There have been a lot of pixels butchered in discussing President Obama’s labeling of Al Qaeda as “racist,” stating that they have no respect or affection for Africans. As I have no great love of pixels myself, I thought I’d slaughter a few more.
Obama’s supporters say that the move is a form of psychological warfare. Al Qaeda has a pretty decent foothold in parts of Africa, and by sowing dissent between Arab militant Muslims and African militant Muslims, to keep them from uniting and cooperating. And there’s a grain of truth to the statement; it does seem that while Al Qaeda doesn’t mind killing Muslims, it doesn’t mind killing black Muslims even less.
Critics take a more cynical view. They say that the statement was a move aimed at domestic audiences. They see it as a part of a whole strategy, intended to pay off at the polls in November. While Obama builds the association between terrorism and racism, others (such as the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus, among many, many others) start building up the meme of the Tea Party as racists. Also tied in is the earlier move to paint the Tea Party as dangerous, violent radicals and — dare I say it — “domestic terrorists.”
This, they say, is intended to all converge on election day, when the American people hear all the dog whistles, tie it all together in a big blue bow, and say “racism is bad, terrorism is bad, and the Tea Party is really, really bad” and vote Democratic.
Two extremely differing interpretations. Two seriously skewed perceptions. Which is correct?
Why not both?
Think about it. Yeah, the two explanations are wildly differing. But are they really contradictory? Why can’t the move have been intended to achieve both goals?
The sheer clumsiness of the “terrorists are racists” move lend that some support. Let’s face it — the Obama administration has demonstrated tremendous ineptitude in foreign policy, but knows how to campaign for domestic elections. Hell, it’s been noted by many that a year and a half into their regime, they really haven’t stopped campaigning and started governing.
Hell, I’ll toss a third explanation into the mix. In the hyperpartisan minds of the Obama regime (a 100% pure product of the colossally corrupt Chicago Democratic machine), “racist” is the worst thing you can call someone. Obama felt he needed to improve his “street cred” with the American people and demonstrate his toughness on terrorists, so he brought out his biggest gun — the political version of the “F-Bomb” to his crew. Because when Obama and his people start calling someone racists, you know that they mean business and they’re dealing with some really, really bad folks.
Sadly, the overuse of the term has made a mockery of it. In some corners, it’s a badge of honor.
But will that stop the Obama administration and its supporters from continuing to use it?
Oh, hell, no. If they did that, they might have to actually run on their own record.
