white resentment of a black president.

"Name a campaign in the last 25 years where the Dems didn't play the race card," Barbour told BuzzFeed. "Surprise!"

I suppose this was inevitable. As Romney, feeling as if he has no choice, begins to incorporate racially-charged attacks into his campaign plan, it was only a matter of time before his allies started this style of pushback.

Indeed, the rules of the discourse are simple: Republicans are allowed to exploit racism for political gain, Democrats are not allowed to notice. If Dems do notice Republicans playing the race card, Republicans will respond by accusing Democrats of playing the race card.

But for a moment let's put all of that aside, It's one thing to try to defend Romney's racially-charged attacks, but the party's "race-card" messenger Haley Barbour?

This is, after all, the former Mississippi governor kept a confederate flag autographed by Jefferson Davis in his office. In 2010, Barbour told the Weekly Standard he doesn't recall the segregated Mississippi in the midst of the civil rights revolution as being "that bad," and he praised the white supremacist Citizens Council in his hometown of Yazoo City for keeping the community calm during the civil rights era. (Citizens Councils were known for touting "racial integrity" and fighting for segregation through economic coercion.)

This is the arbiter on the propriety of racial politics? Seriously?

[Aerows]

1. Haley Barbour talking about playing the race card?

Haley BARBOUR? That's about like a KKK member complaining about someone playing the race card. Can you say projection?

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. It must be something in the gop water ...

Republicans are allowed to exploit racism for political gain, Democrats are not allowed to notice. If Dems do notice Republicans playing the race card, Republicans will respond by accusing Democrats of playing the race card.

It never ceases to amaze me when rwingers call the Revs Al and Jesse, and Columnists like Eugene Robinson racists whenever the shine a light on racism.

They say: "Everything would be fine if those race baiters didn't stir things up."

My response is: "Yeah because everyone knows that ignoring cancer is the best way to treat it!"

[dawg]

3. So, they're trotting out Boss Hogg himself.

He'll set those Duke Boys straight!

[JI7]

4. Haley BArbour ? has he answered for pardoning of all those criminals ?

if a Dem had done that it would be all over the whore shows with ads linking the dem to obama and any other Dem.

[Lucy Goosey]

5. In a way Barbour is perfect...

...he's racist, and totally hypocritical about racism, and how dare you accuse him of racism!

Seriously, having an old, white southerner who doesn't think segregation was all that bad represent the GOP on race issues is really shockingly honest for the party, in a way.

They are really just saying, "we don't acknowledge that the GOP has any problems with race, and if you think we do, then YOU are the racist."

[djean111]

7. My thought exactly.

For the GOP base, Barbour is perfect, because they are all on the same page.

[bongbong]

8. Honesty

In the same vein, the zombies' true feelings about women were revealed by Akin.

I'm starting to think 2012 WILL be the end of the world, in the sense of the cliche "when hell freezes over", if this streak of honesty by the Greedy Old Pedophile party continues.

[Erose999]

6. Strom Thurmond was unavailable, haha.