Key points in this Diary:
- Right-Wing pundit Pat Buchanan's last column uses the phrase 'black hustler' to describe Barack Obama
- The phrase 'race hustler' dates back to the 1990s and has been widely used by conservatives as a racist description of black leaders
- Buchanan used the phrase to frame Obama in a violent argument, wherein his Presidency would result in an open season for black on white violence from black communities
- Buchanan's work regularly invokes the idea that the advancement of non-whites in American politics will bring violent suffering for whites
- Buchanan's appears regularly on MSNBC
"A Brief for Whitey" - Buchanan's Column (3.21.08)
In his column, evaluating Barack Obama's recent speech "Towards A More Perfect Union," Buchanan makes the following critique:
What is wrong with Barack's prognosis and Barack's cure?
Only this. It is the same old con, the same old shakedown that black hustlers have been running since the Kerner Commission blamed the riots in Harlem, Watts, Newark, Detroit and a hundred other cities on, as Nixon put it, "everybody but the rioters themselves." (full text here)
Several observations about this passage:
- Buchanan redefines Obama with the racist phrase 'black hustler,' a rephrasing of the conservative slur 'race hustler.'
- Buchanan uses the phrase to make the false claim that Obama--like black leaders before him--blames whites for all black problems.
- Buchanan links Obama to past urban uprisings, creating a narrative link between black violence and a black Presidential candidate.
At first reading, we may make the argument that these readings go too far. But Buchanan's column does more than just smear Obama. It goes on to define two distinct forms of black identity in America. They are:
- Blacks who accommodate black violence by blaming whites
- Blacks who recognize the "salvation" of having grown up in America
Buchanan's point is to claim that Obama is the former and, therefore, to raise the question as to whether an America under an Obama Presidency might herald a return of civic violence in urban black communities, as well as the emergence of severe consequences for whites. Buchanan also suggests that Obama as 'black hustler' might bring about more white-on-black hate crime 'hoaxes.' Buchanan's article, in other words, invokes the white racist 'black revenge' narrative and connects it not so subtly to Obama. It is an exercise in violent framing intended to bring his audience into a story that defines Barack Obama in terms of past, present, and future violence.
What To Do About This
Pat Buchanan continues to appear regularly on MSNBC. If you are concerned about his use of 'black hustler' to describe Barack Obama--and the violent implications of his argument, consider sending an email to the network HERE.
**I NEED YOUR HELP**
With an eye towards the general election, I am beginning a new project focused on the problem of violent rhetoric from the Right and the problems it poses--not just to Democratic Party prospects at winning the White House, but to American democracy itself.
About a year ago, I began tracking the problem of violent rhetoric and violent framing as it was being used by a host of very high-profile right-wing pundits (e.g., Buchanan, Coulter, Hannity, Dobson, Lapierre, Gibson, O'Reilly) as well as a few right-wing politicians (e.g., Giuliani, Bush, Cheney, Gingrich, McCain). Growing out of this work, I posted a few blog pieces on DailyKos, Frameshop, and HuffingtonPost. Finally, I write a book titled Outright Barbarous: How the Violent Language of the Right Poisons American Democracy in which I put down on paper a basic description of 'violent rhetoric,' who was responsible for using it, and how it undermined American democracy.
Interested in helping with this DailyKos series? To join the invite-only Google Group, send an email to:
VRW (at) frameshopisopen (dot) com
Be sure to include:
- Your DailyKos user ID
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