The American Spectator : Bull Matthews: The Media Plays the Race Card

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Bull Matthews: The Media Plays the Race Card

By Jeffrey Lord on 9.6.12 @ 6:08AM

Obama media allies and the ratings oxygen of skincolor liberalism.

(Page 3 of 5)

And NBC isn’t, of course, the only liberal media outlet which swims in the racism sewer.

• Here’s Time magazine’s Joe Klein — sitting, take note, on The Chris Matthews Show — ever so casually saying that President Obama “probably should” play the race card.

• Here’s the National Journal’s Ron Fournier playing the race card in print and, as he himself admits, playing it in an open forum in Tampa with my former colleague Ron Kauffman, a Romney supporter

• Here’s Yahoo firing its Washington Bureau Chief David Chalian for playing the race card with his racist comment caught on a live mic. Chalian said of Mitt and Ann Romney attending the GOP Convention as Hurricane Isaac approached New Orleans that the Romneys were “happy to have a party with black people drowning.”

• Here’s The Washington Post playing the race card as it describes the GOP’s Tampa gathering as “a convention hall filled overwhelmingly with white faces

• Here’s the New York Times playing the class warfare and race cards simultaneously, insisting that the real message of the GOP is “We are not rich and white.

• And here’s a lovely and rich example of the way the game is played. NewsBusters reports here that Washington Post columnist Colby King had this to say about the role of blacks in the GOP.

“Oh yeah, but they always have African-Americans on the podium. Either it’s somebody singing ‘God Bless America,’ or praying, you know, before or after. That, you know, the entertainment value’s always there for us.”

Mr. King, for those not in the know, has his own version of the famous bipartisan James Carville/Mary Matalin marriage. Specifically, Colby King is married to one Gwen King. Gwen King, like husband Colby, is an African American. She also served as…wait for it…Deputy Assistant to the President for…..Ronald Reagan. Not to mention as the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration for President George H.W. Bush.

Both jobs were serious, no-nonsense positions, the first working directly for the President of the United States, the second making Gwen — full disclosure a former colleague of mine and a wonderful person — the boss of Social Security. Apparently Mr. King is under the impression Mrs. King allowed herself to be used by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush as some sort of token. Like those other token Reagan and Bush appointees Colin Powell, Condi Rice and Clarence Thomas. Successively two national security advisers turned GOP Secretaries of State (Powell also was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and one still-sitting Supreme Court Justice. Gwen King a token? How’s that sleeping-on-the -couch-thing going, Mr. King?

Again, given the history that the DNC has so blatantly lied about on its website, why is anyone surprised at this reflexive playing of the race card by liberals in the media? They’ve been doing it since 1800. There is nothing either new or surprising.

LET’S START AT the beginning, shall we?

On July 30, 1619, in response to an order from the Virginia Company “to establish one equal and uniform government over all Virginia” the first representative assembly in the New World — the Virginia House of Burgesses — convened in the pews of the lone church in the British colony of Jamestown. Its task? To provide “just laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people there inhabiting.”

Less than a month later, on August 20, 1619, a ship belonging to a Dutch trader appeared off of Jamestown — exchanging twenty African slaves for food.

Slavery in America — a shockingly gruesome practice that was fueled by the obsessive belief that everyone should be judged by skin color — had put down roots.

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About the Author

Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political director and author. He writes from Pennsylvania at jlpa1@aol.com.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (44) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 9.6.12 @ 6:34AM

During the RNC Chris Matthews bragged about how he lived in D.C. a black majority city. Chris Matthews actually resides in Chevy Chase, Md. a city of 2,000, ten of whom are black.
http://michellemalkin.com/2012.....ves-in-dc/

Oldefarte| 9.6.12 @ 12:06PM

Great linkage [Michelle exposes this POS aka Matthews for the filthy liar that he is].......thank you!!!!!!!!!

Jack London| 9.6.12 @ 6:45AM

Jeffrey - Obama's going to bring back slavery if he get's a second term. Then he'll let you buy him - you can get him to sweep your yard.

Truth to Power| 9.6.12 @ 9:07AM

He apparently is only supposed to carry Bill Clinton's bags.

DTOM| 9.6.12 @ 9:50AM

Jack,

Barack Obama in 2008 during one of the debates was asked if he thought healthcare was a "right."

He said yes - it is a right.

Healthcare is a service delivered by the work of doctors, nurses, lab workers, and a lot of other people and the assets they use.

By claiming healthcare to be a right, something which cannot be denied to a person, Obama was claiming that individuals have a "right" to other people's work, regardless of their paying for that work.

This is the essential characteristic of slavery-having a right to the work of others without payment.

How wonderful that the biggest accomplishment of our first black President is the re-institution of slavery!

Obama go home! Wherever you think it is!!!

Don't Tread On Me!

So with his drive to socialize medicine in

Daniel W| 9.6.12 @ 10:24AM

Another slight-of-hand trick by Mr. Lord.

Yes, many prominent Democrats were racists, but they were mostly Southern and CONSERVATIVE. These conservative (reactionary) democrats were an embarrassment to the progressive Democrats who have always worked tirelessly on civil rights issues.

Frekki| 9.6.12 @ 11:23AM

You mean progressive Democrats like these;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1.....Convention

Yeah, tirelessly working on civil rights issues, but on which side? Indiana was the home of the Klan, not very Southern, but very Democratic.

eclaire| 9.6.12 @ 12:02PM

Daniel W said "mostly Southern." Mostly.

In the civil rights struggles of the 60s, which side was more active in helping blacks achieve racial justice? Was it conservatives or liberals?

The answer is obvious. Liberals, mostly Democrats, led the way.

Stop twisting the truth. No wonder AmSpec is known as the least credible of conservative commentary blogs.

Dobbs| 9.6.12 @ 7:11PM

Liberals like Al Gore Sr., who voted against the Civil Rights Act?
Liberals like Robert Byrd, the Grand Wizard of the KKK?

A Grin without a Cat| 9.6.12 @ 11:34AM

Your assertion is deeply misleading, to say the least. Many of the worst racists were committed progressives; and they often claimed that their racism was based on science, and that those who disagreed were mired in superstition and sentimentality. Woodrow Wilson was certainly not a conservative. Neither was Margaret Sanger.

The Avenger| 9.6.12 @ 11:46AM

A fool and his blather = a progressive nitwit. You keep on running from your party's racist past, but the truth will be proclaimed.

eclaire| 9.6.12 @ 3:58PM

Liberal Democrats will have much to celebrate come November.

Bye-bye, losers.

Ash| 9.6.12 @ 4:09PM

I hope November proves you wrong.

But the Dem's Convention so far has out-classed the Repub's by light years, so you may be correct in your brazen confidence. God forbid!

Dobbs| 9.6.12 @ 7:13PM

AP fact checkers agree: the DNC convention has them whirling to correct all the factual errors and lies. What great theater!

Peter| 9.20.12 @ 8:26AM

If you are right a hot civil war will ensue and the end result will be the extermination of the American Left...long bloody and begging for your lives

JD| 9.6.12 @ 2:49PM

An essential point, DTOM, and one of the best made by Ayn Rand. Recognizing any "right" to the work of others, unpaid for, is slavery. Period.

The Left cannot talk its way around this.

Oldefarte| 9.6.12 @ 12:29PM

No AH, if he gets a second term, instead he'll be so concerned with his COMPLETE FINANCIAL/MORAL/FISCAL DESTRUCTION OF THIS COUNTRY that was initiated by his Democratic Party many years ago. No doubt by "slavery" you're referring to the ignorance of Federal immigration laws by ICE; the DOJ's ignorance of Federal voting rights laws applicable to Philadelphia NBPP; etc. We're all being subjected their "slavery" if he's re-elected!!!!!!!!

Martin kzovich| 9.6.12 @ 7:20AM

You know that movie by Dinesh D'Souza ( ? ) about Obama winning in 2016-yeah that one. Well, here is another idea for a Movie the title should be: The Democrat Party Unmasked--How a traditional American Political Party Morphed into a Anti-American Authoritarian Political Party. If done well it5 would be duzy.

Von Mises Jr| 9.6.12 @ 8:11AM

Von Mises "Socialism" points out that Marx could not defend his ideas against the likes of his contemporaries such as Bastiat.
"Socialism" explodes Marxism on the basis that prices can NOT be calculated under their "One World Government." Without pricing, supply and demand are flailing under arbitrary and capricious central planned diktats.
Moreover, "material productive forces" and other aspects of Marxism are nonsensical. The end goal is a Rodney King "Why can't we all get along" Utopia where we all provide for our neighbors wives and kids. I don't even like some of my neighbor’s wives and kids.
So Marx resorted to ad hominem attack. It was all he had. It has been breed into every leftist leaning Utopian. They are dumb as rocks for the most part compared to Marx and Engels, and it is only logical that they can't defend the ideas either. So they use "racism," "sexism" and "homophobe" as their debate strategy.

Ian Cognito | 9.6.12 @ 9:23AM

Missing in your eloquence is the crux of this biscuit - few seem willing to touch it. I will. Democrats despise blacks. Dems "know" blacks are inferior - needing their guidance&handouts; because they are incapable of negotiating life without them. Blacks are-costly props Dems use to guilt trip and assault their enemies-and an object used to display their faux compassion. The payback for Dems is the racism club. Racist is a sin only trumped by child molester and serial killer. Dem power relies exclusively upon that club. LBJ created welfare programs then said Blacks will be voting Dem the next 200 years. He was right. Keeping blacks on the Dem plantation assures/bribe black votes. Blacks as a group have fallen precipitously backwards since LBJ offered his compassion. Unemployment,Crime,HS graduation, illegitimacy, marriage, et al are horrific. Dem compassion assures no black reaches self reliance. What are we hearing? The path to self reliance=racist. Helping a person succeed=racist. Merit based consideration =racist. Asking blacks to take control of their lives=racist. Keeping blacks destitute, excusing destructive behaviors, forming white villains, assures black votes and Dems hold a club to silence inquiry/complaint. That is the Dem M.O.- exclusively-buying votes, keeping voters dependent. Many black incomes rely upon Dem handouts. Blacks won't change voting habits until that rubric is ended.

The Avenger| 9.6.12 @ 11:48AM

The truth has never been said better. Bravo.

Alej| 9.6.12 @ 1:16PM

"LBJ created welfare programs then said Blacks will be voting Dem the next 200 years. "

Actually, he didn't use the word "blacks."

Ian Cognito | 9.7.12 @ 7:41AM

True - but the word he used, always used, was a phonetic corruption of the N-Word. Nig-Rah was said in place of Negro.

Dobbs| 9.6.12 @ 7:15PM

As African-American Mason Weaver said in his book: I left the plantation.

JimH| 9.6.12 @ 9:36AM

To the extent that they actually believe it and aren’t just playing games, the race thing is a result of the left’s Marxian derived theories of identity politics. They think that your views and what you believe are the result of your race, social class, gender and similar factors. They are not much for free will. How they, usually white and wealthy have overcome his social determinism and achieved enlightenment remains, as usual, unexplained.

DTOM| 9.6.12 @ 9:54AM

Jim; Mr. Lord made it pretty clear that the Democrat racism pre-dated Marx's birth. Marx was an evil man with evil ideas, but you can't blame him for their racism...they did that themselves.

DTOM

Daniel W| 9.6.12 @ 10:25AM

DTOM, see my comment above.

JimH| 9.6.12 @ 10:39AM

I guess I was unclear about what I was responding to.What I was addressing is why they project racism on the GOP. I am aware of the Dem's historical stance and the origins of the GOP.

Frekki| 9.6.12 @ 11:32AM

The Whig Party dissolved and the Republicans coalesced around Lincoln because of the slavery issue. What more do we need to be aware of?

Dobbs| 9.6.12 @ 7:18PM

We need to remind readers here which party passed the amendments post-Civil War ending slavery. One hint: it wasn't Democrats.

Who Knows?| 9.6.12 @ 11:14AM

Oh, how much one needs to observe, understand and transcend, these days.

Race. The race to the top. To the bottom.

Instead of niggerization, tiger-wood-ization must ASAP happen. Besides, the whole division of humans into races is becoming more and more idiotic, led by the melting pot America.

It’s time to “grow up”, even about throwbacks like Chris Matthews.

As all awake Americans realize, led by the sports and entertainment industries, it’s mostly merit that determines who plays and acts. Just win, baby!

How does a Chris Matthews continue to be rich and famous? Eyeballs! Just as society has more or less moved on beyond the Bull Conner times, it must also do so when it comes to race “advocates”, like Matthews. Stop watching him!

Laugh at him! Ask, channeling MLK, are YOU judging people by their character, not even noticing skin color? That’s the kind of response someone stupid enough to go on a Matthews show should calmly ask HIM, when he does his tired old act.

He needs the “Have you no decency?” treatment!

Drive him, and his ilks, to drink, a la Joe McCarthy!

Seek| 9.6.12 @ 12:33PM

Another standard-issue "liberals are the real racists" nonsense from the hyper-Respectable Right. Does Jeffrey Lord not know that everyone in the South, whether anti-Klan or pro-Klan, was a Democrat? Does he actually think the KKK functioned as some sort of Democratic Party think tank? The Klan was as much about white Southern Protestantism as it was about racial separation and secrecy. Party affiliation was ephemeral.

Instead of seeking -- always in futility -- the black vote, perhaps Republicans, for a change, could seek out the bloc that dares not speak its name in polite company: the white vote!

Doctor Right| 9.6.12 @ 2:45PM

Democrats ALWAYS seek to run away from their past, be it racism, communism, or domestic terrorism.

The KKK was founded by 6 former Confederate DEMOCRATS in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee.

Democrats in the South voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1865, and actively suppressed black voting rights up until and after that time.

Former Klansmen in Congress included Robert Byrd and Harry Truman, both Democrats. Supreme Court Justices Hugo Black and Edward White, also Democrats, were members of the Klan.

Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass for "the black vote."

The Republican platform supports individual freedom and liberty. Anyone, of any race, should support that. Those that don't are simply ignorant.

Ian Cognito | 9.7.12 @ 7:54AM

I submit Communism is alive, well, and a current goal for Dems. I've heard Dems continue believing Communism is a great form of government - it failed due to bad management. 200 million deaths under Stalin and Mao were unfortunate casualties. Communism requires sacrifices from it's members. What today's liberals who actually believe this tripe fail to remember is the press and intellectuals were always the first groups asked to sacrifice - gulags or a bullet in the head prevented them from complaining once they discovered they would not be included in the ruling class. Can't have educated and/or dissenting voices stirring up frustrations. By the time the stupid figure out their Messiahs (Yes, Mao and Stalin both were both considered similarly) lied to them and the promises are not forth coming, the demands of a hand to mouth existence preclude complaint.

Seek| 9.7.12 @ 12:44PM

You ignore my my point. "Democrat" and "liberal," in the context of Southern politics for a full century after the Civil War, did not mean the same thing. More often than not, they meant quite the opposite. Get it through your head: The Klan was an expression of a distinct strain of reactionary Southern Protestantism. It had about as much to do with "liberalism" as the Hapsburg Monarchy. It was, in fact, Democrats -- Northern Democrats -- who ended the reign of the Klan. One crappy book by Jonah Goldberg, augmented by Glenn Beck and other voices in the Red State echo chamber, isn't going to alter history.

Mimi | 9.6.12 @ 5:42PM

I feel hopeful, and I pray I am right on this, I think the Black vote will increase for the GOP this year.

They have the Black Pastors c/o Obamas change on Gay Marraige, Abortion and the Dem's taking their vote for granted...The jobless numbers. They have suffered more during this recessions length than any other voting group. They also fear for their children like everyone who will need to watch as their children will need 2 jobs to pay back the overspending that this administtration placed placed on their backs.
They have been joining the Tea Party too, they read and are waking up like many Americans have.

Dobbs| 9.6.12 @ 7:19PM

O will not reach 90 percent with the Black vote in 2012.

Seek| 9.7.12 @ 12:46PM

You're a naif. Obama, like the last time, will get at least 95 percent of the black vote and maybe even more. I doubt you could locate 20 blacks in this country who will vote Romney. For the blacks, race is everything. And they love a free lunch. The Democrats are always happy to serve it.

Skippy| 9.7.12 @ 2:46PM

"For the blacks, race is everything. And they love a free lunch. The Democrats are always happy to serve it."

We have redefined the term "revealing statement".

Carroll | 9.6.12 @ 11:54PM

Guess you've never read Grotius or de Vattel, huh?

Qwilly| 9.7.12 @ 11:04AM

Jeffery: As I read your article, my Great Grand parents came to mind. They were hard working, not well educated, patriotic,and God fearing. They
left the south in the great migration, because of the chance, there would be a new reality up north.
Today the Republicans only need to teach and celebrate their proud history in these matters. Over and Over again tell it,particularly before this election. Generations have died that never knew what the real truth of what was destoying their and their childrens American Dreams.

derfel cadarn| 9.8.12 @ 8:01PM

From the ratings posted for cable news networks MSNBC averages about 6 viewers per night. If that is being in the news business,no wonder the Liberals can't fix the economy

Burlington| 9.11.12 @ 1:47PM

Why does Matthews and all the Democrat talking heads speak so fast? It's as if they are so filled with special knowledge they have to just spew it out.

St Reformed| 9.14.12 @ 12:06AM

'Bull Matthews and company do this because like all progressives they need race like an addict." True enough. But have you ever noticed that Ole Bull is never in good spirits when the "good spirits" are not in Ole Bull?

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