Dobbs & Beck stoke fears of black president: Fox News and CNN Duck Responsibility for Hosts' Race-Baiting
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, July 31, 2009 |
CONTACT Jessica Levin (202) 772-8162 |
Washington, D.C. -- Today, Media Matters for America issued a statement criticizing CNN and Fox News for their ongoing failure to take responsibility for the recent conduct of Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck -- who have repeatedly and relentlessly made comments stoking racially motivated fears about President Obama.
"It is appalling that less than a year after America elected the first black president, racially motivated fearmongering is allowed to stand in for substantive commentary," said Eric Burns, President of Media Matters. "Just about everyone else in the media recognizes that this race-baiting commentary is unacceptable. What will it take for CNN and Fox News to take a stand?"
BACKGROUND
As Media Matters has documented, Lou Dobbs' relentless promotion of "birther" conspiracy theories and Glenn Beck's assertion that Obama is "a racist" have been hotly debated throughout the media in the past week. Former CNN Chairman Tim Johnson recently told Politico: "It always was my policy (and that of Ted Turner) that anchors and reporters should not present their own personal opinions on the air. ...We did not permit Lou Dobbs or any anchor or correspondent to do that." A number of other media figures and figureheads have criticized Dobbs and Beck for their recent comments:
After CNN pres. Klein calls Dobbs' birther coverage "legitimate," Kurtz slams it as "ludicrous"
On Geraldo, Coulter proclaims Dobbs "wrong on this issue" of Obama's birth
Morning Joe crew slams Beck over Obama is "a racist" comment
Media figures have also stated that birth certificate theories like those advanced by Dobbs have a racial component:
Politico's Martin: Birthers "can't accept" Obama "is our president," "of course it's about race"
As Media Matters has noted, CNN and Fox News have both avoided taking responsibility for these comments:
CNN chief Klein misrepresents birther coverage to defend Dobbs
CNN president Klein on whether Dobbs birther coverage "will damage your credibility": "I hope not"
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It was bound to get out of hand when Republicans allowed Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck and Sean Hannity to speak for them.
We now have open mainstream hate on display. Rush and Hannity appeal to the lowest form of white hatred and they have a big following.
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Have Journalists learned from history?
Sadly, it looks like FOX and the people like Beck have not.
But the short answer is his DNA says he's black and bi-racial, while how he was raised says he is bi-racial, and how he's being treated by rightwing republicans says he's black.
In reality, of course, "black" and "white" aren't races. We're all humans. We vary in ethnicity and ancestry, but we're all part of the same race. So even this idea that Obama is "50/50" or "part this and part that" is silly. He's a man, and he's our president.
agree with this sentiment. while i have a wide ancestry, i typically get identified with the group i resemble most. it's easier than having to qualify every lineage when asked.
In that picture, he almost looks like Jiminy Glick!
(As in, the crazy amounts of junk food he constantly eats on his show... a good reminder to turn him off, eat some vegetables, go for a walk, and actually seek out the FACTS. Not fat, Glennifer!)
As for the charge that Obama is a racist, Glenn Beck spent 20 minutes of his July 29th radio show explaining his context.
He first provided the definitions. Racism is discrimination or prejudice base on race. Discrimination is treatment based on category rather than individual merit. Beck's claim is that Obama meets these two criteria.
In his town hall meeting, Obama is quoted as saying, "I don’t know – not having been there and not seeing all the facts – what role race played in that, but I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two that he Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home,"
From this, Beck concludes without having all the facts, the ONLY way Obama, the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, could make such a bold statement as to call a police officer "stupid" is that his judgement is based on pre-conceived notions...of racism.
Gates himself was quoted as saying, "I'm a black professor, with a white man looking to level the playing field". During a video of Gates, he discusses how blacks are "under assault", and that Newt Gingrich says while conservatives were asleep, "all you white women and black folk got in...gonna shake the tree to see how many are left." This is a man Obama admits is a "dear, close friend".
How about Obama spending 20 years in the Rev Jeremiah Wrights church. Where he heard that the country is controlled by rich, white people, and the government lied, invented HIV to genocide blacks. In his book, Obama said Wright was a mentor, and even named the book after a sermon. Did Obama "happen" to find Rev Wrights church?
But, let's look at quotes from Obama himself. When referring to his grandmother, he said she is a typical white person...with reactions that have been bred into her. Imagine the opposite...if a white person said, "The typical black person had a negative trait bred into them", would they be a racist?
Or this gem: "I think that whether you are a white executive living out in the suburbs, who doesn’t want to pay taxes to inner-city children for them to go to school, or you’re an inner-city child who doesn’t want to take responsibility for keeping your street safe and clean, both of those groups have to take some responsibility if we’re going to get beyond the kinds of divisions that we face right now." Again, imagine the fury if someone said that poor black people don't want to pay taxes...
And my favority, from his book Dreams of my Father, "I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets."
And last, but not least, is another quote from Dreams of my Father, "There was something about him that made me wary,” Obama wrote. “A little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.” He was referring to a professor that was searching for a black person to help with a study...but why would that make Obama wary? Possibly pre-conceived notions?
So, What Beck has done is level a charge, then present facts. It is allowed under Freedom of Speech. If there are answers to these, let them be posted.
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/did_obama_write_that_he_would_stand.html
I think it's laughable how you accuse Obama of making a statement about his Grandmother, and then turn it around to mention a "negative" trait about Blacks. As I recall, he was talking about his Grandmother's concern about African-Americans, and like it or not, there is an inherent mistrust between the varying shades of people in this world. That is a negative trait, but also understandable given how many crimes and misunderstandings are committed on both sides. This fails to paint Obama as a racist, unless you're saying he's lying about the racial tension in people from his grandmother's particular generation.
As to the remark about the executive, I'll agree, that is a fairly racial comment. Then again, I'd guess that most people, when they hear "Inner City," especially when the 'opposite' was termed as "white" is a non-white, i.e. a minority. In that sense, he condemned all minorities as not wanting to care for themselves, but feeling entitled that the white executive will pay for things. And yet then he mentions that both white and non-white groups, by his implied comparison, need to get past their divisions. So he called minorities lazy, and yet I don't hear the backlash.
Your favorite quote ... well, I don't see where he doesn't mention white folks ... unless you believe that all foreign students, Marxist professors, structural feminists, and punk-rock performance poets are non-white. In fact, I would believe that the majority of the last three categories were predominantly white. Quick, name me a non-white punk rock band. Not fusion, not cross-genre, but punk-rock. And for bonus credit, show me a link or some information regarding punk-rock during his university days and notable black punk-rockers who existed around that time.
As for your last quote, when Obama is wary. I think he was right to be wary. Why was he looking for a black person in particular, anyway? If you posted the whole of the passage and/or gave a link, we could decide for ourselves. That aside, what if a professor came up to you out of the blue and asked if you were of a specific ethnic origin? Wouldn't you be cautious and curious ... in a word, "wary?" Wouldn't you want to know more about the situation before giving a 'yea' or a 'nay?'
So there you go. Aside from the company Obama claims, which you can't necessarily count against him(especially the whole Rev. Wright thing,) you're ascribing motivations that are simply not conclusive. Now, before you reply and claim that I'm parsing or mind-reading, you're doing the same in your fourth and fifth point. I also feel you're being deliberately obtuse in your third and sixth point, but we'll chalk that up instead to simply P.O.V. rather than malicious intent.
Oh, and undoubtedly the cop was being foolish. I would very well believe that the professor in question was being belligerent and perhaps even abusive ... but in his defense, the police officer apparently knew that he didn't have grounds to arrest inside the man's house so this authority figure lured the professor outside to arrest him. Once the officer left, that would have been the end of it, but the officer foolishly decided to teach the professor a lesson / recover his wounded pride / whatever. Only a foolish person needlessly prolongs a conflict.
Your right this quote doesn’t prove he a racists’ just a communist. Much better!
That said, imaging again if a white politician said he sought out policitally active white people. Would he be a racist?
I don't believe its quite that easy to disassociate from your acquaintences. If Rev. Wright was just a friend, maybe. If he is a mentor (i.e. one who teaches), and counselor (for marriage and their childrens births), and a pastor for 20 years...that's something completely different.
I don't think Obama's relationship with Ayers constitutes damning evidence that Obama believes in his terrorism. But, with Wright...its not that easy to separate.
It's not clear how close Gates and Obama are...other than Obama himself saying they were close.
For the references, I prefer to provide the context, such as the book name and quote, and let my fellow bloggers refer to their favorite sites for more info.
As for your last paragraph, that is where you lost me. The police report is available online...read it. If you do, you will see that Officer Crowley did not "lure" Gates outside. He said, "I told Gates I was leaving his residence, and that if he had any other questions regarding the matter, I would speak with him outside of the residence."
At that point, Gates, who acted horrific and racist, could have ended it. But, HE chose to follow...and berate a uniformed officer of the law. Officer Crowley provided several warnings, which Gates ignored. It was in fact Gates who acted foolishly, and I would highly suggest that everyone read the police report, which is 100% substantiated by two other officers and surrounding neighbors.
BTW - you can get the police report on www.thesmokinggun.com.