"I must say, I have been behind closed doors with thousands of conservatives through the years. I have never once heard one of them say in the deep south or in the northeast or in South Boston, 'Boy, I really hate Obamacare because that black president' -- no, I've never heard anybody come close to saying that,"
Scarborough said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "And I have spoken to some wildly right wing groups. I have never heard it once." This is how Joe Scarborough addressed the Senator Jay (obviously not Nelson Thanks for the heads up) Rockefeller (D- WV) slam of Ron Johnson (R-WI) from last week. I could go on for about three thousand words on why Joe is full of shit but it is a holiday weekend and I will spare everyone the full Monty.
Question: Which issues HAVE you heard right wing groups say they were pursuing because of race Joe?
The reason I ask that question to start with is that we have two very simple, easy to understand, clear examples of the GOP racializing the President. Simple things that everyone agrees are about race. Birtherism, and Voter ID. But, and this is why I want someone to either be on Morning Joe with some sense, or other journos to step in here and ask Scarborough the obvious question. "Have you heard Rs talk about race and Birtherism, Impeachment, Muslimism (where the GOP refuses to believe Obama is a Christian even while concomitantly attacking him for Rev. Wright), if Joe has knowledge of right wing groups attacking and making policy decisions based on Race, he has an obligation to share those with us. Until he is willing to, definitively say he has never heard a right wing group talk about race and policy on any issue, or clarifying which issues on which they do talk about Race, pardon me if I call bullshit on his white guy vouch for GOP extremists.
Jay Rockefeller is completely right and Joe knows it. The reason he and other Rs are scrambling is that the wheels are coming off the race hating train. President Obama isn't up for re-election, and the GOP defending its insane and inane policy decisions by saying, "Obama is black," no longer works as well, except in the deepest of deep red pockets in the country.
What is happening is you have people like Mitch McConnell having to respond, on the week he won the nomination in KY, to Allyson Grimes' attacks about ObamaCare. This week Mitch said that his repeal plan for ObamaCare wouldn't strip the 400,000 Kentucky residents who have Kynect, the KY version of OCare, of their health coverage.
The point is that ObamaCare is working. ObamaCare is a conservative remedy. ObamaCare has metrics, positive results, and is a complete win. In politics, when one side is going to win on an issue the minority or opposition, jumps in and tries to claim some of the win. Look at the Stimulus Bill from 2009. GOP voted against it in the House. I think there was one R congressman who voted yes. Nevertheless, all Rs claimed credit for the bill. They went to their districts, stood at ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings, went to hiring halls, and took credit. Why? Because the bill was working and was clearly going to work. Oh, there was politics involved; the GOP claimed the bill itself was a failure. Look at the Auto Bailout as another example. Mitt Romney was against it, when it worked he was for it.
Why is ObamaCare the only legislation in modern history that even when it is working the GOP is 100% against it? There is no political reason for this. The bill is going to be wildly popular. Everyone knows it. Everyone who works in politics has known the bill was going to be popular if it went into effect for 5 years. So, why in the name of all that is holy, has the GOP refused to do the political thing and pivot on ObamaCare?
Because it isn't politics. At least not in the traditional sense. It isn't logic either. It certainly isn't principle. Look at Mitch McConnell's statement this week. He won't take Kynect from anyone in KY. Therefore, it isn't a principled objection to the health coverage. If it isn't Principle, Politics, or Logic. What is this opposition to ObamaCare?
There is only one thing left. There is only one thing that prevents the GOP from behaving like a political party. It stopped infrastructure investment, Unemployment Insurance extensions, Payroll Tax Holiday, and a dozen other remedial measures to help the economy. It has members of congress praising Putin over Obama, Backing Bibi over Obama, doing anything that any foreign leader wants as long as it undermines the President. One thing… Race. Simple. Easy to understand. Moreover, Joe Scarborough knows it.
Voter ID is about stopping black people from voting. Everyone knows it whether Republicans come right out and say it or not. Shockingly some of them actually have. Birtherism is about Othering the President, it is about Race, whether Republicans come right out and say it or not. ObamaCare's opposition is about Race, whether the Republicans come out and saying or not. And we all fing know it. Shame on Joe for thinking we're too stupid to see it.
Peace,
J. Christian Watts
Follow me on Twitter @JCWPolitics