The Death of a Red State . . . by Matt Taibbi . . . Rolling Stone . . .

[OneBlueSky]

The Death of a Red State
A close race in one Republican stronghold suggests that the politics of bigotry may finally be over
by Matt Taibbi
Rolling Stone
Oct 30, 2008

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23638607/the_death_of_a_red_state

(snip)

If you're skeptical about the extent to which it always comes back to race, just listen to the arguments that conservatives are making about the causes of the financial crisis. Turn on any conservative radio station today and you can hear somebody blaming the entire crisis on the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, which forced banks to make credit available in low-income neighborhoods. Through this bit of rhetorical gymnastics, conservatives have now pinned one of the most outrageous cases of fiscal irresponsibility in the history of rich white people on what Rush Limbaugh calls the "approved Democrat constituent." They're saying that the entire financial system has gone Krakatoa because poor black people didn't make their payments.

Once you grasp that, you'll understand that there isn't anything on Earth these motherfuckers won't try to pin on lazy minorities. And you'll understand why this is more than just a presidential race. This is about an America that is steaming toward an uncertain future and has yet to decide whether it wants to face its problems or curl up in a ball and blame all the changes on Mexicans or blacks or whatever other "approved Democrat constituent" happens to be handy.

(snip)

All across America, if you scratch the surface of the current political jousting between the blues and reds, you'll find race underneath. In America it's always about race. Vietnam ended decades ago, but the civil rights movement never had a declared end — at least not according to conservatives, who have been running against it for 40 years, camouflaged in dog-whistle catchphrases like "law and order" (Nixon), "welfare queen" (Reagan) and "border security" (every Republican today). There isn't a half-literate white person alive who doesn't know what Palin is talking about when she says about Obama, "This is not a man who sees America as you and I do."

And that, folks, is why Obama's candidacy is so important. He is a living referendum on the civil rights movement — one might even say he is calling the bluff of the civil rights movement. He has been everything white America said it wanted from black America: Stay positive, work hard, go to Harvard, be more Martin and less Malcolm, and all obstacles will be cleared.

much more . . .

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23638607/the_death_of_a_red_state

[bemildred]

1. Politicians are always the last to know. nt