Cutting through the bullshit

Republicans have done a masterful job through the years of turning truth into falsehood and having it become conventional wisdom. Nolan Finley again tries to use his "gee, shucks, I was there, these people aren't racists, it's all the Democrats fault for pointing out the truth" bullshit once again, and I'm sure it'll fly with the tea partiers, the conservatives, and the traditional media, but somebody has to hold their feet to the fire. I'm proud to be that somebody. The reason I fear this narrative from republicans is because of how well they've used it on gay issues in the past. It isn't about hatred of gays--it's a religious difference, it's standing up for traditional values, it's "love the sinner, hate the sin"--(Aside: what the fuck?). And now it's the same for the racism charges: we just don't like Obama, we have black friends, we work with black people who are really nice, my favorite player in name the sport is black. No. No. No. The first sign is their defensiveness on the issue. The second is their trying to play it down just as they did the gay issues. And finally it's their claim that they're just like everybody else, mainstream Americans. Oh, really? Because I've been on this planet for fifty-one years now and to tell you the truth, I haven't met all that many people who are all that much alike. Sure there are people who like baseball, and the color blue, and watching the leaves change color in the fall, but when you really break it down, people are as diverse as snowflakes--even if they share the same genes, no two of them are exactly alike. So when somebody tells me they're just like everybody else, I get worried, good and worried, that maybe I'm dealing with someone who doesn't watch things very carefully, who doesn't think things through, and who has no business governing a nation as diverse as ours, that leads a world as diverse as ours. Toward the end of his piece, Finley says, "There's an astonishing arrogance in the Democratic response. They can't see that it's the way they governed that has turned off voters." Fortunately, for those of us who use our brains, there's an astounding idiocy in Finley's worldview, and our hope for the future. As many people turned out to vote against Democrats, an equal amount stayed home because they were disappointed or disgusted with the party's leadership on issues concerning them--eventually, those people will return, having already seen through the conservative/tea party/republican bullshit and send them packing. My guess is, old Nolan will never even see it coming. Peace, emaycee