The late great Arthur Ashe – truly a hero – lamented that while racism in America was still the worst obstacle that black Americans faced that false charges of racism were slowly causing almost as equal damage.

Racism is a serious charge and it’s a serious failure in America. Too many black Americans are denied equal opportunity because of it. Every decent American condemns it. Or should.

But falsely and recklessly using that term weakens the case for those of us who truly wish to eradicate it when it does – too often – occur.

Sadly, Olbermann has fallen into this latter category. Using the term not to fight that evil but as a blunt instrument to go after those with whom he disagrees politically.

Keith Olbermann comes across as a flippant, arrogant punk. I don’t how he can be so cocky.

OK – Now that I’ve made my joke… isn’t the current Republican talking point that the President is an elitist and wouldn’t repetition of “arrogant” subliminally reinforce this idea?

Well thank you Colby for the assessment of Olbermann. MSNBC has used and over used “racist” for the past two/three years. Matthews is the worst offender, but Olbermann’s attack is just another example of MSNBC throwing mud and hoping something sticks. What has happened is the mud is sticking to MSNBC, where is belongs.

A few months ago, the talking point of calling people who oppose Obama racist, was released to the far left media. It soon got old and worn but Olbermann has trouble coming up with new material so he continues to push the racist issue. The people that are hung up by Obama’s race work for MSNBC, everyone else are repelled by his progressive agenda.

Every President in my adult lifetime (since Reagan II) has been called arrogant and cocky and out of touch by the opposition.

It’s a staple of modern American politics.

Recall “King George” (Bush) and his cowboy arrogant attitude? “King William” (Clinton)?

Olbermann isn’t standing on shaky ground here. He’s standing on cuckoo clouds.

Olby is still reeling from the whacking he took from Rev Jackson for not having any African American hosts in prime time….hey….whose the racist here?

someone from msnbc called opponents of obama racist? well, there’s something you don’t see every day! oh, wait. Yea you do.

They really need to come up with something new. This has been sooooooooooooooooooo over used, it means absolutely nothing. Although, neither does Olby.

Wouldn’t it be racist to not treat Obama as an equal? Wouldn’t it be racist to not treat him as every other president in history? Bush has been called arrogant, flippant, a punk, and cocky.

The Obama Girl doesn’t have a crush on Obama anymore. Is she racist now, too? haha

Thanks for covering, Colby!

How can Olbermann think that about Teabaggers? Didn’t he see all that staged diversity at the Republican rebuttal the other night.

@same2u: Apparently the Virginia Governor missed that episode of Beck.

this is the same guy who said the voters in Massachusetts (of all places) were racist because they voted for a guy in a truck

I guess the strategy is keep throwing it out there until you get a hit….pretty sad, but not surprising

Hot Air: Apparently some people have accused Bob McDonnell of staging people behind him as “props” in order to show an ethnic balance of supporters in the Virginia legislative chamber in which the Governor gave the GOP response, which is an accusation of at least hypocrisy, if not latent racism. Let’s explain who these people are in the shot, from bottom left in clockwise order:

•Staff Sergeant Robert Tenpenny, who served with McDonnell’s daughter Jeannie in Iraq
•Lisa Hick-Thomas, Virginia’s Secretary of Administration
•Jim Cheng, Secretary of Commerce and Trade
•Janet Polarek, Secretary of the Commonwealth
They weren’t “props” chosen and arranged as a diversity optic. With the exception of Sergeant Tenpenny, they’re all members of McDonnell’s Cabinet, which is why they have seats surrounding the dais.

It’s quite ridiculous when there is a photo of all white republicans, Dems call them racist. and when there are minorities involved, Dems accuse them of being nothing but stage props. Do Democrats think they own black people and women, or something?

Isn’t it kind of racist to just assume these people of diversity are nothing but stage props?

MSNBC has their own racist and I’m surprised that Mediaite and others have not picked up on what Chris Matthews said afer the SOTU.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oty9yv03vPE

“you know I forgot he was black tonight, for an hour”

The rest of the time Mr. Matthews obviously thinks of The President as black man rather than a man who happens to be President.

hi Hampster! They did cover it, look under the TV header.

I always enjoy the Rightists’ loud proclamation of Reverse Discrimination and Reverse Racism to mask their own undeniable sickening racism. To deny that racism exists in America, is to deny the very nature of our society. Since Brown v. Board began to be applied some 10 years or so after it came down. we have seen massive party switching from the Democrats to the Republicans throughout the racist core of America. Just look at what has happened in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. A fracture due to social issues? However can anyone say that with a straight face? A fracture by race. Assuredly. Since the mid-1960′s, the Republican Party has and it remains the welcome home to racists. Not all Republicans are racists, to be sure, but all racists are Republicans. Reverse Discrimination, Reverse Racism, wink-wink, non-nod. We know the play. It just isn’t entertaining.

I always think it’s funny when old, rich, white guys call other old, rich, white guys ‘racist’

Olbermann grew up in up-state New York and attended an Ivy League prep school. I’m really curious what “childhood experience” this guy really has to call on to be calling someone racist.

Dumb….

Sara, Thanks I forgot that this is where I heard about it and I apologize to Mediaite that in my fury I included them with the rest of the media who don’t call out tingles for the racist he is.

With tail between legs……

‘Didn’t he see all that staged diversity at the Republican rebuttal the other night.’

Staged? Those people weren’t actors, they were Governor McDonnell’s Cabinet and staff.

I don’t know about the others but I think this Beck fellow has a deep seated hatred of black people. As leader of the white’s only Tea Party movement I don’t see him distancing himself from some of the overt racism from tea-baggers, particularly those in leadership positions. Refusing to even acknowledge the problem reeks of arrogance…or maybe Beck is just being uppity.

Olberdork and Matthews are still indignant that they got canned as “political commentators” for MSNBC election/debate coverage. MSNBC has a real identity crisis on its hands. It’s hard to distinguish between reporting and left-wing advocacy when it comes to making money. David Shuster is their poster-boy for this problem.

The Real Royal King says:
January 29, 2010 at 10:43 am

Ah yes… RRK puts up a copy/pasted post on racism.

Funny… you post doesn’t mention the name of “Olbermann.” I guess you didn’t have much to say about this thread, and KO’s lunacy… just resorted to the old “I’m going to remember SOME history… but not all of it” that you oft do.

Funny how you never remember the Democrat’s historic role in American racism. Funny how you never remember that the Democrat’s faithfully follow a “former” Klansman. Funny how your “history” only includes what you want it to include… not the actual record of events.

Not all Republicans are racists, to be sure, but all racists are Republicans.

What a dumb statement. Tell that to Chris Matthews. Tell that to left-wing bloggers who attack folks like Michelle Malkin, not for her statements, but because she’s Asian. Tell that to Joe Lieberman, who was painted in black-face by Jane Hamsher on Huffington.

There are some things you simply can’t do, Royal… you can’t make blanket statements like the one above, because they’re not true. And apparently, you can’t defend Olbermann’s dumbassery, as was the point of this thread, so you change the subject and hope nobody notices. I guess that’s a third thing you can’t do… get away without having someone call you out on it.

Olbermann went on to point out code language in such expressions as “red-lining , “dark economic days”, “in the black”, and “niggle”.

Ted says:
January 29, 2010 at 11:35 am

whenever you say, “white’s only” and Tea Part stuff… I’m starting to get tired of correcting you every single time. You could save a lot of work by posting it yourself… that way, you can still say loony things that are easily disproved, while I go do other more important work.

RRK,

Yes racism still exists. No, not all racists are Republicans. That’s an irresponsible comment. That’s race-baiting using political ideology to benefit a political party. You come close to promoting political racial segregation.

Yes, most minorites register as Democrats does not equate to all racists are Republican. Democrats calling black conservatives “uncle Toms” is well, racist for purposes of intimitating black conservatives because of their race for political gain. Democrats also do this to marginalize black conservatives in the eyes of minorities in America who are not conservative. You know, for minorities not to become Republican.

Racism is racism. Bad any way you look at it. When you use race to benefit political party intentionally or for political ideology, that’s not moving minorites in the most effective way in America.

Cue Olbermann, you’re not helping minorities the in the most effective way you can with race baiting to benefit your ratings or political ideology.

Oops, I stand corrected ImNutBlue and ubiquitous tea-bagger – there are roughly ten people of color in the tea party movement making it The all Whites Tea-Party Except for the Ten Black Guys Movement.

Thanks for the heads up, didn’t mean to go all uppity on you.

I’d like to point out the code language in Olbermann’s remarks. Code translation in brackets:

“…But our winners, these guys, assessing not the speech but the president himself. Eric Erickson, “cocky”; John Stossel said he hoped the president would admit he was, quote, arrogant. Jay Nordlinger, “looks arrogant whether he is arrogant or not”; Mark Thiessen, “defensive, arrogant”; John Hood, “flippant” and “arrogant.” Glenn Beck, “like a punk.”

[If you don't shut your mouths, and stop giving voice to your criticisms, I'm going to smear you so badly you'll need a windex I.V."

Here’s a little secret: gathering sadly from witnessing it my whole life even from some in my own family, when racist white guys get together and they don’t want to be caught using any of the popular epithets that are in use every day in this country about black people, there’s a chance one of them or worse still a white guy who doesn’t get it, might wander in and hear the conversation. When there’s a risk even in saying uppity or forgetting his place, the racist white guys revert to euphemisms and code words and among the code word that they think they’re getting away with are “”cocky, flippant, punk, and especially arrogant.”

["Cocky" as in big...uh....you... know.... "arrogant"...as in filled with air..an.inflated...you...know... "Punk", almost spelled like....well...uh....you know...

Dammit! This is racist stereotypal code for black men having big ...you knows.... I'm white and we don't get that said about us! My girlfriends NEVER said that about me..in fact that say that uhhh.... I don't have a big.... You know, members of my own family call me "Cocktail Smokey!!....Yeah! That means you, Uncle Charlie! You damn racist...so-and-so-you-know!"....]

Here’s some more code language interpretations (in brackets):

“Since Brown v. Board began to be applied some 10 years or so after it came down. we have seen massive party switching from the Democrats to the Republicans throughout the racist core of America. Just look at what has happened in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

[ American is almost inveterately racist...]

A fracture due to social issues? However can anyone say that with a straight face? A fracture by race. Assuredly.

[You minorities can't make it without us. You need your elite white Pappy Democrats to protect you from the big bad Republicans who won't look at you as aggrieved group, but only as individuals"]

Since the mid-1960’s, the Republican Party has and it remains the welcome home to racists. Not all Republicans are racists, to be sure, but all racists are Republicans. Reverse Discrimination, Reverse Racism, wink-wink, non-nod. We know the play. It just isn’t entertaining.”

[You don't want to be one of THEM do you? You don't want to be a traitor to your race. Why it could get hard for you. We'll call you racially pejorative names if you don't think precisely and as we think. If you dare to have your own opinions....]

The endless false accusations of racism are far more dangerous than any of the other flaming spitballs being flung about.

This is the last refuge of the hopeless idiots like Olbermann. Rather than take the other side to task on substantive grounds, he just lets loose with charges of racism. In the same way that the right just yells about non-existent tax increases, except blaming racism is a far worse falsehood.

From my perspective, Matthews comment was far more racist than most critics. All Matthews has talked about since day one is race, race, race. And Olbermann is right there with him.

As to the Tea Party folks – most are anti-tax, not anti-minority. Based on the Olbermann/MSNBC claim that the Tea Party’s are racist because of the composition of the crowd, then so is almost all of broadcast journalism. Glass houses.

How many examples of racism from tea-bag types would convince you otherwise. Just pick a number, because there are countless examples.

And why doesn’t head tea-bag honcho, Glenn Beck speak out against it?

Civil rights hero and Congressman John Lewis during the lead up to the 2008 SC primary , said on the Bill Moyers’s show that it was the Obama campaign that was playing the “race card” in an attempt to win the election. How many newspaper columnists and political reporters do you think wrote about this icon and friend of MLK’s statement about this? Zero. Not one.

I remember that when Bill Clinton said that picking Obama was a “roll of the dice” for voters, that Olberman and the other uber fools said that this was a racial “dog whistle”. That the media backed these crazy charges instead of pointing out that they were crazy charges is the entire reason that incompetent Obama is in the WH right now instead of a very competent Hillary Clinton.

It was these charges that allowed team Obama to slime the Clintons enough to convince gullible liberals and AA voters to back Obama.

These false and disgusting charges or racism are the reasons I am a Ex politico and Ex media hack. I have retired from that world and wont be part of it as long as the people who spread these awful false charges are out of power and gone. And of course, by that, I mean the reckless media even more than the WH.

@Ted – How many examples of hate from the other side do you need? Sure there are some racists in the Tea Party groups – just as there are some racists in the society at large. However, the “tea-bag” label is just as disparaging and offensive. The term is used as an insult with the full knowledge of its vulgar meaning by those that use it.

This flaming spitball garbage cuts both ways. The day you can type “Tea Party” instead of “tea-bag” is the day that you make any actual sense. Until then, glass house.

I am just weary of the name calling. Because of it, the substance of the issues is ignored. And because of that, we remain mired in the same swirling nonsense.

“Olbermann went on to point out code language…..”

I’m really glad Keith never threw out his ‘Captain Video Decoder Ring’.

Sorry, Tea-baggers comes from within the Tea Party so your argument is with them, not me. Why do you suppose isn’t Glenn Beck denouncing the racist crap that is so pervasive within his own stinking movement!? Can you imagine a poster with the “n” word on it at a Democratic event? I can’t but I can at a Tea Party event because I’ve seen it before.

I agree with keeva.

I was always pissed off whenever anybody came on my old DC based political talk show and said “Democrat Party” instead of the proper “Democratic party”.

It burned me because we both knew it was meant as a snide insult and the one who used it pretended that it wasnt.

Many, many Democrats across the web made this point many times.

But now Olbermann and his pals have taken this to a much lower level and of course, pretend that they only use the phrase because that what these people have called themselves.

BS. The hypocrisy of these clowns is truly amazing.

let me not speak in code…anyone who uses the word “teabagger” to describe someone they oppose is a dickhead….and Im not gonna try to pretend that “they” made me use that word.

Ted says:
January 29, 2010 at 12:32 pm
How many examples of racism from tea-bag types would convince you otherwise. Just pick a number, because there are countless examples.

Why don’t you list them you bomb throwin’ hack?

So when Olbermann said Obama was “g**damned wrong” on the subject of gay marriage, that means Olbermann must be a racist. And when the Daily Kos disagrees with Obama on Afghanistan, they must all be racists. And when you point out one or two offensive signs in a crowd of thousands, then say the whole crowd thinks the same way, that’s not stereotyping. And making fun of Michael Steele or Clarence Thomas doesn’t count, because they’re not really black, and don’t think like a good black person should. I’d also be willing to bet that Olbermann’s neighborhood isn’t exactly a melting pot, and his experience with black people is limited to watching Cosby reruns. If the far left’s hypocrisy on this wasn’t so infuriating, it would be funny.

Ted says:
January 29, 2010 at 1:11 pm

Can you imagine these:

http://www.zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=621

Wait… you don’t have to!

Oh, and wasn’t Michael Steele attacked (is attacked) for being Black AND a Republican. Well… there’s some left-wing racism for you. How’s that?

timzank and ImNutBlue – the quintessential tea-baggers. Sorry, it fits with these two morons.

Uh, oh. Black people called “morons”. Using Olbermann’s definition, that’s racism.

writer seems to be a misnomer. You have to be literate to be a writer; at least thats the rumor.

Good to see Mediaite is paying attention to Olbermann.

Clearly very few others bother any more. As is usual for Keith, his act is getting predictable, stale and unwatchable.

Ted,

You’re forgetting the Primary between Hillary Clinton and Pres. Obama. Plenty examples of Clinton supporters touting “anti-black” comments.

Remember the Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws committee meeting where the “crazy lady” called Candidate Obama an “inadequate black man” (horrible)

Or Jasmyne Cannick, who contributes to NPR on politics as it relates to the African-American community, with her assessment that Democratic party “still carry anti-Black attitudes among its rank and file members”

Anti-Black Attitudes and Why I’m Still a Democrat

Or the time Rep Clayborn reported Clinton Supporters Flooded his Office With Racist Statements?

Clinton Supporters Racist Statements

It’s a shame if you support those actions by some in the Democratic party

Typical leftie. Call names and ignore the issue at hand. If criticism of Obama is racist, then why isn’t Olbermann racist when he does the same? Or when he calls Michelle Malkin names, why isn’t that both sexist and racist? Olbermann does the same thing he accuses others of doing. That’s hypocrisy.

Typical right wing wacko – ignoring my questions about Dear Leader Beck.

Why doesn’t Beck denounce racist signs in a tea party crowd? Because two or three signs in a crowd of thousands shouldn’t smear the entire crowd. That would be stereotyping. Now answer my question. Why isn’t Olbermann a racist and sexist when he calls an Asian woman some of the most despicable names, simply because he disagrees with her politically?

First of all it’s way more than 2 or 3 racists signs and that doesn’t include the racist rhetoric from the Tea Party leadership. You seem to think that because KO calls Michele Malkin (I assume) an idiot, that makes him a racist. How do you arrive at your conclusion? I’m not suggesting that Beck is a racist because he calls Obama a Marxist or whatever flavor of the month he is. I’m suggesting he’s got some s’plaining to do based on his idiotic comment regarding Obama as racist, etc., and the racist rhetoric coming from the movement that he in essence started. He completely ignores it. Why?

Is it racist to say that Ted is an idiot?

or that ” liberalontogeny” is a disgusting, distortive weasel?

just checking…

ex politicalmedia hack:

What did you find distoritive? I’m stating racism is not an (R) or (D) matter. That racism does exist but not just aligned to one political party. Racism is horrible in any fashion and should be condemned.

That I feel it’s not appropriate to use racism for political gain at the expense of minorities. Were the links I provided no accurate? They both are reporting on racism.

Why are you attacking that sance?

Why are you attacking that stance?

Not if your name is ex-politcalmedia hack it isn’t.

liberalontogeny is full of it. are you really that clueless ?

team obama immediately started using false charges of “racism” after they lost the NH primary in order to save their campaign..

dont ypu remember the bs about the “bradley effect” they started pushing right away?

(i suggest you read prof sean wilentz “race man” to see how obamas campaign used race baiting as a political strategy)

first they did this with bob kerrey, then andrew cuomo, then with …well, about anybody that dared to support the clintons when they amped it up and suggested that it was the clintons using “racism’ themselves to win.

dont you remember the race bait obama press release that donna brazile read aloud on CNN?

again, Civil rights hero and Congressman John Lewis during the lead up to the 2008 SC primary , said on the Bill Moyers’s show that it was the Obama campaign that was playing the “race card” in an attempt to win the election. How many newspaper columnists and political reporters do you think wrote about this icon and friend of MLK’s statement about this? Zero. Not one.

I remember that when Bill Clinton said that picking Obama was a “roll of the dice” for voters, that Olberman and the other uber fools said that this was a racial “dog whistle”. That the media backed these crazy charges instead of pointing out that they were crazy charges is the entire reason that incompetent Obama is in the WH right now instead of a very competent Hillary Clinton.

It was these false and ugly charges that allowed team Obama to slime the Clintons enough to convince gullible liberals and AA voters to back Obama.

These false and disgusting charges or racism are the reasons I am a Ex politico and Ex media hack. I have retired from those worlds and wont be part of them as long as the people who spread these awful false charges are out of power and gone. And of course, by that, I mean the reckless media who enabled this bs even more than the WH.

and Ted, you can suck m\y balls pal.

Ted, I’m merely using Olbermann’s own reasoning. Anytime a white man disagrees with a person of color, or a woman, it can’t be due to honest disagreement. It must mean that the white man is a racist and/or a sexist. This is Keith’s line, not mine. I myself believe that Olbermann is a self-loathing white person, so all I can say is this: Keith, don’t hate yourself for the color of your skin. Hate yourself for the content of your character.

ex-political hack – spoken like a true moronic teabagger!! Congrats on that…dumb ass.

writer – I disagree with your premise. That’s not his reasoning at all.

ex politicalmedia hack

well, I wouldn’t say clueless. My post was in response to Ted claiming “Can you imagine a poster with the “n” word on it at a Democratic event?” It was also addressed to Royal King to refute his claim “all racists are Republicans” comment. Which I also did earlier in thread as being an irresponsible comment to make.

I have no reason to believe that Jasmyne Cannick or Rep. Clayborn would lie/manipulate electorate about racism in their own party for political gain. Maybe they did. But my post with links was intended to refute Ted’s claims. But I also stated earlier in thread:

That race-baiting using political ideology to benefit a political party was irresponsible and dangerous. I did not think to include use of race baiting within “intra-political party”. But that’s irresponsible and dangerous too.

hey illiterate Ted – Im a labor leftist you fool.

and you are one stupid, rude sob and i despise that half educated netroot nerds like you now speak for what is left of my Party.

at least olbermanns being paid millions to be such a jackass, whats truly pathetic is that for you, its your friggin hobby!

now thats lame and yes if you think its okay to call people “teabaggers” – then it must be ok for me to tell you to “suck my balls”…

so, ted…suck my balls.

ok liberalontogeny…not knowing is always an acceptable excuse with me.

but both of those people you quoted were highly pro obama partisans and clyburn lied about this boas for many, many months.

i suggest you google and read wilentz’s piece and also the video of john lewis from bill moyers show (its at youtube)

and i do agtrr that there is nothing lower than using false charges of “racism” in an inner party struggle. but thats exactly what team obama did.

Hey ex political idiot – You do know that what you are suggesting violates the laws of physics? Why am I asking, of course you don’t; you’re a teabagging dumb ass and don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground. But keep trying, its admirable if not futile, at least in your case.

I’m so very proud of my “light-skinned” black President. He gave a wonderful SOTU address, not using a negro dialect ( which, by the way, he is capable of using if he sees fit ). No doubt those teabagger types will find some way to express their innate racism when they criticize his words.

Ted says:
January 29, 2010 at 2:41 pm

“First of all it’s way more than 2 or 3 racists signs and that doesn’t include the racist rhetoric from the Tea Party leadership. You seem to think that because KO calls Michele Malkin (I assume) an idiot, that
makes him a racist. How do you arrive at your conclusion?”

It seems to be the same ‘rules’ that the Progressives use to judge anyone that opposed Obama’s
agenda. Under them KO is a ‘racist’ because he disagreed with Michelle’s views. It’s a load of
bull btw. Just saying.

“I’m not suggesting that Beck is a racist because he calls Obama a Marxist or whatever flavor of the
month he is. I’m suggesting he’s got some s’plaining to do based on his idiotic comment
regarding Obama as racist, etc., and the racist rhetoric coming from the movement that he in
essence started. He completely ignores it. Why?”

If I”m right and from what I have seen I am on this. GB’s view on race is similar to my own. Which is:

‘Anyone that uses race and a factor in judging the worth of another person is a racist.’

That plays both ways, whether the judgement is favorable or not. given the way Pres. Obama
pushed for Sotomyer’s confirmation. Repeatedly citing her race as a positive factor in his
choice when it should have had no factor at all in the choice. Under my definition that does
make him a ‘racist’.

As for the tea parties? I think there are the same percentage of ‘racist’ in the Tea party movement
is the same if not less than the percentage of Anti-semites ((Jew haters)) in the anti-war movement
during the Bush administration. If it was 3% I’d be surprised.

Okay, Ted. I get it. If a conservative calls someone of another race a name, it’s racism. If someone on the left does it, it’s okay.

I think both factions ought to call a moratorium on the term racist. Go with reactionary, elitist, unrepentant conservative, arch-conservative, etc, but racist is off limits.

Conversely, the right must remove communist from its lexicon. Go with democratic socialist, bedwetter, income redistribution, nanny state, confiscatory state, gravy train, etc.