Pssh. Democrats were just as disrespectful to Bush. It's not a matter of being Republican or Democratic, the issue is that some people have no idea how to be mature, respectful adults. Grow up. :/ No president should be shouted at, booed, or otherwise disrespected in that kind of forum.

Given Wilson's background, I think there may be some truth to what Dowd is saying.

Besides, Wilson is not truly sorry for his outburst. Indeed, he is not.

I think that's entirely true. I think a lot of the Republican hate of Obama is because the G.O.P. is a party of big, honking racists. They've got excellent homophobes and sexists too.

I think there is some truth behind this.

I'm sorry. As of January 20, 2009, your racism card has been declined for excessive use.

(got called away...)
Crying racism, sexism, etc. for everything under the sun will delegitimize the true victims of racism. And, the President is not a victim.

I want to be clear here. Not everyone is a conservative is a racist. I'd say most non-anonymous right-wingers on TresSugar are really well spoken - Lil Kim is certainly one of them.

But, I spent a decade in Mississippi - and I've seen plenty of the "New Racism" first hand. And the truth is, from my point of view, it goes hand and hand with voting Republican. I went to school with the belligerent, drunkard fratboys of Ole Miss. They'll swear up and down all day long that they "don't see race." But, I know what their FB status updates were election night, and they were unbelievably racist.

The truth is, the base of the Republican party - the Nascar fans that shop at the Wal-Mart Death Star and still love GWB - they will never accept a black president. It's reflected in their irrational hatred of him.

I think the base of the Republican Party will be shifting in the coming years, as younger conservatives start to gain a little more control. I also think there's a huge difference between Southern Republicans and Republicans in the rest of the country.

I will admit that many racists in the country are Republicans. However, far too many times, I have seen valid criticisms of Obama's policies dismissed as racism. I do agree that many of the people who criticize him more than his policies are doing so with some degree of racism.

(And, I have to say, my Facebook status on election night was likely something about this country going down the tubes, and it didn't refer to Obama specifically. I think it's dangerous when any party has too much seemingly unchecked power. Of course, I think it's especially dangerous when that party's views on the size and scope of the federal government diverge from mine. (However, I wouldn't even like to see the Republicans with the large majorities the Dems have now. Personally, I'd like us to get away from the two-party system, but that's another story for another day.)

its the only card they have left that isnt in debt.

"The truth is, the base of the Republican party - the Nascar fans that shop at the Wal-Mart Death Star and still love GWB - they will never accept a black president. It's reflected in their irrational hatred of him."

I agree. In reality, these people do exist.

they exist but they are by no means "the base" of the republican party.

Hmm... personally attacking the character of someone you disagree with politically. A Democrat would never do such a thing (see post #3).

"The truth is, the base of the Republican party - the Nascar fans that shop at the Wal-Mart Death Star and still love GWB - they will never accept a black president."

That is a grotesque generalization that smears a lot of decent people with something they don't deserve. Shopping at Wal-mart (hey, it's cheap), watching Nascar (long tradition of auto racing in this country) and liking GWB (for any number of reasons) have absolutely nothing to do with race. These things do not make one a racist. For that matter, deeply disliking or distrusting President Obama do not make one a racist.

Congressional Democrats heckled Bush during addresses (yelling boo or no). Wilson was wrong to yell that interruption, but then, he did apologize for it.

The naysayers have to deal with the truth and she's speaking it (although she's not the first). While there are new conservatives, the heart of the party has to wipe out this strategy of spreading fear about anyone "not like them". It regresses them as well as the country.

Imagine what this country would be if we actually lived our freedom for all rhetoric.

That was not racism, it was disagreement. The fact that America focuses so much on racism is racist in itself; maybe if we stopped throwing around the word everyone time a black person and a white person talk to each other there would not be as much.

HoneyBrown19,

How is it that only the likes of Maureen Dowd, you, and the people who agree with you are the only ones qualified to choose what is true and what isn't?

We are more keen to things than you are. Or, we don't live in self-inflicted boxes of reality.

Vanilla, so if we stop talking about racism, it will magically disappear? That's pure crap and you know it.

I think the tragedy of the situation is that the American public is so easily distracted by race. There are no posts about what the outburst was in response to - the comment by President Obama that the plan would not pay for non citizen immigrants to be insured. There is a valid conflict (which was avoided by a turn of phrase) between the Dems and Republicans. While the plan may not insure the immigrants, the plan does not address how the payment of their medical bills will be made. While they may not be "insured" tax payers, which do include some non citizens, could still be paying for the hospital bills. I see a legitimate discrepancy and the need to address the issue. Please do not fall prey to lazy journalism that puts up a flashy headline and does nothing to stimulate conversation about a compromise.

geez - typed to past and there is a sentence in there that makes no sense, sorry

*While they may not be "insured," tax payers (including some non citizens) could still be paying for the hospital bills.

spacekatgal: "the Nascar fans that shop at the Wal-Mart Death Star"

Generalizations don't help anyone and it isn't very funny or cute.

"We don't live in self-inflicted boxes of reality."

I love it, HoneyBrown! I suspect you would be a really fun person to have a margarita with.

LilKimbo, if the next generation of Conservatives are like you and Megan McCain, I will look forward to the next 20 years being a much more pleasant dialogue than the last 8. Still, I don't suspect this will be the case. As well intentioned as some might be, uber-racist Rush Limbaugh is the spokesperson for your party, followed by Sarah Palin.

I've listened to quite a bit of Mark Levine, a racist who is a rising star of the conservative talk radio movement. His three hour a day show is an insane, anti-Obama, anti-everything screed. It's up to the sane conservatives to reel in the lunatic fringe of your party - and until you do, many are going to feel the Republican party is the home of racists.

Bri

Ps- CG, ever hear of anything called "The Southern Strategy?" Actually, racists Southerners are your actual, swear-to-God, most loyal voters. I don't think you're all like that, though.

Racism? or Stupidity? It's a tie!

spacekatgal

Still with the racism? Nothing on policy? Rush? Are you serious?
I guess it is easier to name call and hop on a high horse than to actually discuss an issue. I am sure Mississippi is glad to be rid of you and your condescending attitude.

How is Mark Levin racist? I have him on right now. I have never heard anything like that from him.

"we don't live in self-inflicted boxes of reality. "

So HoneyBrown, does this mean that I live in reality, and you live in a fantasy land where anyone who doesn't automatically agree with everything you think is racist?

And I agree with anon - there was a fair criticism behind the ill-conceived shout, which is why the House is now trying to close the loophole. I still think he apologized and we should move on to focus on making the legislation better.

"We are more keen to things than you are. Or, we don't live in self-inflicted boxes of reality"

that statement alone proves you are wrong.

I think by self-inflicted boxes of reality, she might mean your confused bewilderment that many, many people think Rush Limbaugh is a racist. How can you not understand why people feel this way? He was fired from being an NFL commentator for being a racist - and there have been like 2 trillion other examples.

I mean, my gods Cirrus. You're say you've never heard Mark Levin say anything racist - while listening to the same show where he takes on yet more allegations that he's a racist? (20:10 into the podcast)

That's a self-created reality. Enjoy it, but know that most people don't live in that fantasy multiplex.

I wish someone would have called out Bush at some point, rather than roll over or give a standing ovation (ahem, Hillary) during the march to war.

Again, feigned outrage. Get over it. It is politics and most of these people are not gentlemen. Enjoy the entertainment and the fact his outburst has raised money for his opposition.

this is so not racism!!!! obama iant a good president and someone called him out on it its really not that big of a deal and the fact that people are making it into something its not is so dumb

I think it's pretty convenient for people to say that anytime anyone disagrees with Obama it's merely because of political reasons based on the issues. While that may be true in most cases it does not dismiss the fact that some reactions to him or any other minority may come from racist sentiments. Just because Wilson may disagree with Obama's proposed policies for legitimate reasons, does not mean that his outburst did not come from a racist. I do not believe Wilson would have acted the same way with a white man he disagreed with. This is all to say racism did not disappear just because we elected black president and no not everyone who disagrees with Obama is racist, but its ridiculous to look at a man with Wilson's history and speculate that racism could have partly motivated his actions. No everything can't be blamed on racism, but in a country where its has been the status quo for oh say the last 400yrs, it's still very relevant despite who the president is. And as for racists in the republican party, not to say there aren't any racist democrats, but if we're looking at statistics and the history of inclusiveness the Republican party has not been welcoming of others (until it needed the votes) and their party's platform has consistently shunned those who do not fit into that waspy hegemonic group and yeah I'd definitely say racism was a factor.

Spacekatgal, the biggest problem with the Republican party right now is that it doesn't have a spokesman. Rush Limbaugh does not speak for us. Nor does Sarah Palin. And for that matter, both the Republicans and the Democrats have a lot of diversity within the party. Are there some racists in the Republican party? yup. I hate that. Are there some in the Democratic party? You betcha. I hate that too. But you cannot take a narrow sub-section of the population and damn the whole party by association.

And for that matter, whatever you might suspect of Joe Wilson based on the two feeble examples Tres gives above, you can't know that Wilson's statement was made out of racism. There's a lot of frustration on the right these days, because President Obama keeps publicly denouncing everyone talking about health care from the right as a liar, when what they are doing is pointing out his own half truths. The President has said that no one would lose their private health insurance, but in another forum he said that eventually the public option would drive the private ones out, leaving everyone on something more like a single payer plan. For many people here, that's a feature, not a bug, but for people who want to keep private insurance, that's our president not being honest with us. I don't find it difficult to believe that Wilson got fed up and yelled out of something other than just race.

i think maureen dowd is right. the republican party openly courts white supremacists, it still carries on it's version of the southern strategy with things like "barack the magic negro", the barack is an arab muslim who is not american born, and the barack food stamps for watermelon and chicken on them. now maybe the entire republican party isn't racist, but a good amount of them are and if there is ever to be any kind of resolution amongst the parties then the first thing they need to do is admit it. and i knew from his lack of decorum joe wilson had to be the type with racist sentiments. who in their right mind disrespects the president in such a way in the house chamber? and fighting to maintain the racist rebel flag and admonishing stom thurmonds daughter for telling the truth ( and i wish she had blown his racist duplicitious hypocritical ass out the water in the 1960's) just confirmed my sentiments. i just hope his democratic opponent blows HIM out of the water in 2010, so i guess i can thank his outburst for helping his rob miller raise an OBSCENE amount of money in a few days so hopefully he won't EVER get the opportunity to be that disrepectful again. i agree with honeybrown19 racism can't be ignored, not talking about it leaves it's status stagnant and we aren't progressing anywhere. and i also agree that when you are subjected to racism 24/7 you are more likely to be aware of it even in it's most insidious forms.

republicans have to recognize the message they're putting out with this kind of behavior. white men aren't going to be the majority forever and everything in this country is based on votes. if you keep disrespecting people of color your party will become obsolete and relegated to a few southern states. maybe something less ridiculous would replace the republican party on the national stage.

How about we start with replacing our HALF black President with someone who actually has a little experience under his belt?

Indeed, Obama's mother was white. And indeed,

"You cannot take a narrow sub-section of the population and damn the whole party by association."