EmptyTimCup
06-20-2012, 02:02 PM
Race Threatens to Become a Weapon in the Campaign (http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2012/06/20/race-threatens-weapon-campaign/)
The 2008 campaign was remarkably free of racial talk, as the first serious black candidate for president sailed to victory in a largely colorblind campaign that emphasized his personal qualities and proposals.
Obama refrained from making his race an issue, and his opponents mostly left it alone too.
But events in the past week raise concern that race is being inserted into the 2012 campaign, particularly as a means to slander those who attack the president.
Left-leaning members of the mainstream media on numerous times in recent days have made race a part of the political equation, with many raising questions about whether conservatives are racially motivated in their treatment of President Obama.
The introduction of racial issues threatens to create a new and pernicious element of divisiveness that could create racial tensions during the campaign and induce a dangerous racial backlash after it, no matter who wins.
Following Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro’s interruption of President Obama last week in the Rose Garden, there were numerous suggestions in the media – including from veteran reporter Sam Donaldson – that Munro had been motivated by racism, without a shred of evidence indicating this might be the case.
On Friday night, HBO host Bill Maher said conservative journalist Matt Drudge was animated by racism. Drudge’s website, The Drudge Report, frequently links to articles critical of Obama.
The 2008 campaign was remarkably free of racial talk, as the first serious black candidate for president sailed to victory in a largely colorblind campaign that emphasized his personal qualities and proposals.
Obama refrained from making his race an issue, and his opponents mostly left it alone too.
But events in the past week raise concern that race is being inserted into the 2012 campaign, particularly as a means to slander those who attack the president.
Left-leaning members of the mainstream media on numerous times in recent days have made race a part of the political equation, with many raising questions about whether conservatives are racially motivated in their treatment of President Obama.
The introduction of racial issues threatens to create a new and pernicious element of divisiveness that could create racial tensions during the campaign and induce a dangerous racial backlash after it, no matter who wins.
Following Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro’s interruption of President Obama last week in the Rose Garden, there were numerous suggestions in the media – including from veteran reporter Sam Donaldson – that Munro had been motivated by racism, without a shred of evidence indicating this might be the case.
On Friday night, HBO host Bill Maher said conservative journalist Matt Drudge was animated by racism. Drudge’s website, The Drudge Report, frequently links to articles critical of Obama.