Today's dose of unintended humor from the Chicago Sun-Times is Mary Mitchell's "McCain slings mud up from the low road." It's a standard anti-John McCain diatribe from the increasingly venomous Mitchell. To buttress her contention, she falls into tailoring her facts:
Throughout his campaign, Obama has been loathe to talk about race. And frankly, that apparently was a winning strategy since most people can't talk about race without getting angry.And while black people used to be accused of whining when they talk about race, we're now called racist for daring to believe anyone can be racist.
But white people can apparently talk about race and get away with it.
Sun-Times columnist Andrew Greeley called out Palin in a way only a white writer can.
OK, Mary, let's try this once more. Obama has not "been loathe to talk about race." He's the one - or do you prefer The One? - who injected race into the campaign.
He did it when he said: "So nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, he’s not patriotic enough. He’s got a funny name. You know, he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills, you know."
He did it when he said: “We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. ‘He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black?'"
Mitchell's citing of Andrew Greeley is particularly amusing. The Sun-Times's Loon Brigade is reduced to quoting one another to lend authenticity to their arguments. Priceless.
I don't know about Mitchell's assertion that "most people can't talk about race without getting angry." One thing's for sure: Mary Mitchell can't.
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Comments Policy
Racism
October 16, 2008 - 09:27 ET by PeterDRacism will play a huge part of this election and it's sad. To think millions of people, including Mary Mitchell, will not vote for John McCain simply because he is white, is sad.
Hypocrites.
Not the reason
October 16, 2008 - 09:35 ET by Mike BatesTo think millions of people, including Mary Mitchell, will not vote for John McCain simply because he is white, is sad.
I'm sure she'd say it's not because of his pallor, but because he's a (drum roll, please) hater!
I know
October 16, 2008 - 09:27 ET by NorthCoasterI know people of 4 different races and multiple mixes who have no trouble discussing the issue without getting angry. This tells me that the crowd she runs with is "bitter and angry, clutching to their racism", as a security blanket. It's a shame that folks of all stripes get angry about their current situations when often times the cause for their anger is their own choices. If their situation is totally beyond their control, I feel empathy and compassion. If I'm approached about any issue by someone with a chip on their shoulder, I feel no need to empathize or support their needs.
H/T-"Bitter and angry, clutching their guns and Bibles"
Fan club
October 16, 2008 - 09:36 ET by Mike BatesIf I'm approached about any issue by someone with a chip on their shoulder, I feel no need to empathize or support their needs.
Don't expect any invitations to join the Alan Alda Fan Club. :)
I looked up the word loathe
October 16, 2008 - 09:35 ET by cocodrieI looked up the word loathe in the dictionary and it does not mean eager. Mitchell should have used a different word - and did I mention she's black? She must be living in a crawfish hole somewhere. If Hussein Oguvmint wants to be on a dollar bill he can replace Slick Willy on the three dollar bill.
Did I mention. . .
October 16, 2008 - 09:38 ET by Mike BatesMitchell should have used a different word - and did I mention she's black?
She is? Shucks, I don't think she's ever mentioned that before.
Come on, Michael, don't be
October 16, 2008 - 11:32 ET by motherbeltCome on, Michael, don't be dense! You can tell just by....
listening to her.
Right, Obama is loathe to bring up race.....unless it involves saying that Republicans will....doesn't look like the other Presidents....oh, and did I mention he's black????
Yeah, you could tell that really pained him to say....
OK my snobbishness came through---
October 16, 2008 - 14:33 ET by misterbillOK my snobbishness came through-
I entered a comment to the newspaper that the use of the word was incorrect. She meant loath, not loathe. I suggested that their lack of proofreading may add to their demise.
loath=adj= unwilling to, averse to, disinclined
loathe=verb=to dislike, to hate , to abhor
I don't expect most of us to be that up to speed on vocabulary but what the hell do they pay proofreaders for????
Loath
October 16, 2008 - 14:23 ET by heldmywBut criticising her spelling or vocabulary would be racist.
Better watch that 'uppity' breathing you've been doin' too!
Race is a factor...
October 16, 2008 - 09:38 ET by heldmyw...and for me, it has had a chilling effect on the expression of ideas.
I have been virtually silent this campaign, fearful of the 'racist' label from my overwhelmingly BDS-inflamed coworkers (education...go fig).
I simply have said nothing this year, declining to speak to pollsters, refusing to be baited by Obamatons itching for a fight.
No. No bumperstickers or yard signs. Windows are being smashed and vandalism is all to likely for a Republican.
We keep to ourselves and are almost all voting absentee.
Don't be surprised if this race is a lot closer than anyone suspects. Us conservatives are just keeping a low profile.
The race factor
October 16, 2008 - 09:43 ET by Mike BatesA sad reality is that, at least for some folks, a vote against Obama can only be explained by racism.
We've come very far. And not in a good direction.
and then
October 16, 2008 - 14:31 ET by UndercoverConservativeI've been "informed" by a college educated, navy veteran, mother of three "african" american woman that "black people still aren't allowed to vote in this country"except by "special amendments enacted every year".
this was her response that the Constitution is invalid and should not be the defining set of rules for government or political office qualifications.
Sadly I didn't have my iPhone with me, which has a PDF of the entire Constitution. I need a pocket printed version too.
this discussion was forced upon me because I was conferring with a fellow conservative, and this woman took it upon herself to challenge me because my opinions were "influencing people in hearing range". But there's no challenge to little old ladies talking about Palin burning books or McCain "lying" about Obama's radical and criminal connections...
She also told me she sees "no favoritism" in the Media.
It's worse than the Jehova's Witnesses. They swarm around here in challenge.."Have you accepted Obama into your heart?"
"to call an illegal immigrant an "undocumented alien" is the same as calling a streetcorner drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist".
"You spend your money anyway you want and respect other's rights to do the same"
undercover---
October 16, 2008 - 14:36 ET by misterbillCan you get the name of the college?? I sure as hell don't want my grandkids to go there!!!!
They just wanted to use the
October 16, 2008 - 09:39 ET by mattmThey just wanted to use the word "loathe" in a sentence.
We Can? Since When?
October 16, 2008 - 09:42 ET by Saint ZeroBut white people can apparently talk about race and get away with it.
Since when? This lady clearly has never lived in the South, much less MY home state. Where I live, if you're white you don't dare mention the topic, even when someone asks why you never talk about it. Daring to talk about racial politics while white will get you tarred as a racist faster than light.
The rest of the US will learn this in the next four years.
The United States of Chicago
October 16, 2008 - 09:46 ET by Mike BatesThe rest of the US will learn this in the next four years.
As we move to becoming the United States of Chicago (h/t Dee Bunk.)
white people can apparently talk about race and get away with it
October 16, 2008 - 11:14 ET by HypocriteHaterGee, that must be news to Rush Limbaugh who was practically tarred and feathered after his Donovan McNabb comment that tried to engage in a debate about the press favoring a black quarterback because of his race.
I thought the left liked "engaging in debates" and "starting dialogues", but I guess it's only when it's on THEIR terms.
We have to meet without
October 16, 2008 - 15:22 ET by SRPwrdWe have to meet without preconditions!
Racist Sophistry
October 16, 2008 - 09:43 ET by allanfObama's surrogates and his fellow travelers in the media have made a point of calling McCain supporters racist. Even Obama said people are afraid of him since he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."
To say that Obama has not injected race into the campaign is bald faced sophistry.
And don't forget: Bill Clinton is a racist, too!!!
October 16, 2008 - 09:51 ET by krendlerWhy should The Chosen One himself have to talk about race (although he has on a number of occassions)? He has hundreds of surrogates in the media (along with members of his campaign) that have been talking about nothing BUT race - non-stop - since January, when Bill Clinton of all people was thrown under the bus without the slightest hesitation - as a racist for daring to call Obama a "kid" and his voting record a "fairy tale". That's how LOW THE BAR WAS SET FROM THE OUTSET. The rest is history...
-Hillary
-Ferraro
- the people of NH and western PA
- and, of course, the evil Republicans McCain and Palin
Essentially, anyone who doesn't support The Annointed Mixed-Race Candidate is a suspected racist.
Lemme guess: another Trinity United parishioner?
October 16, 2008 - 09:52 ET by SickofLibs"But white people can apparently talk about race and get away with it."
This is backwards: even when white people DON'T talk about race, as is in the McCain campaign, they still DON'T get away with it.
Another Wright parishioner?
October 16, 2008 - 09:57 ET by Mike BatesI'll bet if she is, she didn't give the Rev $22,500 like the Family Obama did in 2006
What?
October 16, 2008 - 09:54 ET by misterbee241What alternate universe has she been living in?
alternate universe
October 16, 2008 - 09:58 ET by Mike BatesWhat alternate universe has she been living in?
Well, she does work with Andrew Greeley. . .
0bama has been about nothing but race
October 16, 2008 - 10:08 ET by ckbennetttn"I don't look like other presidents...I don't look like the guys on your money...," etc.
Of course he played it off as clever but the intent was clear. Now, any time someone says something contrary to him, they're a racist. For Heavens' sake they call Palin a racist because she wore a white jacket at a campaign rally. Gimme a break. Has anyone put out the story about James T. Harris? --a black radio host in Wisconsin who has received death threats because he supports McCain/Palin. Unbelievable in this day and age-very sad.
“I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal.” --Barack Obama
Straight Face
October 16, 2008 - 10:20 ET by Secret ConservativeHow can these people say and write these things with a straight face? Obama and his supporters have talked about nothing BUT race for months! If you're not voting for Obama, it has nothing to do with the fact that he's a socialist, it's because he's a BLACK GUY! John Murtha's comments yesterday about how RACIST Western PA is was a preemptive strike to let people know that if they don't elect Obama they'll get the "R" label. It's probably because Murtha knows the people outside of Philly are more conservative and he's doing the only thing he can think of to scare them into voting for Obama. I can't wait for this election to be over, and for Obama to go back in the Senate and never be heard from again.
Yes, let's not bring up Obama's racist views.
October 16, 2008 - 10:25 ET by NBFBarack Obama says in his book, “Dreams From My Father,” “Any distinction between good and bad whites held negligible meaning.”
Malcolm X’s autobiography “spoke” to Obama. One line in particular “stayed with me,” he says. “He spoke of a wish he’d once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, thereby an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.”
And we all remember:
"The point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity, but that she is a typical white person. If she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know (pause) there's a reaction in her that doesn't go away and it comes out in the wrong way."
Nothing to see here...move along people.
Obama hasn't needed to talk race
October 16, 2008 - 10:33 ET by katiejanebecause all his surrogates in the media have done it for him. When every negative comment about him is called racist, when the pundits accuse non-supporters of being racist just because they support the Republican - why should he have to bring up race?
This campaign has been all about race and it is the Democrats who have done it. Perhaps the left should remember how they felt & reacted when they decided that Pres Bush was not THEIR President - they're going to see that attitude from the right.
»→ Silent protest
October 16, 2008 - 10:41 ET by Cool ArrowMany Americans, I believe, are so disgusted by this "Vote for Obama or you are a racist" that they silently allow the mouths to babble on.
I'm fed up with it. And were I not long ago committed to voting for the most conservative candidate, I have to admit the threats by the left would influence my decision.
Sad part is, the racebaiters don't understand that last sentence. They see it only as racism.
Underdog & Pitbull 08
Although I think the word
October 16, 2008 - 10:47 ET by ConservativeRexAlthough I think the word racism has lost any sting it previously had, people are tired of being called it. That's why I believe these polls are full of crap. I think a lot of folks are telling these pollsters that they are voting for Obami with no real intention of doing so.
Because you know that if a lot of folks tell these pollsters that there is no way in hell they are voting for this Marxist the next question is.."why, is it because of his race"? As for myself, I couldn't care less if I get asked this question, but a lot of folks are just tired of having to explain why it's not about race to them and hear fifty questions on it. So they lie and say they are voting for the Marxist.
The proof will be in the pudding come November.
Setting the record straight
October 16, 2008 - 11:55 ET by nkviking75"And while black people used to be accused of whining when they talk about race, we're now called racist for daring to believe anyone can be racist."
No, you're being called racist for stereotyping all whites as racist. You're being called racist because almost every black in America who votes will be voting for Obama. Unless all blacks are tuned in to one central brain, there ought to be more diversity of thought among that many people. And Mary, while certainly some of blacks' complaints are certainly legitimate, a lot of them is whining.
"But white people can apparently talk about race and get away with it."
Au contraire, ma'am. White people are being called racist for saying things that have absolutely nothing to do with race. Obama and his surrogates have made it clear: If you dare to criticize The One, you are a racist.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Really Different worlds!
October 16, 2008 - 12:13 ET by ChasvsIt does appear that Blacks really do live in a different world from the rest of us!
This diatribe is so full of crap that it would be laughable if it didn't showjust how far we are from each other.
Obama has made this election ALL ABOUT RACE!
To claim otherwise is being as dishonest as Liberals usually are.
STOP OBAMA NOW!
Mary Mitchell
October 16, 2008 - 13:50 ET by JannyMae...is quite familiar to me. She is apt to play the race card in every column she writes. She has a LONG history of not being able to talk about race without getting angry.
As you point out, she quotes another loon to reinforce her own lunacy. And I was just reading a comment from another liberal this morning about how McCain is getting increasingly desperate?
Too funny.
no matter what .. stripes are stripes
October 17, 2008 - 11:59 ET by pummyIt doesnt matter how high how far how important black folks successes get, the attitude of "chip on the shoulder" will remain. fomenting the look at me and I'm so deprived because I'm " " only incites racisim. I would love to have the $90 MILLION Frank Raines fmr ceo of Fannie Mae made in 6 freaking years. umm anyone hear of Condelezza or Colin... wait themms aint blak enuf to count. Who wrote this editorial anyway? some whitey?