I’ve been speaking out about the racist nature of the republican party for years, on this site since its inception.  Many people I know just can’t bring themselves to believe this, despite the outward ABSURDITIES of people like Rush Limbaugh almost every day on the public airwaves.  However, this past week at the so-called “tea party” convention, did you hear what Tom Tancredo said?  It was unbelievable to me, and almost as unbelievable was the lack of blowback from the media (although I did see something from Keith Olberman and heard Thom Hartman refer to Tancredo’s remarks on the radio).  Tancredo, in front of “Tancredo for President” signs, said that we should re-institute literacy tests for voters.  He went on to OUTRIGHT say that the result of having voters voting who “couldn’t spell the word vote was the man we have in the White House.”  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Shouldn’t someone be calling him out BIG TIME for that remark if our media is truly LIBERAL?

I recently wrote about how, with the help of Bill Clinton, the republicans have managed to put the control of 90 some percent of the media in this country in the hands of about FIVE corporations – none of them LIBERAL.  There was a time in my life when I could have been confident that remarks such as Tancredo’s would have received some MAJOR CRITICISM.  Well, that time seems to have passed.  Bush/Cheney managed to get rid of Dan Rather after he correctly called out GW Bush on his erratic behavior in the “Air National Guard for important government officials in order to keep them out of Viet Nam sqad.”  That’s quite a mouthful, and that was quite a unit.  It allowed our 43rd president to continue his drinking abuse and drug abuse while those around him were being sent off en masse to Viet Nam.  Bush/Cheney, through this type of intimidation, created a situation where no one in the media was going to challenge them, or Rather’s fate might fall on them as well.  And, things haven’t changed much since the inauguration of Barack Obama.  In fact, I’ve often wondered if Obama’s “looking the other way” regarding the crimes of Bush/Cheney is due to his fear of this “liberal media.”  Remember, the media is the “fourth” branch of government – and like the other branches – there’s supposed to be a system of “checks and balances” designed to prevent what the republicans are openly trying to pull off – and, that is their so-called “permanent republican majority.”

But, aren’t the republicans even getting too outrageous for many republicans?  I mean, I’m hoping that some of my friends, who somehow manage to identify with the republican party – mostly because of the abortion issue – are smart enough to distance themselves from Tancredo’s remarks.  I don’t listen to the “right wing” too much anymore, but so far, I’ve heard no one condemming him for such an outrageously OVERT racist comment.  One thing about Tancredo, he’s more honest about the fact a Black president is an abonination to him.  HE COMES RIGHT OUT AND SAYS IT!  And, I guess you could say that Rush Limbaugh does the same – everytime I gather my strength to listen to him for only a few TERRIBLE minutes he throws in a racist comment about Obama – some much more subtle than others – MOST more subtle than Tancredo.  Although, his campaign to make sure President Obama “fails” is pretty overt racism – he calls it policy differences, but I can’t buy that because Obama is a centrist at best, so all that socialist CRAP coming from the mouths of Limbaugh, Beck, Palin, etc. is just designed to work up the fringe elements of their party (which they are the standard bearers for).

Of course, the Democrats aren’t without fault here.  Recently myself, and millions of other “progressives” were referred to as f___ing retards by President Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.  Here is one place I can agree with Sarah Palin.  Emanuel should be FIRED.  Now, the truth is that I believe he should be fired for giving Obama a continuous barrage of BAD ADVICE since before the president took office.  Emanuel is the consummate Washington politician and he ABSOLUTELY does not represent “change we can believe in.”  If you check back on my posts of around a year ago, I was pointing out my displeasure with President Obama’s choice of Emanuel for such a key position.  His “R” word comment just goes to show why Obama’s “ratings” continue to drop.  I’m 99% sure it is Rahm Emanuel who is PUSHING President Obama to kiss up to the republicans.  I’m also guessing it was Emanuel who talked the president into violating his fiduciary responsibility to enforce the laws of this land by calling for complete investigations of the Bush/Cheney administration.  If Obama doesn’t get rid of him soon, I believe his presidency is potentially doomed (although, the “people” may take out their wrath totally on Congress).  It’s almost as if Obama and Emanuel and the democrats want to be the minority party – so that they have more excuses for not getting anything substantial done.

Before I go any further, OK – I get it – Palin’s criticism of Emanuel was far different than  her willingness to take on Rush Limbaugh who has used the so-called “R” word many more times than Emanuel ever has (as far as I know there’s only been one public disclosure of Emanuel calling me [or other progressives] a f___ing retard).  However, as a 6th grade school teacher, I would have to scold Rahm by telling him that the fact Rush used the inappropriate word more than him doesn’t make it right for him to use it.  In fact, I’d love to talk to him about his phraseology, because I’m feeling that a couple years down the road we may be referring to him in the same vane.  Randi Rhodes thinks “progressives” who are disappointed in Obama are “stupid” and Rahm Emanuel thinks they (we) are retards.  Great, I hope you see why in my letter to President Obama I asked for my money back (of course, without success).

Getting back to the racism in the republican party and Tom Tancredo for president, it’s hard for me to imagine that there’s enough voters to put thugs like him into national office.  I’m sure that someone recorded the video of him proposing  the reinstitution of literacy tests for the right to vote – and, making the incredible racist comment about our sitting president.  I can’t point out how ANGRY the republicans would be if that happened to them, because they would NEVER nominate an African American (or any other minority figure) to be president – so, that ‘s pretty safe ground for their “corner.” 

Then, at this same “convention” you had Sarah Palin reading a speech from the teleprompter – obviously written by one of the invisible donors mentioned above or some other republican “operative” who’s bought the “coolaid” – and, in the speech, criticizing President Obama for his speech making prowess and blaming it all on his ability to read teleprompters.  Yes, I know that it says in the Bible “judge not, lest ye be judged” – but, I can’t help myself here.  Isn’t Palin’s actions there the HEIGHT OF HYPOCRICY?  And, Palin – the right wing’s hope for 2012 – was, at one time affiliated with the Alaska Successionist Party (ASP) – she’ll deny this, but how could she not be affiliated with them if her husband was a member for 6 or 7 years and she gave the Keynote address at one of their conventions?  I don’t know how she can deny this connection with a straight face, but then ……..  I understand why she’s doing this – because the ASP was closely associated with the white supremicist group The John Birch Society.  The next thing you might see from this “tea party” movement will be a call to return to segregation!

So, how do these republicans get away with this constant stream of lying?  Well, I can see two main parts of the “system” which are failing miserably.  But, before I point this out, let me just clarify how bad the problem has become – because you’ve now got Palin trapesing around the country spewing one lie after another (I wouldn’t buy her book, but I’ve even heard her former Alaskan associates – republicans mind you – pointing out the plethora of lies she published in there).  Of course, politicians have been lying in public (at least to my knowledge) since I was a kid (I’m a “baby boomer”) – but these republicans have taken it to a new level.  I’ll just give a few examples:  The worst SET OF LIES, in my view, because we’re talking about maybe more than ONE MILLION DEAD from this series of LIES would be the Bush/Cheney misadventure into Iraq.  Everytime I read a new book on their behavior I get angrier (both at them, and Obama for not investigating them), right now I’m reading “The Greatest Story Every Sold” by Frank Rich – I recommend it to anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the Bush White House and Iraq – lying us into Iraq was TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE, yet it appears they will “get away with it.”  Then there’s the famous, or should I say infamous, Alberto Gonzales who got up before Congress and LIED AND LIED for days (probably weeks, I’ve tried to forget how much he lied because it was so bad) – with ABSOLUTELY NO CONSEQUENCE, and there was the BLATANT LYING coming from the Vice President’s office regarding the “outing” of Valerie Plame Wilson – a covert CIA officer.  This was TREASON, but the only consequence was Lewis “Scooter” Libby taking the “fall” for Dick Cheney and evidently neither the Congress nor the new president had the kahonas to investigate this one.

If you remember, when the democrats first regained control of the Congress, one of the first things to come out of any of their leader’s mouths was Nacy Pelosi saying “Impeachment is off the table.”  That was deflating enough, but after working so hard to get a new president elected who promised “Change you can believe in,” I made the mistake of believing that meant no more BLATANT LYING in our government.  I knew that the media had evolved to the place that if it wasn’t a democrat doing it, there would be no criticism of any government lying.  They went along with EVERYTHING Bush/Cheney wanted, HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER!  The really discouraging part for me was when our new president (Obama) decided that he didn’t want to deal with the “distraction” of him FULFILLING HIS CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY to hold Bush/Cheney accountable for their LIES and ILLEGAL activity.  THAT WAS THE DEFLATING PART FOR ME!

I’m a sixth grade teacher and I’m seeing the result of a nation which allows its leaders to lie with no consequence.  The students I work with are more and more seeing lying as acceptable.  They don’t even consider lying to their parents about something as trivial as if they have homework or not as lying.  They see the adult leaders lying, their parents see the adult leaders lying (some of my student’s parents are younger than my two daughters), and they all see it happening not only with no consequence – but, they see liars GETTING AHEAD.  Many of these people then assume that if it works for them (politicians and leaders in Washington DC), it must be OK.  I really don’t believe our leaders in Washington have a clue that their selfish, greedy, and disengenuous behavior is having a mushrooming effect on our nation.  We are becoming a nation of liars.  We are becoming a nation with too many people feeling empowered to do what Tancredo and Palin did at the “tea party” convention.  Tancredo is essentially calling for a return to the racist, segregationist society which condoned preventing poor people and people of color from participating in the process and Palin is doing the same thing she’s criticizing the President of doing.  IT’S ALL RIDICULOUS!

It was just a few months ago that the republicans planted operatives into the offices of ACORN in an attempt to stop them from registering voters who are mostly poor or of color (if you simply follow the “mainstream media” you would believe ACORN to be some disreputible bunch of thugs – which couldn’t be FARTHER from the truth).  They (the republicans) hate these kinds of people who are trying to get more of the disadvantaged people into the process of voting because they know that these people are highly unlikely to vote for them.  I can’t remember which republican said this; “The fewer people who vote, the better our chances” or something like that – but, they are constantly trying to restrict the right of people they don’t like from actually voting.  Tancredo’s call for a return to the Jim Crow days was beyond OUTRAGEOUS.  Somehow, these republicans who are overtly racist need to be publicly challenged.  WHERE IS OUR LIBERAL MEDIA?  When I think of all the grief that has gone into the civil rights gains in this nation, Tom Tancredo’s RACIST remarks seem even MORE DISGUSTING!  These republicans now feel they can say ANYTHING without consequence, only because our media and our democratically controlled government is letting them get away with it!