Obama Is A…..

By James Frye

Twenty-four percent of Americans think the president is a Muslim.  This begs the question, so what if he is?  However, that’s not the point.  Digby explains it for us:

They call him a Muslim — and are quite suddenly lashing out at “his people” almost a decade after 9/11— simply because they aren’t allowed to call him what they want to call him. (Emphasis added) Sure, they don’t think Muslims are American. They also don’t think liberals are American, blacks are American, Mexicans are American, gays are American, atheists are American or anyone else who doesn’t identify themselves explicitly with them are American. They are, you see, Real America. Everyone else is not.

I’m going to hazard a guess here that what the people who claim Obama is a Muslim really want to call him is what “Dr. Laura” said on her show 11 times.   Not everyone, of course. However, if it is racism driving the “Obama is a Muslim” meme, it’s very selective.  The same people who would use that term for the president, wouldn’t think of using it for black rightwing stalwarts like Thomas Sowell or Alan Keyes, etc.  Funny how that works.

What’s really driving this is old fashioned, down home sour grapes and sore loserism.  Bill Clinton was once asked why the rightwing hated him so when he was in office.  His answer was succinct and devastatingly accurate:  “I won.”   With Obama, not only did he win, but he won while being black.

Bottom line here is that the rightwing would be putting on the hate on any Democrat who was president.   The fact that President Obama is what he is (and isn’t what they claim he is) is just icing on that hate cake.  The question for this year is whether the Republicans can transform that hate into midterm wins.   We’ll see come November.

By: James Frye

Long time progressive activist in the Pacific Northwest and self-studying student of politics