Oh, Racism!

I find it really, really hard to believe that so many Tea-Party types are angry at Obama for his policies and not because he's black.

At first, I thought... well, yes, some people are really racist (racists come in all colors/shapes/sizes and against all colors/shapes/sizes even their own) and yes, some people are really stupid, and yes, some rich people benefit a lot from other people being stupid and racist - but, I thought to myself, most Americans can't be that bad.

Now, however, I'm just not that sure.



First off, Obama is a moderate. A really moderate moderate, policy wise. For god's sake, his signature legislation is the conservative version of something Nixon tried to pass 40 years ago. This isn't crazy liberal stuff. A lot of it is supported by the vast majority of Americans (when presented as someone else's policy position) and much of it falls under the good ole'fashioned common sense label. Honestly, as a progressively liberal person, I think he's on on the right side of center.

Not only is he a moderate, but he's affable. He's a good dad, has a smart, pretty wife who never ceases to surprise me at how... traditional she is (considering how smart we know her to be, this to me says that she's probably way smarter than we think), he has a cute dog and an easy manner with people as well as on a stage. I mean, compared to Clinton he seems way less slimey (and I'm thinking pre-Monica Lewinsky days here) and compared to Bush he doesn't seem like an idiot yet he retains that friendly lets-go-get-a-beer vibe.

So, why do all of these idiots hate him so much? I cannot think of a reason that holds water other than racism. That's not to say that I think anyone who disagrees with his politics or thinks he's not the best person to be president is a racist, far from it. I'm talking about the vitriolic hate and anger directed at him.

Let me be clear, I think that W. damaged my country - he borrowed and spent like a 5 year old on crack, he started two ridiculous wars, he let Big Oil dictate foreign and domestic policy, and his ill-advised economic deregulation led to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. I'm angry that he hurt my country, but I think he did all of that because he just wasn't up to the challenge of being the "Leader of the Free World" and let some Very Bad Men tell him what to do. Honestly, as much as I am angry at him for letting me down, I feel sorry for him too. That's not the way a lot of these vocal idiots seem to feel about Obama. They HATE him, they are ANGRY at him... and for what? Slow but relatively steady economic recovery that we knew would be slow? Republican created health care policies that will close the major money pit of a loop hole in provision of emergency care? Appropriate response to the BP Oil Spill? Killing Osama Bin Ladin? Ending the Iraq War? I mean... he didn't even end Don't Ask Don't Tell - the Military did that all by themselves (thank the sweet lord). He's not made any forward strides in women's reproductive rights. What is there for tea-partiers to hate about him?

Oh wait, I remember. He's got brown skin. That's all I can think of and it makes me sick.