Race To The Bottom

I really don't wish to list all the defenders of Obama whose weapon of choice is calling their opponents racist, but let me do just one more, since his perch in The New York Times makes him so visible.

This is Paul Krugman on the people who show up at town hall meetings to denounce Obama health care. (By the way, I have no trouble denouncing these people when they shout a lot and shut down debate--but every time I plan to post on this in particular issue, I read such intemperate words against them that I write about the attacks instead.)

...the driving force behind the town hall mobs is probably the same cultural and racial anxiety that’s behind the “birther” movement, which denies Mr. Obama’s citizenship. Senator Dick Durbin has suggested that the birthers and the health care protesters are one and the same [if I didn't know better, I'd think Krugman is trying to make Durbin look bad by quoting him]; we don’t know how many of the protesters are birthers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a substantial fraction.

[...]

...it’s a strategy that has played a central role in American politics ever since Richard Nixon realized that he could advance Republican fortunes by appealing to the racial fears of working-class whites.

Many people hoped that last year’s election would mark the end of the “angry white voter” era in America.

So when huge amounts of anger were directed at Bush, there was no racial component. There couldn't be. But opposition (with less anger) toward Obama must be racial. Does Krugman really think if, say, Joe Biden were President, there wouldn't be just as much opposition?