Cruz and McCain were both explained, and to be honest, the Obama controversy taught lessons about what actually qualifies. I don't think there was racism at all. I think under the exact same circumstances, if he was white, the same thing would have happened.
That wasn't the reason he was questioned--there was evidence of parental lineage in a foreign nation, and it is not unreasonable to ask for proof someone is constitutionally qualified to run for president before actually making him president, and as you pointed out, there were questions raised about McCain (in the same campaign) and Cruz. The difference is that neither put up a fight and were able to show their qualifications and the precedent behind him. Obama was difficult on purpose, likely so he can cry fake racism.
You ask a great question about how the recent bigotry of the democrats would have gone had the racists and bigots been republican, and I believe the answer is that they would have been on the national stage until those politicians were out of office. If a Republican made the remarks that Omar made, he or she would be gone. At minimum, they would be stripped of committee assignments, and we know this to be true because that's exactly what happened a few months ago when some dumb Republican made a comment about white supremacy. The hypocrisy of the media has been overwhelming on this issue, and the real question is why HAVEN'T these politicians been treated the way they should be? Why is defending antisemitism becoming ok? You mention dehumanization, so how do you react when antisemitic Rep Omar refers to Trump as not human? The father of a Jewish woman whose grandchildren are Jewish?
And blackface is abhorrent--ESPECIALLY today. For it to be blown off because the politician is a liberal wreaks of hypocrisy. There has been plenty of fake racism in the news, but when the real thing happens, to see the media giving it a pass is frightening.
But anyway, I think it might be best if we table this conversation because we are both veering off topic, especially with Lex finally making his debut on Supergirl, and the reality that at least in one episode, they did the character some justice.
In fairness to the people in this thread, I will silence myself on any response you make. Not because I can't respond, but because it's too off topic. It is a shame that politics and Supergirl are so intertwined. It really brings down the show, which could really be much better if the writers weren't so concerned with checking boxes and shoving their opinions down the throats of the audience.
I will give you the last word if you would like it and try my hardest not to respond.
Thanks for your reply. I will respond, and let the matter drop, since I agree it is going too far afield from the Supergirl show, but that being said, exploring identity has been a key part of the Supergirl series and this side conversation could be considered a permutation of that.
Before I get into our discussion, I wanted to say something about the Donnerverse Luthor. I liked the Donnververse Luthor. Though he was more huckster, he still retained a genius level intellect (was like the mad scientist from the few Silver Age comics I've read) and the gigantic ego to boot. And despite his seemingly lackluster henchpeople, Luthor actually succeeded in separating California, in finding the Fortress of Solitude, and in creating Nuclear Man. And there’s also the Krypton/Kryptonite island the Superman Returns Luthor also created. Despite the perhaps comical approach, at times, to the Donnerverse Luthor he was pretty effective as far as comic book villains go, and I’ve long seen a darkness lurking behind Hackman’s Luthor’s smile, and Spacey’s Luthor was even more sinister, though shackled by a weaker story and scheme. The Donnerverse Luthor was pretty ruthless and callous, all while retaining a gleam in his eye. So, I was very pleased when Cryer’s Luthor yelled out Ms. Tessmacher, and I saw that Otis had survived from earlier in the season. It was nice nods to one of the best takes on the character IMO.
Back to the Obama discussion. The questions about his parentage neatly ignore that his mother was an American citizen as well as he was born in a US state. Far as I know, Obama’s mother’s citizenship was never in doubt, but the parts of his heritage that were black, that’s where the questions started arising and taking poisoned root in the fervid imaginations of some. Questions about McCain and Cruz came
after the firestorm about Obama, and neither never raised the same kind of fears or conspiracy theories that Obama’s parentage did. Well into his presidency, Obama’s citizenship as well as his religious faith were still being questioned. Can the same be said for any other president of the modern era, including JFK, who handily defused concerns about his Catholic faith? About the only person I can think of would be Mitt Romney, but if there were grumblings about his faith, they were underground and did not bubble up to become a major issue for him. Questions about Obama’s citizenship and his religious faith were more ‘acceptable’ ways to express anxiety about a black president. It wasn’t socially acceptable to voice concerns about a black president solely on racial grounds, but if you could tie that trepidation to something else, something that provided plausible deniability and hid bias, that is what I think many of the Obama birthers did.
When it comes to McCain and Cruz birtherism, I don’t think the difference in reaction is that neither McCain or Cruz didn’t put up a fight (did either hold any press conferences or otherwise to discuss the issue or provide their credentials?), the issue was they were on the right side of the people who were raising the questions about Obama, so it wasn’t an issue. These were questions that might have been raised, but then discounted, and didn’t rise to be an issue. How many people on FOX News, or in the conservative media, made an issue about either McCain or Cruz, and Democrats weren’t going to do that-at least for McCain-due to it boomeranging back on Obama. Their conservatism was their badge of approval. I mean, even into the 2008 campaign, Sarah Palin was raising questions, suspicions about who Obama was, what his loyalties, were, etc., and this only worked because of he was a person of non-white, and particularly African descent, to propose that
he (Obama) is not like
us (real (white) Americans).
Racism exists in both the Democratic and Republican parties, neither party is immune from it. Though I think how you are comparing the two is not quite correct. Rep. Steve King has been saying racist things for
years and nothing has been done until now, and even then, he was stripped of committee assignments, but he will not be primaried and I doubt the GOP will take further action against him. Further, the GOP has a modern history of saying and doing racist things with little repercussion for most of the malefactors, so the idea that GOP politicians or officials would be driven from office just like that, whereas Democrats get to skate, is not accurate. The media at times, believe or it or, provides them cover, by proposing that we racism wasn’t their intent, or we don’t know what’s in their hearts, and stuff along that line. Thankfully, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez rightly called the media out recent for using the term ‘racially charged’ when the proper term to be used is ‘racist’ for some of these incidents.
Rep. Omar has been receiving a lot more negative mainstream press than Steve King generally has over the years, because the media has been willing to excuse or downplay his racism. There are some reports that Omar might be primaried in reaction to the controversy around her. I have not seen the Omar quote in question (or what prompted it) when it comes to Trump, however we are talking about a man who became a leader in the Obama Birther movement, who started his campaign calling Mexicans rapists, far as I know didn’t deny his vile description of African countries, and has continued making at best insensitive statements when it comes to race/ethnicity/diversity, so this person has a history (before the White House) of either making racist statements or participating in alleged racist actions (housing discrimination) so comparing a statement to years of statements plus action isn’t much of a comparison IMO.
I agree with you about blackface. It should not be blown off or swept under the rug. It should be condemned by all in our society, no matter if its a Democrat, Republican, liberal, moderate, conservative, or otherwise, who is doing it.
