Health reform hysteria proves America isn’t ‘post-racial’

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During the summer of 2008 the New York Times published an article by Matt Bai entitled “Is Obama the End of Black Politics?”. The premise of the article was that as the Democratic party was poised to deliver its nomination for the nation’s highest office to an African-American, this some how signaled the end of traditional black politics. As Obama won primary after primary, NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr saw these victories as an indication that America had moved into a “post-racial era.” He defined it as an “era where civil rights veterans of the past century are consigned to history and Americans begin to make race-free judgments on who should lead them.”

All too often writers, journalists, reporters, and analysts, demonstrate their ignorance of African-American people and the African-American experience by trying to assign simplistic answers to very complex problems, events, and circumstances. They also fail to connect the dots and discuss racism in its current context making it more difficult to move beyond it. By running from race, too many Americans remain mired in the middle of it.

On Saturday, March 20 as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) was leaving the Cannon office building he encountered members of the Tea Party protesting the health care reform bill. As the protesters exchanged words with the Congressman, some of them called him a “ni**er”. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), who was a few yards behind Lewis was also called a “ni**er” and was spit on. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) was called a “fa**ot”.

Forty-five years after civil rights activist John Lewis was assaulted and battered to within an inch of his life on the Edmund Pettis Bridge, Congressman Lewis is verbally assaulted by protesters as he walks towards the capitol to do “the people’s” work. Reps. Cleaver and Frank, both of whom have been engaged in the battle for equality in America were insulted as they attempted to engage in the democratic process.

Both Lewis and Cleaver have chosen to not make an issue of this and to not press charges against the perpetrators. Cleaver’s spokesman Danny Robert said, “He didn’t want to draw attention to the whole thing. We did not want to make a big deal about it. The bigger issue that day was the health care debate.”

For as much as I admire the work and sacrifices of these three men, I take issue with their decision to “not want to make a big deal about it” It is not a big deal, to quote Vice President Biden, it’s a big f**king deal! Those bigoted, prejudiced and ignorant protesters were doing more than assaulting and insulting three individuals. They were attacking every African-American and homosexual in America. In terms of Lewis and Cleaver, these were undeniably acts of racism (i.e. white supremacy). For Frank, it’s a case of homophobic hatred. These lawmakers and the mainstream media need to connect the dots and expose it for what it is.

Today, too many of the opponents of the Obama administration’s plans for health care insurance reform are using code language, distortions, violence, and partisan politics to control the debate and much of their ire is racially motivated. Former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo opened the Tea Party convention by calling for a reinstatement of Jim Crow type literacy tests for voters and saying, “This is our country…let’s take it back.” During President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress on health care, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted, “You lie!” at the president. Wilson would have never thought to do that to any of the former presidents. Numerous cartoons have featured President Obama and/or the first lady portrayed as monkeys, terrorists, or Muslim suicide bombers.

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Others have decided to remove themselves from the debate and turn to violent direct action and/or the threat of such. A sense of very dangerous “group think” is beginning to manifest itself with people throwing bricks and rocks and talking more and more about using guns to defend their “positions”.

According to the Washington Post the FBI and other law enforcement authorities are investigating who smashed windows at the headquarters of the Monroe County Democratic Committee in Rochester, NY and the district office in Niagara Falls of Rep. Louise Slaughter’s (D-NY). Rep. Slaughter also received a message threatening to assassinate the children of law makers who support health care reform.

In Wichita, Kansas a brick was thrown through a window at the Sedgwick County Democratic headquarters. Attached to that brick was a note bearing anti-health care and anti-President Obama messages.

Former GOP VP nominee and former Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin has posted a map on her Facebook page. This map uses gun sights to indicate congressional seats that her PAC is “targeting” for the mid-term elections. At the Tea Party “code red” rally against health care reform this past weekend Reps. Steve King (IA), Michele Bachmann (MN), and Mike Pence (IN) were featured speakers. At this rally, signs stating “Warning: If Brown can’t stop it, a Browning can,” referring to Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) and a Browning firearm were being carried. This is very dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric for any one use, especially a former VP nominee of a major political party and rallies where Republican members of congress are featured speakers. The Republican Party can not court, encourage, and support such irrational, irresponsible, terrorist behavior on the one hand and try to disassociate themselves from it on the other.

Even though the president wants to stay as far away from the race issue as possible, Representatives Lewis and Cleaver should not give those Tea Party racists a pass. They should be giving interviews and engaging in dialogue to expose these people for the dangers that they are. The members of main stream media should be reporting on the Lewis, Cleaver, and Frank attack in the larger context of the hatred being espoused by some of the Tea Party movement and other conservatives. They should be asking the likes of congress-members such as King, Bachmann, and Pence to explain their connections to such fringe elements of the American electorate. By running from race, America remains mired in the middle of it.

According to Rep. Pete King (R-NY), President Obama is “probably the most threatened president ever.” Most of these threats are not because of health care reform, the stimulus bill, or the problems with Israel. There are still too many people in America that refuse to allow him to govern as the president; they will oppose him at every turn because he’s an African-American who is the president.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the nationally broadcast call-in talk radio program “On With Leon,” and a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: [email protected].

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