Anyone getting tired of the over-used and misunderstood work “racist?”
The ugly charge of “racist” has become all too common these days on the political landscape. The latest incident involves a familiar race-baiter, Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Last Monday she accused an unlikely candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan.
Her claim was Ryan’s speech on inner-city poverty was “racist” in nature. Therefore, in her world, it “won” him the dubious honor of being the latest Republican to fall victim to this nasty and ignorant profiling.
The slur is reminiscent of the 1950’s ‘McCarthy Era’ which saw hundreds of politicians, military personnel and common civilians accused of being a “Communist.”
For a few years the charge carried substantial weight until the American people saw through the ugly tactic as a way to silence the opposition.
Ryan, speaking on Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor Tuesday, smiled and responded to the question of whether he was mad or not at Lee by saying, “I’m a big boy. I understand that if you challenge the status quo, sometimes you’ll be misinterpreted.”
Host Bill O’Reilly wasn’t prepared to be so gregarious.
He commented on how people such as Lee are not “interested in solving the problem because it keeps them in power. They accuse Republicans of racism when the obvious problem is connected to a breakdown of the family unit.”
O’Reilly wasn’t through yet.
“These race hustlers make a big living and they get voted into office by portraying their constituents as victims. And it’s all your fault and it’s my fault. It’s the rich people’s fault. It’s the Republicans’ fault,” he said with obvious agitation.
As a nervously smiling Ryan looked on, O’Reilly finished by saying the people in question have no stability in their lives “and they grow up with no skills, and they can’t read and speak, and they have tattoos on their neck, and they can’t compete in the marketplace.”
“And if you say that, you’re a racist.”
