Funny how it wasn't considered racist when liberals were demanding to "take back our country" during the Bush 43's stint in the White House.
A single presidency later, the term is unabashed dog-whistle racism, at least according to those who were so inclined to spout it in the past. As ever, it's only racist when conservatives say it. Liberals, as shown by their ardent devotion to the incumbent, cannot possibly be racist. It's simply unthinkable, if only to them. (Audio clips after the jump)
LIMBAUGH: We are being governed by the most divisive and some would say the most lawless president and attorney general ever! And they accuse everybody else of despicable motives?! Notice they don't name anybody. They point fingers at these mysterious evil forces and then claim not to know what's in their hearts. And then they talk about, oh yeah, when I hear 'I want my country back' or when I hear 'take back our country,' that's code language, said (Eric) Holder. I know I'm listening to a racist bigot. Let's listen to some people who've said this, let's go back, 2004, the Democrat primaries, a montage of former Vermont governor Howard Dean --
DEAN: We are taking our country back, piece by piece, from the Rush Limbaughs ... You have the power to take back our country, so that the flag no longer represents solely Rush Limbaugh ... You have the power to take back our country so that the flag never again is the sole property of Rush Limbaugh ... You have the power to take back our country so that the flag of the United States is no longer the sole property of Rush Limbaugh ... This country does not belong to Rush Limbaugh ... Move over, I want my country back again ... Because the flag of this country does not belong to Rush Limbaugh ... You have the power to take back the flag so it does no longer belong solely with Rush Limbaugh!
No wonder Dean lost in '04 -- he deluded himself into believing he was running against a radio host. Even his unhinged I Have A Scream speech after finishing third in Iowa ends with Dean shrieking, "And then we're going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House, yaaaah!"
Dean wasn't the only Dem candidate that year who latched onto this particular turn of phrase, Limbaugh points out (audio) --
John Kerry, 2004, 'Teresa and I would like to ask you and Elizabeth' -- John Edwards he's talking about -- 'John, (Teresa) and I would like to ask you to join us on our ticket to take back our country.' That's (Kerry), announcing John Edwards as his veep, take back our country. Democrat fundraiser, 2003, Hillary Clinton pledged to work on behalf of a campaign to take back our country, quote unquoted. After the election, 2005, Clinton declared 'we are ready to go forth and fight to take back our country.'
Well, they've definitely taken our country back -- all the way to the malaise of the Carter years.
