July 17, 2019 9:30 AM
John Lewis on House Floor Calls Trump Racist: “I Know Racism When I See It”
Of course what we ought to be doing is parsing the fine line of where President Trump stands rather than say there’s a strain of vile contemptuousness in his statements.
However, Congressman Lewis, acts as if his first-hand experience with the most horrendous aspects of modern American politics makes him qualified to speak out on the House floor. In doing so, Lewis focused on the overwhelmingly negative aspect of a Trump Presidency instead of highlighting the few successes our leader has valiantly secured for us. Sad!
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As usual, you’ve failed to address the nuances of the norms this president has broken. The fact that he was even tweeting this nonsense should alarm those of us that care about this country, not least that he made an inappropriate attack on freshman congresswomen who care about this country as much as the rest of us.
Did Doug Collins throw a hissy fit about this one, too?
A good question for Collins (or any Republican): If the President came out and admitted “yeah, I’m a racist and I’m proud to be one” would you still support him?
Yes, he did. There was this amazing theater where he tried to get the Speaker’s remarks stricken as a violation of the rules, because apparently the rules say you’re not allowed to say the president’s words are racist. Then they held a vote that basically overturned that interpretation of the rules. It was high drama.
“Republicans can only win by racial gerrymandering and voter suppression. And Trump can only win by using fear and racism.”
November 7, 2018 | John Feffer
This post is meant as sarcasm, right ?
I have no love for The Squad. Especially after recent revelations from AOC’s puppet master Saikat Chakrabarti. That said, POTUS once again waggles his nasty Queens tongue. Ugly, divisive, unseemly, cussed ornery, sure. Racist? If I said that at work, I would be in trouble. At home, Dad would have pitched a fit.
Who wins? Who benefits?
This is what bare knuckle politics look like, Tamanny Hall style – All the cards are on the table, Socialism is now a ‘thing’ in the United States House of Representatives and in the common lexicon.
I think what we are seeing now is tame compared to next Summer.
I am not exactly sure what you are trying to say, but I will say, NO. This is not bare knuckles politics. This is racism. There is no room for it in politics or anywhere else. Not acceptable.
People are generally free to say what they want, but we cannot allow racism to be normalized into just rough politics.
You say “racist?” with a question mark. How can it not be racist? How can there be any question?
I SAID the language is unacceptable, but typical of POTUS. Call it what you will.
Trump is not above the rules. He may act like he is and his supporters may think he is a golden child, but most people will hold him accountable for his words.
He is using LBJ’s old tactics:
Per Bill Moyers on a political trip with LBJ:
“We were in Tennessee. During the motorcade, he spotted some ugly racial epithets scrawled on signs. Late that night in the hotel, when the local dignitaries had finished the last bottles of bourbon and branch water and departed, he started talking about those signs. “I’ll tell you what’s at the bottom of it,” he said. “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lbj-convince-the-lowest-white-man/
“If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
That didn’t start with LBJ, that’s literally been the strategy since this country was founded.
For a good analysis of this, I’d recommend “The Fall of the House of Dixie” by Bruce Levine. In essence, wealthy white plantation owners were able to maintain political control by fomenting fear and hatred towards blacks and convincing working class whites that chattel slavery was the only thing protecting them from having black folks take their homes and jobs (you know, creating “economic anxiety”). That’s why a bunch of poor, working-class white men went off and fought in a war to protect the institution of slavery, despite the fact they’d never owned (and likely would never own) slaves themselves.
For those looking to do less reading, there’s “Only a Pawn in Their Game” by Bob Dylan, which relates to the assassination of Medgar Evers:
“The South politician preaches to the poor white man
‘You got more than the blacks, don’t complain
You’re better than them, you been born with white skin,’ they explain
And the Negro’s name
Is used, it is plain
For the politician’s gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain’t him to blame
He’s only a pawn in their game.
The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man’s used in the hands of them all like a tool
He’s taught in his school
From the start, by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
‘Bout the shape that he’s in
But it ain’t him to blame
He’s only a pawn in t heir game.”
Let me be clear to John Lewis, and all the anti- Semitic, anti Christian bigoted communists who have now completely taken over the democrat party. We do not care if you call us rascist. We do not care even if you honestly believe we are rascist. For a couple of reasons. First, you call, and have called pretty much every republican rascist for generations. You called Reagan rascist. You call GW Bush rascist. You called Dubya Bush rascist. And McCain and Romney.
The rascist charge is meaningless. Completely meaningless. Welp, the de facto leader of your party, AOC, just basically called Nancy Pelosi rascist. If everyone is rascist, then no one is rascist.
Secondly, we don’t care what you call us because frankly, we have no respect for you or your beliefs. None.
So carry on. We don’t care.
I can assure you, no one is calling anyone a “rascist.”
“rascist” spelling courtesy of the Russian Troll Playbook
I use RASCI all the time but I never thought to call Ronald Reagan one. Can you provide examples?
https://www.abbreviations.com/RASCI
Doesn’t mean we aren’t right this time.
“We do not care even if you honestly believe we are rascist.” Of course you don’t.
Most of the fraction of national office Republicans that have distanced themselves from Trump’s racism have done so with a healthy dose of the left does it too. That’s mighty white of ’em after three years of Trump. They’d not be saying anything at all if no one was pushing back about Trump.
I think the defensive playbook has been to label these women as “Anti-Semitic.” As if being a racist is somehow ok as long as some of the people you’re being a racist towards are themselves racist.
As a Jew, I’d like to note that nothing any of these women have said constitutes Antisemitism. Criticism of Israel does not make one Anti-Semitic. Supporting human rights in Palestine does not make one Anti-Semitic. Calling for a Palestinian state does not implicate the destruction of Israel. More importantly for Trump and the evangelicals that make up his base, being pro-Israel does not prevent you from being an Anti-Semite. There are millions of Jews here in the United States. Jews, like me, who were born here, raised here, and have no intention of leaving. There are millions of Jews here in the US who oppose some of Israel’s harsher policies towards the Palestinian people. (Side note: the growing rift between an increasingly right wing Israeli government under Netanyahu and American Jews that, by and large, tend to vote Democrat is a huge issue domestically and in Israel). Treating criticism of Israel as an attack on Jews is a subtle reminder to American Jews that they aren’t viewed as real Americans, that they belong somewhere else, that their Jewishness prevents them from ever being seen as part of this country. This messed up notion that Israel is equivalent to all of Jewry is how someone like Meghan McCain can clutch her pearls about Ilhan Omar while her husband spreads conspiracy theories about George Soros and Jewish control of the Democratic Party.
I’m particularly offended by Steve Daines in Montana. He didn’t say anything after Pittsburgh. He didn’t say anything after Poway. He didn’t say anything about Richard Spencer taking up residence in Montana or about Andrew Anglin (another Montana resident) unleashing a torrid of anti-Semitic abuse towards a Jewish woman. But gosh darnit, when he needs to protect the President from accusations of racism, you can bet your bottom dollar he’s incredibly and deeply concerned about Antisemitism.
Hey Grind, a question. I read a reference this morning (Fox news) that seemed to say that it is illegal to “boycott” Israel. Can that be true? Even for individuals? Do you know anything about that?
Depends.
26 states have adopted laws that either prohibit companies from boycotting Israel, impose fines for boycotting Israel, or make companies that choose to boycott Israel ineligible for tax breaks or other state funds. It depends on the state. Some states also prohibit individuals from boycotting Israel. It’s highly questionable whether these laws are constitutional. The two that have been challenged have both been deemed unconstitutional. In my admittedly brief reading on the subject, I’m doubtful they are, especially the laws that relate to individuals. After all, choosing where you want to shop and spend your money is a pretty basic First Amendment speech issue.
It all relates to the BDS movement. BDS stands for “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” and BDS activists want companies to stop doing business in Israel in response to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. It’s a similar strategy to the one that was employed against apartheid South Africa in the 1980s. However, BDS is nowhere near as organized AND the west, to this point, is much more deferential toward Israel than they were toward South Africa.*
*This is the result of a number of factors including Israel’s geopolitical role in the Middle East and its unique status as a Jewish state.
I actually caught a bit of the recent Justice Dept. conference on Anti-Semitism and heard George Mason law prof Konotorovich speak about the legality of anti-BDS laws. He was enough of expert that the rest of the panel was deferential to him. I think he was pretty clear that they weren’t Constitutional because it punished individuals and companies for making straight-up business decisions (not decisions grounded on sanctions or policy directed at a foreign government (as opposed to individuals or businesses)). I forgot the S.Ct precedent he relied on, but hopefully I at least remember correctly.
Just to show that nothing abt Anti-Semitism is monolithic, as it neither is about racism, I both agree and disagree with my fellow Jews abt anti-Semitism. I think anti-Semitism and anti-Israel are conflated much more often than not, but that’s to say that it isn’t always the case. Rep. Omar’s comments to me had both, as one comment utilized a trope. But her responses have included apologies, and say she’s seeking to learn from Jewish colleagues, etc. That’s in opposition to Trump’s whole-hog use of a racist trope, without apologies, and compounding behavior.
I deeply despise any attempt to justify racism based upon a defense against anti-Semitism. It’s not just two wrongs not making a right. It’s actually meta-anti-Semitic because it shows you’re willing to weaponize anti-Semitism for selfish hateful ends.
I sure hope all this BS stops. I’ll settle for improvements no later than Nov. 4, 2020.