Dog-Whistle Racism is political campaigning or policy-making that uses coded words and themes to appeal to conscious or subconscious racist concepts and frames.
For example, the concepts ‘welfare queen,’ ’states’ rights,’ ‘Islamic terrorist,’ ‘uppity,’ 'thug,' 'tough on crime,' and ‘illegal alien’ all activate racist concepts that that have already been planted in the public consciousness and now are being activated by purposeful or accidental campaign activities, media coverage, public policy and cultural traditions.
So, what’s dog whistle racism? It’s pure political theater to push buttons to win elections and policies. StopDogWhistleRacism.com, a project of the Center for Social Inclusion, is here to identify, expose and help you to track it. Join us.
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How did Obama get where he is? There has been a debate in this country about whether Obama’s skin color is an asset or a detriment to his evident success. But in Latin America – there is a twist to this dialogue – and that is – given Obama’s skin color, can he still be considered, as they say down south, a gringo’ – which is another way of calling someone an invader from the north – or more of a Negro – which in Colombia simply means Black and traditionally refers to someone excluded from the power structure. For Colombia’s Semana newspaper, Antonio Caballero opens his examination of this sensitive subject this way: I know well that one shouldn’t say gringo’ or Negro’: these are two politically incorrect words.
Didi Lima, the Clark County GOP communications director, also was removed from her volunteer role as a Hispanic community liaison for Republican John McCain’s presidential campaign over the remarks made earlier in the day while working at a McCain campaign booth.
“We don’t want (Hispanics) to become the new African-American community,” Lima told The Associated Press. “And that’s what the Democratic Party is going to do to them, create more programs and give them handouts, food stamps and checks for this and checks for that. We don’t want that.”
“I’m very much afraid that the Democratic Party is going to do the same thing that they did with the African-American culture and make them all dependent on the government and we don’t want that,” she said.
In August, Lima was named co-chair of McCain’s Nevada Hispanic Leadership Team, which aimed to reach out to a crucial voting bloc in a state where polls show McCain in a dead heat with Barack Obama.
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Lima is the second Republican Party official to land in hot water this week over comments perceived as inflaming tensions between blacks and Hispanics.
The chairman of the Republican Party in New Mexico’s most populous county resigned Thursday, nearly a week after saying “Hispanics consider themselves above blacks” and won’t vote for Obama.
Fernando C. de Baca, the embattled Bernalillo County Republican Party Chairman, has resigned according to Peter St. Cyr of 770-KKOB and What’s the Word.
From his blog:
Embattled Bernalillo County Chairman Fernando C. De Baca has resigned. Nearly a week after making controversial remarks to a BBC reporter at the NM State Fair, the 70-year-old former White House staffer has decided to step aside.
[…]
Sources tells 770 KKOB Bernalillo County Party Treasurer Ryan Cangiolosi will take over as chariman [sic].
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He compounded his error with audio from another BBC interview which aired on Santa Fe’s KSFR-FM station:
I feel strongly that Hispanics will not support, in my generation and the generation around my age, are not going to support the Democratic candidate for president primarily because there is a strong feeling that African Americans during the civil rights movement took advantage, full advantage, of all the benefits and programs that the government offered, that were supposed to be offered to all minorities. But we were left behind, we were left sucking air, and we resented that ever since the 60s, and I don’t see how a black president is going to change that.
In a provocative new book, Jason Riley makes the case for welcoming more legal immigrants to the United States. Drawing on history, scholarly studies and first-hand reporting, Riley argues that today’s newcomers are fueling America’s prosperity and dynamism. He challenges the prevailing views on talk radio and cable TV that immigrants are overpopulating the country, stealing jobs, depressing wages, bankrupting social services, filling prisons, resisting assimilation and promoting big government.
So Fernando C, de Baca (note to out of towners: his last name is C. de Baca not just de Baca) is still refusing to resign; word is tomorrow Steve Pearce will go to make his case for C. de Baca to tell him to resign.
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Listen to it at What’s the Word. Do you believe C. de Baca’s responses and excuses?
The McCain campaign talks to Latinos in Chicago about Barack Obama. Surprise! The folks they interview say Obama has done nada for their community. Don’t you love identity politics?
C de Baca Retains Post as County Chair (Updated x2)
As soon as I finished my last post on the increasingly tangled and convoluted Fernando C de Baca mess, I saw this tweet from Peter St. Cyr:
Breaking News: Bernalillo County Executive Board gives C. de Baca vote of confidence. Chairman retains leadership post. Audio to follow.
St. Cyr will have the audio up at his blog soon.How was this guy not relieved of his position? Unless they have agreed to let him resign on his own terms…
While the full audio of Fernando C de Baca speaking to a BBC Reporter at the State Fair last week may never emerge, some damaging audio from a BBC interview has been broadcast on KSFR-FM, a Santa Fe radio station.Southern New Mexico blogger Heath Haussamen was the first with the audio, which you can hear to the right.
Here is what C de Baca said in the KSFR audio:
I feel strongly that Hispanics will not support, in my generation and the generation around my age, are not going to support the Democratic candidate for president primarily because there is a strong feeling that African Americans during the civil rights movement took advantage, full advantage, of all the benefits and programs that the government offered, that were supposed to be offered to all minorities. But we were left behind, we were left sucking air, and we resented that ever since the 60s, and I don’t see how a black president is going to change that.
OK, this story isn’t going away and is, in fact, gaining more and more momentum as the days go on and Fernando C. de Baca refuses to talk to anyone about his horrible comments to a BBC reporter.
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., joined state Republican Party Chairman Allen Weh and others in the GOP in asking C de Baca to step down.”Fernando C de Baca should resign,” Domenici said in a Journal telephone interview early Monday evening after he tried to reach C de Baca for an explanation.
“The Republican Party cannot let a high-ranking official remain in an active position having made this kind of statement,” Domenici said. “It’s a wrong statement to make. That’s not what Republicans believe.”
Weh also was unyielding. “There’s an overwhelming consensus in the Republican Party at large that he should step aside,” he said. “It has become … an unfair distraction to every issue that should be focused on in this election.”
Jon Kelly is standing by the controversial quote which has landed Fernando C. de Baca in hot water. Kelly wrote this:
“The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors,” he said. “African-Americans came here as slaves.”Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president.”
C. de Baca pushed back, saying he was quoted out of context by the BBC reporter in an interview with Peter St. Cyr.The BBC has issued a statement from Patricia Lodge, the International Communications Manager of BBC Global News.
“Jon Kelly accurately reported what Fernando C. de Baca said to him about Hispanic perceptions towards African Americans. The BBC has not received any complaints about the report from Mr de Baca or the Republican Party.”
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