EA Soundcheck: Scott Lucas with BBC Scotland on Race and The Attacks on Barack Obama

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This may be one of the most depressing interviews I have ever heard, let alone been a part of. BBC Radio Scotland, using yesterday's news that former President Jimmy Carter had said race played a large part in attacks on the Obama health care and economic proposals, spoke with former US talk radio host Charlie Wolff and me.

I tried to set out the line that race is not the key issue here; rather it's only one element in the replacement of reasoned discussion of important issues by the shouts, led by talk radio and TV outlets like Fox, of "liberalism","extremism", "Communism", "fascism", and "socialism". All of this is aimed politically at crippling Obama as the Republican Party searches for someone to lead the Presidential challenge in 2021; rhetorically, it's even more damaging, portraying anyone who wants to make significant changes to address issues like health care as "un-American".

Unfortunately Wolff, who is talented enough to avoid issues and throw around labels like acid confetti, got the last few minutes, taking (and proving) my point to new, depressing extremes.

The exchange, which is up for seven days, is at the 1:40:00 mark of the programme.

Comments

[Amy]

Scott
I listened to a minute or so of the interview & couldn't bear to go on. I agree with you— for some on the right there is a racist element to what is going on, but it's not the driving force. The same people spent the entire Clinton presidency trying to bring him down... ex, the conspiracy theory created to convince people that Vincent Foster's suicide was actually a murder orchestrated by the Clintons. Unfortunately Whitewater was ambiguous enough to get traction and eat up a tremendous amount of time and media attention. In the case of President Obama, they have been unable to create this kind of scandal, so they go after who he is instead of what he has done. Thus fascist, socialist, etc

I cringed to hear President Carter's accusation. The right had been waiting for a high-profile person to say "racism" because the obvious come-back is "we can't disagree with the President without being tarred as racists". President Carter can't say what he thinks without it being used as a weapon against everyone who supports president Obama... I'm getting a headache.

The saddest part is they are gleefully creating this controversy to push aside what nobody wants to look at-- http://www.ramusa.org/learn/media.html" rel="nofollow">the undeniable truth in our own back yards... in Knoxville, in LA. I don't understand. The right has invested everything it's got to sustain this reality. All that money and effort could go a long way toward fixing it.

[Amy]

Over time, the right has transformed racism into "the race card". To raise racial issues is to "play the race card". A person doing so has no legitimate claim but is merely executing a political tactic. Racism is stripped of cruelty & inhumanity,

When Prez Clinton said that it was time for Americans to have a conversation about race, I couldn't understand what he meant. I finally got it after President Obama's remark on the Henry Louis Gates arrest. What followed was the caricature of a conversation— people pontificating about what they already believe... Few listening to other views. Not much of a conversation

[john]

I listened to former president Jimmy Carter and he was right about the race issue being focused by the right. To maintain use ,control and influence of the American people through the Media. Basically a Drudge effect. These people and the GOP are trying to find a way to make Obama a lame duck President. They have had to resort to the present tactics because of increase of Democrats elected. This practice is not new, it is different because of the use of color as a tool. It is like a anger or hurt to conquer. Divide and conquer with the focus on the next election and not on the advancement of American people. The Bush GOP saw that the American people could be lolled to apathy and responding after the facts. Like the Bush Family using Political fraud in Florida to get Bush elected. they knew the people would be powerless and apathetic to the illegal actions and then feeding us a lot of war patriotism we just accepted the roll of the Blank society. The fact that Obama called on the people to wake up and take responsibility for the direction of our Country has made unsaviory means necessary to stop the American people from choosing the direction of our nation. If we unite and become one people ( one nation ) we can bring a great change in the future of our Country.

[Josh Mull]

Oh Scott, you forgot how to be an American. We don't do this whole "reasonable arguments over facts" BS. We fight.

Here's how it's done:

"Charlie Wolff is clearly spouting al-Qa'eda talking points, implying that the President of the United States and other Americans serving our country are the 'Great Satan,' the source of every problem in their lives. Much like Ayman al-Zawahiri calls on Arabs, blacks, and other minorities to rise up against the US government, Mr. Wolff brings up the right flank by calling patriotic white Americans to a Jihad against their own democratically elected leaders. I would put it on Mr. Wolff to clarify whether he is loyal to the United States, and securing it from its enemies abroad who wish to do us harm, or if he is more loyal to sowing hatred and chaos in our political debate in service to treasonous plots against the American people."

See? No facts, nothing reasonable, and he gets to explain why he hates America so much, just like he did to President Carter, and by extension, you. Politics is easy ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FQtN2NbGv8

[Scott Lucas]

UJ,

I thank you and will use this as my Bible (or anti-American Qu'ran) for the next interview.

S.

[Amy]

@ Josh
Our problem here is that reasonable people assume we just need to be, well, reasonable. You need to run some seminars on how to speak the language of gonzo bats#!t crazy.

"Don't leave home without it"
That one's going out to my entire email list

As the usually non-profound Michael Jackson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyBs6-cmFvQ" rel="nofollow">put it:
"I'm not gonna spend my life being a color"

[James Smith]

And I thought the name "journalist" was abused enough here in the states!!!...

Okay, I'll confess that I am not familiar with either of these people's life-time's work in journalism and they may both be otherwise quite brilliant, but that was a pathetic excuse for an "interview", and not at all a very fair exploration of the topic -- rather, it was what some news producer decided would be needed to pay lip-service to the issue and fill a given amount of time in their program,... ugh.

She didn't challenge wolf ONCE on a single over-statement or exageration, or even his hollow equivocations.

I'd have been very frustrated Scott, if I were you -- for having my time wasted so thoroughly. But I think it's great that you tried to make a difference in the "debate", and I hope you won't quit.

"Hopes and Fears", is the strategy that we're seeing employed by the GOP, because that's what people vote, and it's being used to manipulate people into giving the GOP the control they want -- to make BIG gov't, while claiming not to.

Give 'em Heck Scott! ;)

And thanks.
J.

[UJ]

Gotta second what James Smith says - the host was just out to lunch on that discussion.

Also, she kept referring to Carter as "Former President," which is not a real title. The President is always President, President Bush, President Clinton, President Reagan, etc. Just a pet peeve of mine (ahem..Mr. Obama's War ;)

[Craig Smith]

Jimmy Carter was stating the obvious.

Thank you, Scott, for seeing it and saying it, and condensing the facts so well.