On The Rush Limbaugh Show, Mark Davis accused President-elect Barack Obama of choosing an “amnesty fetishist” in his appointment of Cecilia Muñoz, of the National Council of La Raza. But contrary to Davis’ suggestion, Muñoz and NCLR’s position in support of comprehensive immigration reform is far from radical, and shared in principle by members of Congress from both parties and by President Bush.

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….and here is another right-wing bigot playing the “Slavery Card“

While discussing potential Republican outreach efforts toward African-Americans during the November 14 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show, guest host Jason Lewis stated: “This whole notion of taxing — taxing America’s labor — you know, I don’t know how else you describe what this sordid experience of slavery was when you take away somebody’s ability to engage in the marketplace with the fruits of their labor.” Lewis later added: “We need to go into the African-American community there on cultural issues. And they should be there on taxes, because they know what it’s like to have to work for free. And during the times of slavery, we targeted black folks. Well, now I guess it’s OK to target wealthy folks. Either way, you’re taking something that doesn’t belong to you.”

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My question is: Who should be playing the “Slavery Card“, ME a black man or some white right-wing RACIST, who is enjoying the fruits of 400+ years UNPAID black slave labor, in the United States? WHO?

Right-Wing Republicans have this nauseating tendency of playing some weird form of victim hood — stealth propaganda very similar to Hitler’s Nazism, in the hope that the “White Masses” will rise and fight a fictitious and cooked-up enemy,….and they are very good at it. Fabricationists and Distortionists thrive in the Republican world of GOD, GUNS, BACKWARDNESS and HOMELAND SECURITY - a quagmire of bitterness, bigotry and vicious “Neanderthal racism.”

In an Amazon book review, John Moe writes: Conservative talk show hosts and newspaper columnists have made an industry out of incessantly deriding the American left, citing liberals for everything from moral decay to bad economic policy to a soft approach on terrorism. Often these accusations are bound in book form and sell quite well. Only one problem: the charges they’re leveling just aren’t true. In Big Lies, author Joe Conason dissects 10 of the most persistent, and–according to him–glaringly incorrect, arguments made by conservatives. Each chapter begins with a quotation (“Liberals control the media and misuse their influence to promote left-wing politics,” “Conservatives are the only true champions of free enterprise”), which is then picked apart using statistical evidence and detailed historical research and rejected. The modern right wing, in the opinion of Conason, is not the bastion of virtue and defender of the common man it claims to be. Rather, it is a calculating and shrewdly efficient group of propagandists fueled by revenues generated by a system that rewards cronyism. Granted, it doesn’t take much to deflate the bombast of shrill political talk show hosts whose very living depends on making shocking accusations about public figures, a couple of raw facts usually does the trick, but Conason offers more than simple refutation, going deeper to challenge the presumptions that generate such platitudes. And he navigates a highly readable and informative writing style that feels more substantive than Molly Ivins and Al Franken but still a lot wittier than Noam Chomsky. [See: Propaganda & Control of the Public Mind] Many of Conason’s arguments, like those of his foes, naturally come down to matters of opinion, and published material can readily be found to back up nearly any perspective. Nonetheless, he presents clear and logical points, and his thinking is well supported by both the historical record and empirical data. Accusing Joe Conason of lies (of any size) would certainly be a difficult task.

Right-Wing radio which flourished during the Clinton/Lewinsky years is killing the GOP, so indicates Michael Medved, a GOP NUTBAG himself.

Says Medved: “….if the new president makes credible efforts to govern from the center, then talk radio can’t afford long-term marginalization as a sulking, sniping, angry irrelevancy. It makes no sense to react with pre-emptive rage (and an odd obsession over Obama’s birth certificate) ….”

Donofrio v. Wells — A non-American President?

Yes, the GOP is quickly becoming an “angry irrelevancy,” — drop in the “Sarah Palin dimension” and the the ReTHUGlican Party slides a confused mix of GOD, STUPIDITY, GUNS and “MOOSE-TURKEY” ADDICTED COMEDIANS.

A quagmire of GAY BASHING nincompoops, led by the Saxby Chambliss anointed Psycho-Bomb, Sarah Palin.

Bob Cesca sums up the Republican morass quite nicely: “Right now, the Republicans have an exorcist, a Bush, a turkey geeker who makes people explode, and Newt, who, by the way, wrote a book imagining if the South had won the Civil War. If these cable reality show misfits represent the future of the Republican Party, it’s going to be a seriously entertaining four years.” — [ READ MORE ]

LOL!

I strongly agree.

……and NOW Republicans ….here is:

Prop 8 — The Musical

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Popularity: 19% [?]

Snake-Oil salesmen John McCain and Sarah Palin are in “Hyena Mode” — desperate and discombobulated, the McCain-Palin team are chewing at anything in their path, including each other.

The empty headed DIVA — Sarah Palin, is squabbling with her handlers, and every “Cockroach” in the McCain camp is scampering to save “dear hide,” in the face of imminent defeat, as THE ONE — Barack Obama takes the fight to them in Republican red-state turf.

The Huffington Post reports: Even two Republicans once on McCain’s short list for vice president sound skeptical. In a fundraising e-mail on behalf of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Mitt Romney referred to “the very real possibility of an Obama presidency.” In the Midwest, Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave a dour assessment of McCain’s chances in his state, saying Barack Obama “has a pretty good advantage in Minnesota right now.”

Even tax cheat “Joe The Plumber” a.k.a “Joe Wurzelbacher The IDIOT,” now a McCain surrogate, has inserted himself into the pathetic scare mongering mix — boldly insinuating that an Obama presidency would mean the “death of Israel” and the “end of democracy in America. ”

Joe oozes GODLY stupidity like the Republican he is, alright.

Meanwhile a Republican attempt at electronic vote theft was caught on tape in Virginia:

…and some of McCain’s robo-calls have degenerated into “Phone-Sex.”

The negative and racist McCain campaign has driven almost ALL African American voters to Obama. In most polls, McCain is losing these black voters by margins like 97% to 1%.

You can bet the Latino vote is not far behind. John McCain the former champion of Comprehensive Immigration Reform recently did a one hundred and eighty degree turn, and is now in bed with the extremist “Tom Tancredo-Lou Dobbs Wing” of the Republican Party — Vicious xenophobic Mongrels, who I am sure, with sufficient provocation would KILL EVERY IMMIGRANT ON SIGHT.

Bob Herbert sums it up eloquently: “The heyday of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove is over. Yet Senator John McCain handed the reins of his campaign to Mr. Rove’s worshipful acolytes.” “The classic fear card that the Republicans have played to such brilliant effect for years — will not work anymore!” — [MORE]

Olbermann on Palin: Socialist, fraud

In a Special Campaign Comment last night, Keith Olbermann cited yet another example of the McCain campaign accusing Barack Obama of something of which they themselves are guilty. In this case, Sarah Palin is accusing Barack Obama of advocating socialism when she literally used that word to describe the collective wealth sharing in her home state of Alaska.

Guilt By Association?

The McCain campaign has devoted considerable attention and resources to making the point that Barack Obama’s associations are a reflection on his judgment and character. With that in mind, Keith Olbermann takes a look at the staggering volume of questionable associations by the McCain/Palin ticket from disgraced lobbyists to Alaskan secessionists.

Voter Suppression Tactics

Major Confusion in McCain Team

Popularity: 9% [?]

Undocumented workers are a great asset to our pluralistic society; they make significant contributions to our economy and our culture.

Migrants from Mexico and other points South are not an alien presence — their work ethic, strong sense of family and burning desire to assimilate are traits that are treasured by all Americans.

Republican presidential candidate, Rudolph Giuliani, recently made headlines by declaring that “illegal” immigrants are not criminals. It’s a sad indictment of our xenophobic society that this comment caused so much controversy. It should be obvious to one and all that undocumented workers are not criminals, every major city and small town is richer for their presence.

Let me digress by pointing out that there is no such thing as an “illegal” human being. Migrant workers from Mexico are simply returning to their ancestral homes; you don’t have to be a history major to know that the United States stole a lot of territory from Mexico.

“Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Friday that illegal immigration is not a crime, prompting immediate criticism from his presidential rivals on an incendiary issue for Republican voters.

Giuliani made the comments during a CNN interview with host Glenn Beck on Headline News, saying that violations of the nation’s immigration laws are civil violations, not criminal infractions.

‘I know that’s very hard for people to understand, but it’s not a federal crime,’ Giuliani said, adding later that ‘I was U.S. attorney in the Southern district of New York. So believe me, I know this. In fact, when you throw an immigrant out of the country, it’s not a criminal proceeding. It’s a civil proceeding.’”

Rudy Giuliani - On Immigration
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Quote from The WashingtonPost.Com

The Republican presidential candidates are using immigration as a wedge issue, they troll for votes by warning of an invasion of Mexican criminals.

Crossing the border is a minor infraction like getting a parking ticket. I can see why Republicans are so worried; if these dastardly migrants commit a civil violation by illegally crossing the border they might also jaywalk, litter or spit on the sidewalk.

You would think that Rudolph Giuliani declared that we should return New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico; his Republican rivals for the White House jumped all over him.

Mitt Romney had this to say in a quote from the Associated Press:

“‘Mayor Giuliani has the wrong approach on the issue of illegal immigration,’ Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said. ‘His advocacy for sanctuary city policies and his troubling lack of interest in making enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws a priority puts him at odds with those who want to secure our borders and end illegal immigration.’”

America’s Mayor has the right approach on migration; we shouldn’t be up in arms over folks who are committing misdemeanors. Shouldn’t we be more concerned with putting an end to an immoral, illegal and senseless war?

Let me close this essay by stressing that Immigration is an important issue, but it’s racists who focus only on policing the border. We need a comprehensive immigration policy, but unfortunately Congress was too cowardly to pass such sorely needed legislation.

Reference: No One Is Illegal: Immigration Control and Asylum

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

“A rare combination of an author, [Mike Davis is] Rachel Carson and Upton Sinclair all in one.” - Susan Faludi

“[Davis' writing is] perceptive and rigorous.” - David Montgomery, The Nation

“[Davis' work is] brilliant, provocative, and exhaustively researched.” - The Village Voice

“[Davis' work is] eloquent and passionate.” - Tariq Ali

No One Is Illegal debunks the leading ideas behind the often violent right-wing backlash against immigrants.

Countering the chorus of anti-immigrant voices, Mike Davis and Justin Akers Chacon expose the racism of anti-immigration vigilantes and put a human face on the immigrants who risk their lives to cross the border to work in the United States.

Davis and Akers Chacon challenge the racist politics of vigilante groups like the Minutemen, and argue for a pro-immigrant and pro-worker agenda that recognizes the urgent need for international solidarity and cross-border alliances in building a renewed labor movement.

Writer, historian, and activist Mike Davis is the author of many books, including City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles, The Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster, The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu, and Planet of Slums. Davis teaches in the Department of History at the University of California at Irvine, and lives in San Diego. Davis is the recipient of the 2001 Carey McWilliams Award and the World History Association Book Award.

Justin Akers Chacon is professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies in San Diego, California. He has contributed to the International Socialist Review and the book Illegal Immigration (Opposing Viewpoints) (Greenhaven Press).

Popularity: 68% [?]