On Morning Joe this morning, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews became one of the first major media figures to actually state the blindingly obvious: that Mitt Romney and the Republicans are running a campaign so openly racist it would make Lee Atwater blush. I’m not sure whether Tweety drank some of that potion or what, but this certainly is a welcome development, and a surprising one.
Given the excruciating deference granted Republicans when they say utterly outlandish things, which is pretty much whenever their mouths are open, I’m left to wonder why, at this moment, loud and explicit race baiting seems to be the only line they cross at their peril. After all, isn’t it equally galling (not to mention equally false), to flatly state that Climate Change is a myth, that the US can drill its way to energy independence, that smart growth policies are a secret UN plot, that Obama is a big spender who is itching to disarm America, that deficit spending hampers the economy, that lower taxes on the rich creates jobs, that Social Security is “broke,” and what have you? All of these ridiculous myths, and many more, pollute the public discourse unchallenged, by Tweety and all other television gasbags.
So why should a few race-tainted fact-free ads and a relentless, coordinated campaign to smear President Obama in flagrantly racist terms get Tweety’s dander up? After all, this is the same Tweety who waxed lyrical about George W. Bush’s bulging basket; Amy Goodman he’s not. For whatever reason, Matthews seems to have something of a soft spot for sitting Presidents, even if they’re, well, not white. I think this is a better explanation for Tweety’s transformation than assuming he’s offended by racism, per se. Like most media stars, Matthews’ foremost value is twofold: deference to power and a bias toward “civility” in political discourse.
Unfortunately, the Republican party ascribes to neither of these values, and as the reaction of RNC scumbag Reince Priebus clearly showed, they couldn’t give a flying fuck what the MSM thinks of their tactics. Saddled with an unpopular candidate, no credible plans for governing, and an unbroken record of failure in office, the RNC simply doesn’t care about offending people; if racism works, racism it is. And it appears to be working; Romney and Obama have remained neck and neck throughout the race, even as the gaffes, debunkings, and ludicrous statements fall like rain.
Of course, for this strategy to succeed, a few more ingredients are necessary, hence the voter suppression efforts across the country. Unable to stop driving away not just African Americans, but also Latinos, women, LGBT people, younger voters, the poor, etc., at least they’re being realistic about the daunting math running against them. As for the long-term consequences from repeatedly asserting that all these groups are something less than truly American, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Hewing to the Nixonian notion that stoking such divisions will leave them with the larger half, they then, incredibly, turn around and say it’s President Obama who is divisive, angry, and hateful.
If gasbags like Tweety were to challenge them on that entire premise, rather than just an ad here and a statement there, Republicans might soften their tone a bit, but I doubt it. They’ve created a monster, and they know it.
