ColorOfChange.org launched a campaign today against Rush Limbaugh and his most flagarant use of racism to date.
The multi-millionaire radio talk show host who already said he wants the president to fail, accused President Obama of trying to intentionally wreck the economy by putting more people on welfare and food stamps. He implied that he wants to redistribute the country’s wealth to Black people, according to the online group.
Limbaugh said, ‘The objective is unemployment. The objective is more food stamp benefits. The objective is more unemployment benefits. The objective is an expanding welfare state. And the objective is to take the nation’s wealth and return to it to the nation’s quote, ‘rightful owners.’ Think reparations. Think forced reparations here if you want to understand what actually is going on.’
‘This is not just an ugly attack on President Obama from Rush Limbaugh — these are words from the man who is being held up as the face of the Republican Party,’ ColorOfChange said in a May 25 e-mail.
‘It’s a direct appeal to racial fear and paranoia, and it’s deeply insulting to the President, to Black people, and to anyone who cares about the future of this country,’ the group said.
Racism and Republicans have a long history in politics. After President Lyndon Johnson signed into law civil rights legislation, the Republicans developed the ‘Southern Strategy,’ consciously developing racist appeals, policies and tactics. From the infamous ‘Willie Horton’ ads to the ‘welfare queens’ innuendo and racially-coded words have been the main fare for Republican politics.
The election of Barack Obama dealt a death blow to the strategy, especially after Obama carried the Southern states of Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. The appeals to fear and division did not work. More and more white people are rejecting these ideas, analysts have said, seeing their interests aligned with African Americans and other people of color.
Making millions off of the politics of fear and lies, Limbaugh and his allies in and out of the Republican Party are finding themselves increasingly isolated and worried about their power and treasure.
Therefore these types of attacks won’t go away on its own. People need to speak up, the group urges.
‘The Republican Party has made it clear that they don’t want Obama to succeed–even if it means further damage to the economy and to the lives of everyday Americans. It’s evident in the ‘no’ votes Republican members of Congress cast against Obama’s budget, the refusal of Republican governors to allow stimulus dollars to flow into their states, and their leadership’s refusal to denounce the rhetoric coming from Rush and others.’
The group is calling on Republicans to denounce the divisive rhetoric and take issue with what he said.
‘When Republican leaders refuse to denounce this kind of race-baiting from someone they call a leader, the message they send is that they embrace it. It’s time to force Republican officials to say where they stand.’
For more information go to ColorOfChange.org.
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