All of my life of living in the South I've heard white people talk about the government taking from white folks and giving to blacks. All of my life of living in the South I've heard about blacks and welfare: Reagan loved to talk about the Welfare Queen driving a Cadillac. Wonder what color she was? The prejudice and lies are palpable. As the article below points out, McCain knows just what he's doing talking about "socialism" and "spreading the wealth." His base hears this and they're thinking "Obama wants to take from whites and give to blacks." The Republican trump card is always RACE. They are playing it as blatantly as ever here.
02.11.2008
McCain, Redistribution, and "Welfare"
Ross Douthat scratches his head wondering why the McCain campaign is "pinning their hopes on a working-class backlash against the progressive income tax" in Pennsylvania. Ross thinks the answer is incompetence. Maybe he's right, and the McCain campaign is unaware of, say, polls showing that Americans favor Obama's tax hike on the rigch or years of evidence showing that Americans by overwhelming margins believe that wealth should be distributed more evenly.
But the more likely possibility seems to be that the McCain campaign is not monumentally stupid, and is trying to play on fears that Obama will take money from whites and give it to blacks. Hence McCain's claims that Obama plans on "taking from one group of Americans and giving to another," that Obama would turn the IRS into "a giant welfare agency," and his television ads repeatedly flashing the word "welfare" to describe Obama's plans.
Certainly, Pennsylvanians seem to see McCain's argument here as something other than an attack on the principle of progressivity in taxation. The Boston Globe reports:
Still, there remains a deep distrust of big government programs here, and strong skepticism about Obama. A number of voters feared he would transfer wealth from the middle class to help people "who don't work" or who don't deserve it. ...
McCain's focus on casting Obama as the wealth "redistributor in chief" is hard to miss around here these days. In coffee shops and convenience stores, Republican radio ads repeatedly warn that "congressional liberals" want to raise taxes and increase spending by $1 trillion. "They call it taxing the rich; we call it out of touch with our values," the narrator says.
Chris Borick, a political science professor and director of Muhlenberg College's Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown, said his tracking polls for the Morning Call newspaper of Allentown suggest that so far, McCain's argument is not working - voters believe McCain would help the rich while Obama would help the middle class.
The concept of wealth redistribution is as unpopular here as it is in most of America, Borick said, and the notion may play on racist fears of black welfare recipients siphoning money from working-class whites - fears that have special resonance since Obama is black.
Note that both the Gallup poll I cited and Borick say that "wealth redistribution" is historically unpopular. That's exactly because the phrase plays on fears of taking money from the middle class and giving it to the poor, especially minorities. When the idea is phrased in terms of takign from the rich and giving to the middle class -- which happens to be exactly what Obama is proposing -- then it becomes extremely popular. McCain's line of attack here only makes sense as an attempt to misportray Obama's tax plan as redistribution from middle- and working-class whites. Again, maybe McCain is just doing something completely stupid, but that wouldn't be my bet.
McCain has been accused of playing upon racism many times where the accusation is a stretch. (Though conservatives are overly sensitive here, as what often happens is that one blogger or columnist makes an accusation that does not gain any broader traction among liberals or Democrats.) But this case seems pretty blatant, and in this instance, Ross's habit of taking Republican campaigns on topics like crime and welfare purely at face value is not serving him well.
--Jonathan Chait
Posted: Sunday, November
7 comments:
Very interesting. I had not thought of this as a racial move.
That's because it isn't.
What Obama is going to do is penalize the fruits of capitalism. It's anti-democratic, and it's anti-Republic. Why should a rich man be taxed more and have his money sent--via the government--to someone making less? It is pure socialism. The government is awful with money, but it is a good idea to let the government decide who is rich, how much more taxes they should pay, and who it should go to? Insanity. It is a pity to see this Republic being destroyed by its own people.
As for racism, I challenge anyone--anyone--to go spend a day with my wife at her school, where she is the only white person in the entire school, then come back to me with the cliches of the white monster versus the downtrodden black community. At a mock poll taken there recently, every black person voted for Obama--every single one. When asked why, the students said that a) because he was black, and b) because he is going to "give them money." None--not even the faculty--knew much of anything of Obama's policies. If this isn't racism and proof positive of the reality of a pitiful majority of the black mind-set behind Obama I will crap in my hat and wear it. All one hears about are the sliver of whites who won't vote for Obama because he is black; but where are the cries of racism against the overwhelming number of blacks who are voting for him because he is black?
McCain is right, but when people realize he was it will be too late. Yes, the middle class needs a break, but redistribution is not the way to go. And this election has proven there are more racist blacks and self-hating whites in America than there are racist whites. MLK said that he dreamed of an America where race isn't an issue, where a man can stand his ground on his own, where equality rules. So do I, Rev. King. It is sad that people who think they are honoring MLK are actually dishonoring his dream. MLK would have loved to see a black man elected president, but he would have wept over the travesty of having a man elected mostly because he is black. Political correctness and an overextension--to a ridiculous degree--of apologetics in regards to race has eroded the common sense of the Democratic party and the media who panders to it. God help us.
I disagree that Obama will be elected because he is black. That is simply not true.
I agree, however, that it is unfortunate if black people vote for Obama mainly because or only because he is black. No one should vote for a candidate, white or black, because of race. A vote should be based on your own values and what you think the candidates will do for the country.
If you could magically negate the votes he will receive simply because he is black, McCain would obliterate him at the polls tomorrow. I am not trying to imply his color is the only reason he will win, but it is enough of a factor to be a deal-maker or breaker.
My point is I hear far too many cries of foul against the tiny percentage of whites who will not vote for him because he is black and virtually no cries of foul against the large percentage that will vote for him because he is black. 100% at Dinah's school admitted it. 100%. True, blacks typically vote Democrat, but the blind allegiance is... frightening.
Otherwise, you and I are in complete agreement, as usual!
Ah, I think I misunderstood your point. That is interesting. If you take away all the people who vote for him because he is black, especially black voters, then McCain wins. I have not thought about this.
I agree there should be more discussion about those who will vote for Obama because he is black. I also think there should be more discussion about those who might vote for the GOP ticket because Palin is a woman.
Let me also jump in here. Tonight reporters covered polls and asked voters if they were voting for their particular candidate specifically because of race. A legion of black voters said yes. Some stated, astoundingly, that race was the ONLY reason they voted for Obama. On national television, no less.
I personally did not vote for Obama. I am a democratic Republican. I am certainly not stupid and I never blindly follow any pack. I did not vote for Bush either time, and I wish that John Kerry had won. I think that both Obama and McCain have political greatness stamped into them. I think that Obama won for mostly the wrong reasons, however, and that people are going to be both surprised and disappointed when he does not deliver what they believe--without ever having heard a debate or read a newspaper--that he has promised them.
I must also add that I am not racist. I dislike all people equally.
Also, if I were a racist, I would find it most difficult to go to work every day.
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