Have the ruling elites promoted racism in order to keep the working class divided?

[Smith_3]

What do you think?

[bklyncowgirl]

1. They always have, hell, even Frederick Douglass wrote about this back in the 19th Century.

It's all an age old part of American society as well as human nature.

I hate seeing what's going on with this presidential campaign. The call to tribal politics by the Clintons is, quite frankly, one of the worst things I've seen in a national campaign in my lifetime. You have a Democratic candidate for President acting like a candidate for the New York City Council carefully splitting off the Blacks from the Jews and the Hispanics from the Italians by stirring up ancient resentments instead of appealing to people's higher nature.

It is extremely offensive but it's as American as apple pie, slavery and oppression of the working class.

[zalinda]

3. And you think that Obama is innocent in all this?

He keeps it going, because it helps him. Obama is just as guilty if not more so than Clinton.

zalinda

[flor de jasmim]

4. How do you want him to respond to the attacks? What do you need to hear?

[zalinda]

16. The point is, is that Clinton DIDN'T attack him on race.

Not only that, but he knows it. This is a game to him, and it's win at any cost. It doesn't matter who he steps on. If he would have waited and kept his promise to stay in the Senate for his full term, this would not have come up. Clinton would have been running against a white man, and there would have been much less damage. He's young and could have waited until 2012 or 2016, or could have lobbied for VP. I blame him for doing so much damage to the party.

No, the dem party was/is so sure that they are going to get the White House that they wanted this to be a historic race. Yes, it will be historic, but not in the way they think. The dems will lose the White House to a repub. And this after a repub in office polls at about 19%, America will end up putting another repub back in place. Rove will go down in history as being the genius President maker.

zalinda

[susankh4]

12. I am not really sure if I agree with this

I am a Clinton supporter, and I do admit to bashing Obama sometimes....

But, when I look at what's happening through this lens, I see them both as pawns. Who is pulling the strings? For Obama I think it's Axelrod. There are just too many similarities between Duval Patrick's Rise and Obama's .... and Axelrod is the common denominator.

In the long run... the ruling elite will happily sacrifice both Hillary AND Barack on their altar of elitism.

[TomClash]

2. Absolutely, Positively No Doubt

Is that answer unequivocal enough? :)

[TheMadMonk]

5. Is the bear a Catholic? Does the Pope shit in the woods? nt.

[malaise]

6. Is the pope catholic?

That was British colonial policy.

[Greyhound]

7. Pick your issue, race, sex, politics, religion, etc., it's all a smokescreen

so that a tiny minority can steal the product of the vast majority.

Class is the only issue that matters, that has ever mattered.

[bread_and_roses]

8. Of course they have. (n/t)

[Perry Logan]

9. The corporate media promotes the meme that both parties have sold out.

The U.S. media exists to weaken and demoralize the left. To do this, they promote the meme that there is really no significant difference between the Republicans and Democrats. You hear this notion every day--"both parties have sold out to the corporations"; "the policies of the major parties are essentially the same"; "the Dems and Repubs are in secret collusion, using the same playbook," etc.

This disheartening propaganda is repeated over and over again by the media to make Democrats think they don't have a choice. If the Democrats are in despair about their leaders, the media has accomplished its mission.

One hears this sentiment--that the two parties are just two sides of the same coin--repeated every day at DU. So we know it is a very effective ploy. I recommend that liberals and Democrats observe a virtual fast from the U.S. media. You cannot block or filter out the damage of this constant enemy propaganda.

Libertarians, third-party types, and other alienated people tend to fall for the hoary meme. It is instantly dispelled by a quick look at the Democratic record, which is, of course, nothing like the Republican record.

[susankh4]

10. You betcha!

I have been saying it for some time.

The Dem party has sunk to an all time low this nominating season.... pitting women and blacks against one another. The goal? A white guy in the White House. Now and forever...

Sadly, it's working out just as they had planned....

[KharmaTrain]

11. Elite Cavemen Discriminated Against Black Cavemen...

As long as people have been different there has always been class divisions and, no matter how human intelligence sees a "Utopia" or some other egalitarian society, human nature still divides us along many lines...race, nationality, religion, income...the more "unqiue" the better.

In society there will always be haves and have nots...one group trying to get ahead on the backs of other. For repugnicans, class warfare has been at the heart of their games for the past 50 years...representing the rich, white, male protestant power over all other groups...and to use divisions between groups...white vs. black, rich vs. poor, north vs. south...wedge wherever to "divide and conquer".

Racism is just one tool in their trick bag...but one that has won them elections in the south and a well I'm sure the GOOP will go to often this year...even if Obama isn't the candidate.

[Echo In Light]

13. Every govt's primary enemy is its own citizenry

Elites promote any and every socially volatile issue in order to keep us divided. It keeps people fighting among themselves, which takes their eyes of their real enemy, the corporate/state nexus. The Name Brand party scheme likewise goes hand in hand with the ruse.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. does the sun rise in the east?

Of course! Race has been used in this way ever since slaves were freed. Before then, various classes of immigrants were used to do the same thing, with the Irish being the most obvious example.

[madrchsod]

15. does the sun rise in the east and set in the west?

of course they do....

[Orsino]

17. Fuck, yeah. They'll promote nearly anything to keep us divided. n/t

[applegrove]

18. Movement conservatives certainly have used it as a wedge to win elections.