Why won't they call it racism?

Why won't they call it racism?

The right wing has gone on the offensive in the debate over health care--and the Democrats are letting them get away with it, writes Elizabeth Schulte.

September 23, 2009

ALMOST FROM the moment the two words "you lie" left South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's mouth during President Barack Obama's speech to Congress on health care, the mainstream media started filling the airwaves with an endless commentary about them.

But rather than shed any light on the incident, the media and the U.S. political establishment have trivialized it--turning it into a case of the demise of "civility" in American political life. "It was an obvious breach of decorum," right-wing Texas Sen. John Cornyn piously declared. "There's a time and a place for everything, and that was obviously not the time or the place."

Not only does this diminish the gravity of what's at stake in the health care debate gripping Washington, but it sweeps under the rug the racism and intolerance that has characterized the Republican right's response--seen in the ranting of protesters at town hall meetings this summer.

The important thing about Wilson's outburst isn't that it was bad etiquette, but that it gives confidence to racists and right-wingers--like the thousands of tea party demonstrators who gathered in Washington in mid-September.

http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/23/why-wont-they-call-it-racism

If he starts calling opponents racist, he will only be derided for using the 'race card'. It would make him look like he is playing the victim. He is doing exactly the right thing; he is taking one for the team.

I think it is good that Carter and others have pointed it out however. And it seems like that stopped the cycle of craziness. Things have started looking up since that happened.

Of course it may just be that the media became self-conscious about covering every little belch of people who would no longer make the effort to conceal their blatant racism, so we just haven't heard so much about it since then. Either way, it's an improvement.

The assassination of MLK was racist motivated, and little has changed since then.