In a blog entry entitled "Nobody Likes to Talk About It, but It’s There" (http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/nobody-likes-to-talk-about-it-but-its-there/?ref=opinion), Rosenthal would have us believe that "There has been a racist undertone to many of the Republican attacks leveled against President Obama for the last three years, and in this dawning presidential campaign." His evidence:
"Rep. Joe Wilson shouting 'you lie' at one of Mr. Obama’s first appearances before Congress, and House Speaker John Boehner rejecting Mr. Obama’s request to speak to a joint session of Congress—the first such denial in the history of our republic.
More recently, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, in a conversation overheard at Reagan National Airport in Washington, said of Michelle Obama: 'She lectures us on eating right while she has a large posterior herself.'"
I agree that Wilson's obnoxious squawk and perhaps even Boehner's request that Obama delay his speech before a joint session of Congress by one day were disrespectful; however, we live in an era of discourtesy. Unbeknownst to Rosenthal, discourtesy today does not translate into racism.
President Obama has also refused to respect Congress. Note, for example, Obama's failure to seek Congressional approval for the appointment of Robert Ford as ambassador to Syria. Note how Obama recently signed legislation imposing sanctions upon Iran's central bank, yet declared that these sanctions were "nonbinding" inasmuch as they could interfere with his "constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations by directing the executive to take certain positions in negotiations or discussions with foreign governments.” Note also how Obama has appointed Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and has filled three labor board vacancies without Senate approval.
As for Sensenbrenner's distasteful observations concerning the dimensions of Michelle Obama's derriere, I would observe that there was an episode of the television comedy series "Southpark" (http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s11e04-the-snuke) which portrayed Hillary Clinton with a grossly oversized posterior. Racist?
Moreover, when the name of hefty Chris Christie was being batted around as a potential Republican presidential candidate, he swiftly became the butt of David Letterman "fat" jokes (see: http://perezhilton.com/2011-09-28-david-letterman-top-ten-chris-christie-new-jersey-late-night-president-race). Inappropriate, but not racist.
Former President George Bush was regularly ridiculed by the op-ed pundits of The Times and nearly everyone else. Moreover, when Bush spoke before Congress concerning social security, The New York Times reported that "some Democrats hooted in derision" (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/03/politics/03bush.html). "Racist?
If Andrew Rosenthal is truly concerned by racism, he should reread some of the vicious anti-Semitic online readers' comments that have been posted by New York Times "moderators" in response to his newspaper's op-eds and editorials, and also consider his editorial page's obsession with Israel (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-york-times-and-israel-bashing-yes.html). Although I complained to Rosenthal concerning Thomas Friedman's recent allegation that the standing ovation Netanyahu was given by Congress "was bought and paid for by the Israel lobby" (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-york-times-sanitizes-critical.html), I never received a response.
Truly a fatuous opinion piece. Keep up the good work, Andy.
"If Andrew Rosenthal is truly concerned by racism, he should reread some of the vicious anti-Semitic online readers' comments that have been posted by New York Times "moderators" in response to his newspaper's op-eds and editorials, and also consider his editorial page's obsession with Israel"
ReplyDeleteI used to read those antisemitic (an analysis - my area of expertise) comments and respond to some of them. They were rarely (in some sections never, e.g. Lede) posted. I stopped. BTW, below is a fragment of one of such idiotic and vicious comments:
"First, I am a Jewish Liberal as you, and want to hold Israel to higher standards than the rest of the countries, including the USA, France, and the UK"
So, you have these overfed, overprivileged American or Canadian "liberal" "Jews, sitting in their mansions in Maryland or Toronto (quite adistance from rockets)and holding to higher standarts .. Israel - a tiny nation surrounded by enemies, a nation with a high percentage of population with absolutely tragic past (refugees from both European and Muslim countries horror).
Aren't they supposed to hold THEMSELVES to higher standards. To hold someone else, particularly so vulnerable to higher standards ...
Absolutely confused, utterly immoral crowd. No decency, no shame, no compassion, just idiotic posturing, if not prostitution. Among the most immoral it's probably both - posturing covering prostitution.
Yes, I am angry and proud of it. I was raised by decent parents.