Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., maintained last week that, "Liberals hate real Americans that work, and accomplish and achieve."
Such notions get traction quickly in today's age of instant communication. Walk around Durango High School, where the crowd was waiting for a McCain rally to start, and people spoke glowingly of the Vietnam hero's kinship with "real America."
"It's something Barack Obama can't possibly know, because he's not one of us. It's like the way (Richard) Nixon was able to talk to the hard hats," said Jim Wilson, a district attorney.
Reese Resnick, a Durango oil and gas industry salesman, grew up in a small Texas town, the only son in a family of seven.
"I had to work for everything I got. That's what I was taught, and Sarah Palin understands that," he said. "People like Obama, they get driven in vans all over Washington. Palin's a working mom."
It's the craziest catch 22.
If black people are successful, they are latte sipping, cocktail party attending, Volvo driving, elitists that "don't get it".
Otherwise they are out there selling drugs, knocking up girls leaving them to raise babies on the taxpayer dime.
Do nothings that don't have the American grit and determination to abide by societies rules and standards of success.
But to say that about an American citizen - that he/she is not one of us.
I cannot begin to articulate the depth of sadness and despair that leaves with me.
I want to think that a lot of people have been fed bad information - like that woman that called Obama an Arab. She got that information from the McCain headquarters in her area.
That maybe once Obama is in office, they will come to see that he is good man, that wants what's best for the country.
I want to say that the people that scream venomous, spiteful, scathing commentary about Barack being a Muslim, anti-American, a terrorist, not a citizen, on and on.
I want to think that they are fearful.
Fearful of change.
Fearful of losing power.
Fearful of the unknown.
I want to think that but my experience tells me something different.
Is the throbbing undercurrent, that which lives just below our consciousness, out of our collective sight as members of the majority, but that which the minorities experience every second of their lives bubbling to the surface?
The off color joke or comment.
The dismissive or cautionary look.
The constant non verbal reminders that control is not in your hands.
It is there.
Holding up a curious George doll with an Obama sticker attached.
In the terror filled shouts of those trying to get those that refuse to listen to understand that this is a terrible, terrible mistake.
Obama is a terrible terrible mistake.
Don't let him sweet talk you.
Don't let him lie and get away with it.
They are desperate for us to hear them.
But we don't.
It is there but we will not allow it to change the course that we know, we know, is the right course for our country.
We are done listening to republicans.
Done being told that it's for our national "interest" or "security" or for the betterment of the country.
Everything they said was a lie.
They took us into a war that was categorically illegal and morally wrong.
They padded the bank accounts of their friends and allies and turned around and pointed the finger at democrats.
They twist our words and call us unpatriotic.
They tell us our tolerance and acceptance of others sexual orientation, religious affiliations and ethnicity aid and abet the enemy, promote promiscuity.
But we are done.
Done with the underlying racism.
Done with the twisting.
Done with the undercutting.
Done with the lies.
Done with it all.
We are listening to what we know is right, what we know is true, what we know our country needs.
We are trusting ourselves.
We are trusting our research.
We are trusting our choice.
Such notions get traction quickly in today's age of instant communication. Walk around Durango High School, where the crowd was waiting for a McCain rally to start, and people spoke glowingly of the Vietnam hero's kinship with "real America."
"It's something Barack Obama can't possibly know, because he's not one of us. It's like the way (Richard) Nixon was able to talk to the hard hats," said Jim Wilson, a district attorney.
Reese Resnick, a Durango oil and gas industry salesman, grew up in a small Texas town, the only son in a family of seven.
"I had to work for everything I got. That's what I was taught, and Sarah Palin understands that," he said. "People like Obama, they get driven in vans all over Washington. Palin's a working mom."
It's the craziest catch 22.
If black people are successful, they are latte sipping, cocktail party attending, Volvo driving, elitists that "don't get it".
Otherwise they are out there selling drugs, knocking up girls leaving them to raise babies on the taxpayer dime.
Do nothings that don't have the American grit and determination to abide by societies rules and standards of success.
But to say that about an American citizen - that he/she is not one of us.
I cannot begin to articulate the depth of sadness and despair that leaves with me.
I want to think that a lot of people have been fed bad information - like that woman that called Obama an Arab. She got that information from the McCain headquarters in her area.
That maybe once Obama is in office, they will come to see that he is good man, that wants what's best for the country.
I want to say that the people that scream venomous, spiteful, scathing commentary about Barack being a Muslim, anti-American, a terrorist, not a citizen, on and on.
I want to think that they are fearful.
Fearful of change.
Fearful of losing power.
Fearful of the unknown.
I want to think that but my experience tells me something different.
Is the throbbing undercurrent, that which lives just below our consciousness, out of our collective sight as members of the majority, but that which the minorities experience every second of their lives bubbling to the surface?
The off color joke or comment.
The dismissive or cautionary look.
The constant non verbal reminders that control is not in your hands.
It is there.
Holding up a curious George doll with an Obama sticker attached.
In the terror filled shouts of those trying to get those that refuse to listen to understand that this is a terrible, terrible mistake.
Obama is a terrible terrible mistake.
Don't let him sweet talk you.
Don't let him lie and get away with it.
They are desperate for us to hear them.
But we don't.
It is there but we will not allow it to change the course that we know, we know, is the right course for our country.
We are done listening to republicans.
Done being told that it's for our national "interest" or "security" or for the betterment of the country.
Everything they said was a lie.
They took us into a war that was categorically illegal and morally wrong.
They padded the bank accounts of their friends and allies and turned around and pointed the finger at democrats.
They twist our words and call us unpatriotic.
They tell us our tolerance and acceptance of others sexual orientation, religious affiliations and ethnicity aid and abet the enemy, promote promiscuity.
But we are done.
Done with the underlying racism.
Done with the twisting.
Done with the undercutting.
Done with the lies.
Done with it all.
We are listening to what we know is right, what we know is true, what we know our country needs.
We are trusting ourselves.
We are trusting our research.
We are trusting our choice.
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