Senator Jay Rockefeller has been making headlines recently with outrageous comments he made suggesting that opposition to President Obama is racially motivated.
He recently accused the GOP of opposing The Prez and the Affordable Care Act because "he's the wrong color." In an earlier comment during a transportation funding hearing he said the GOP doesn't want anything good to happen under Obama's watch "because he's the wrong color."
His comments are true. That's what makes them outrageous.
The attitude towards racism in this country is mystifying. It is vicious, it is rampant, and yet the people most responsible for spreading this poison are the most vocal in denying it.
There is no denying that racism has become supremely visible since November 4th, 2008.
Almost as disappointing as this disease is the refusal to stand by the truth. Not one Democrat has come out in support of Rockefeller's comments.
They are afraid. They are afraid of losing the racist votes they need for re-election.
Truth exposed, Rockefeller is not running for re-election, so he probably feels he has nothing to lose. Call it retirement courage, kind of like liquid courage but completely different.
republicans cannot be expected to side with Rockefeller because he is a Democrat and because they have built an entire platform of prejudices and exploitation barely hidden behind a strategy of lies and misdirection.
The people who refuse to defend Rockefeller are the very people who are mired in the thick of this bullshit. The people who hear the words, who are victimized by the maneuvering, the people who know better than anybody on the outside just how deeply racism runs and how crippling it is to the operation of our government.
Americans are disingenuous. We don't want to admit that much of what is wrong with this country springs from mindless racial hatred. We want to pretend that America is still number one in the world in every category. That we are open minded and progressive, that we can lick any problem, destroy any roadblock that stands in the way of "the American Dream."
The first step towards recovery for an alcoholic is to recognize and admit there is a problem.
This country will never re-emerge as a genuine world leader until we deal with the moral weakness of its citizens.
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