One of these politicians is known as a racist. But, in reality, they have a lot in common.
 |
 |
| Barack Obama | Lester Maddox |
Let me explain.
In his recent column at Pajamas Media, Frank J. Fleming suggests that Democrats play the race card when they don’t have any valid arguments … which is a lot.
One thing that really caught my eye, was this passing reference:
(The) first indication that Obama was not at all post-racial was finding out what a racist loon his preacher for twenty years was. While I never actually thought Obama hated white people, it was disturbing how easily he tolerated that issue to gain street cred in Chicago.
Here’s why that caught my eye: Obama isn’t the first politician to do that. One of the first that I remember was a Georgia politician from the 1960s and 1970s named Lester Maddox.
Little bit of background on the former governor: He operated the The Pickrick, an Atlanta cafeteria. Most restaurants run by whites in Georgia and throughout the south the 1950s and 60s, had white customers. It was very uncommon for there to be integrated restaurants during that time. The Pickrick was typical. White-owned, white clientele.
Maddox resisted integrating the restaurant, to the point of threatening violence, though none ever occurred.
He then used his reputation to run for political office. In 1966, he was elected Governor. (It’s not as simple as that, but that story in itself would take weeks to explain.)
After taking office, Maddox did the unthinkable: he appointed more blacks to high office in the state than all previous governors combined. These included the head of the Department of Corrections, as well as the first blacks to serve in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol. Maddox also order state troopers to address blacks the same as they addressed whites: calling them “Mr.” instead of using their first name. He also integrated the state farmers markets.
What does all this history of Lester Maddox mean?
Think about it.
Both Lester Maddox and Barack Obama tolerated racism to achieve political goals. The difference is that Maddox built his “street cred,” then did something about bringing the races closer together. Obama built his “street cred,” and has done nothing to bring the races together. Rather, he’s continued to use race to divide the country … even on non-racial issues.
Some six years after his death, Maddox is still remembered as a racist, while the good things he did are ignored by the media. Obama is thought of as above race, particularly by the media, despite it being his one accomplishment: being black.
And he only got that half-right.
No “sixes and nines” for you, Basil. Spot on.
(I predict no one will know what that means.)
You’d be wrong, but I’m a little confused why you would think so.
I dunno please explain.
It ain’t racism if you ain’t white.
Or so some of “those people” seem to think.
Lester’s problem was…he was just too white! You can check out this dreaded condition here at You Tube…just cut and paste. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maLMGK_XhLs&feature=related
Eh….or just click on the link.
Obama’s half black? Why didn’t anyone report on that? That probably would have helped him during the campaign, instead of having to rely strictly on his many accomplishments as he did.
So, raml, I was wrong!
Apparently, “sixes and nines” is an evolved version of “sixes and sevens” (Google both). Anyway, as a teenager, I remember another racist, Alabama Governor George Corley Wallace used that phrase at a campaign rally when running for President. He told a story like this (paraphrasing): “A man walks into a southern bank and asks for change for an $18 bill. Not to be hoodwinked, the clerk squinted at him and without batting an eye, said, ‘What do you want? Three sixes or two nines?’ …So, let’s give ’em pleny of ‘sixes and nines’ in November…”
In context, maybe I’m one of the few who remember that news clip that day so long ago.
Anyway, Basil doesn’t get any sixes and nines.
This explains it all …
Dang. And here I thought I had figured the whole racism thing out. Next you’ll say that it was a Republican that emancipated the slaves, or that some Democrat was a Grand Kliegel of the KKK or something.
Sheesh. You guys! *wags finger*
George Wallace ran for his first political office on a racial harmony platform. He lost. This was the time when most southern Democrats ran by hollering “N*gger, N*gger N*gger!” After losing Wallace swore “I’ll never be outn*ggered again” and he wasn’t, until his political days were behind him. I still wonder how different our history would have if Wallace had won that first election.
“Obama is thought of as above race, particularly by the media, despite it being his one accomplishment: being black.
And he only got that half-right.”
Yeah. Now my keyboard won’t work, because I spit Diet Mountain Dew all over it. Thanks. That was the best line I’ve read in a long, long time…
Typical excellence from Basil here.
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I used to eat lunch in midtown Atlanta at a anow-demolished corner drug store. Once a week Lester would saunter in to join us fellow patrons. Calling Lester racist is like calling Obama smart. By the way, when Hosea Williams developed some health problems Lester led the fight, and succeded, in getting Hosea’s hospital bills paid. He didn’t need any socialist health care reform. Lester did much good without beer or the White house lawn.
Thanks to people and real Americans like Lester Maddox, barry hussein can practice his kenyan born, madrasa educated, s*cialist, muslemness in any restaurant he wants.
Racist is as racist does
I must have used disappearing type— POOF!
Pug Mahon, it gets even crazier. Did you know the “racist” party was actually founded by abolitionists and that it was chiefly responsible for enactment of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution! Ending slavery and establishing equal rights of citizenship, how demented. Those crazy Republicans with their weird “all men are created equal” dogma!
Basil, this is bloody feckin’ genius.
(which, it should be noted, is not at all like other sorts of genius which have a passing resemblance in spelling but which rightly get caught by naughtiness-averse filters.)
How may years do y’all think O’vomit has set back race relations? I’d say at least before Dr. King. He has managed to convince people who have spent most their lives treating people of all races equally that color does matter and racism is endemic to all races.
Good job Barry, how about you take on the poor and disabled now? By Christmas you can have most folks running the Salvation Army out of town on a rail.
“What a maroon.”
Ain’t it the truth. Of course the Negro Party has never liked the truth. It makes them uncomfortable.
glad to see im not the only one who put this together…
Interesting side note: Guess who once worked for Lester Maddox? None other than the libertarian talk show host Neal Boortz, who wrote speeches for him.