Race resurfaces in conservative protests against Obama

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Just weeks after President Obama attempted to bridge a national divide over the George Zimmerman verdict, the rhetoric surrounding race in America is increasingly hot. In the last month, several ugly episodes surrounding anti-Obama protests have prompted bipartisan denunciations, and ignited debate over the role of race in conservative opposition to the president. During the same period, Republican officials have excoriated prominent Democrats over remarks on race that they consider inflammatory.

This weekend, a state fair in Missouri featured a rodeo clown dressed as President Obama. According to one widely shared account by an attendee, “the crowd went wild” after announcers asked who wanted to see Obama “run down by a bull.” The attendee, Perry Beam, likened the scene to “some kind of Klan rally.”

As word of the incident spread, organizers apologized and politicians from both parties lined up to condemn the taxpayer-funded performance.  ”The concept of an angry bull attempting to trample a black man for the amusement of a crowd is neither entertaining nor funny and is not the type of behavior that our taxpayer-subsidized State Fair should promote,” House Democratic Minority Leader Jake Hummel and Assistant Minority Leader Gail McCann Betty said in a joint statement. They called for an inquiry into ”whether continued taxpayer funding is appropriate for an event that allows such racist actions to occur.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, said she expects “someone to be held accountable” for the rodeo.

That was just one of several especially virulent displays of anti-Obama fury that drew national attention in recent days. In Phoenix last Tuesday, a protest of Obama’s visit included a chorus of “Bye, bye, black sheep!” According to The Arizona Republic, one person shouted “he’s 47 percent Negro!” while another raised a sign reading “Impeach the Half-White Muslim!” This weekend, Obama faced a similar greeting in Orlando, Fla., as several dozen protesters lined his motorcade route, including one whose sign read “Kenyan Go Home!”

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