Off To The Races

Every time I hear conservatives talk about how they aren't racist, are against Obama because of his actions and words and not his race, or insist that it's really the Democrats that have a problem with race, I have to really restrain myself from doubling over with laughter.

And now, "Mamma Grizzly" Sarah Palin seems to think she could use a dose of Limbaugh-speak in her pre-presidential campaign rhetoric. Her target - Michelle Obama.

Certainly his wife expressed this view when she said during the 2008 campaign that she had never felt proud of her country until her husband started winning elections. In retrospect, I guess this shouldn't surprise us, since both of them spent almost two decades in the pews of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright's church listening to his rants against America and white people.

Despite the fact that much has been made of Jeremiah Wright because Fox"News" and conservative talk radio have decided to use truncated clips from, what are essentially, classic "fire and brimstone" sermons - ever been to a Southern Baptist revival in Kentucky? - and used those context free moments to formulate a narrative far too juicy for any conservative to pass up.

Do I agree with Rev. Wrights positions? Not particularly, considering I'm not a religious person and he ultimately latched onto the new found fame he was given and attempted to capitalize on it - with pretty poor results.

That aside, what are the potential repercussions that Palin could face because of this blatantly race-based and unfounded attack on Michelle Obama? The reality surrounding these statements in her book is that Palin will never have to answer for this - from her conservative supplicators, at least. She will, in all actuality, be praised by the modern conservative movement. Either that, or people will claim that this never happened, just like Beck fans claiming they never heard about him calling Obama a racist or simply stated that he would never say such a thing.

I truly hope that Sarah Palin runs for President. It will be a wonderful campaign to watch, as I'm sure that there will be more and far worse instances than this where she can be coached into making herself look like an even bigger failure as a human. That, and the fact that it will be interesting to see if modern conservatives are so blitheringly ignorant to cast a vote for a person that is more concerned with her own image than those she had been tasked to represent in the past.

Racial animus is, and will always be, part of the conservative ideological construct. No matter how often and how loud they scream it isn't, you should always remember that it's still there.