The feckless hypocrisy of Lindsey Graham
Yesterday, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) had this to say about Arizona's horrible new Jim Crow law, which deputizes Arizona state law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration law, and which further mandates that Arizona's cops stop anybody they think is an illegal and demand proof of citizenship:
As others have said, this law effectively mandates racial profiling.
"Good people," of course, is Super Sekrit Code for "white people." It's nothing more than blowing the Tea Party dog whistle. If you can stomach it, listen to how he says it not once, but twice, on YouTube.
Oh, poor, poor white people! Under siege by the invading brown hordes from the south! They're so scared, downright terrified in fact, that they just had no choice but to pass this horrible, unconstitutional, racist, 21st century Jim Crow law that will as sure as California's Prop. 187 be stricken down by the courts.
I mean really, what else could those poor scared white folks do? What other option did they have?
Ahem.
That's a sufficiently craven bit of race-baiting, wedge-issue politicking that I could just leave this post right there. But Senator Graham goes on to add, in his "Shocked! Shocked, I am!" disapproval of Arizona's law, this further bit of utterly feckless--and moderately Freudian--hypocrisy, saying that we need to:
Interesting choice of words, Senator. Freudian slip, perhaps? Because the elephant in the room is the Republican party. How dare you try to score points on America's "broken borders?" As if foreigners' desire to come here were some kind of problem to be eradicated, rather than an opportunity for America to become stronger? How dare you try to score points on this issue when the major obstacle in the way of meaningful immigration reform is the Republican Party itself?
Jackass.
You're right about one thing, though, Senator. You're right that we need to address the big elephant in the room. You're absolutely right that nothing is going to get better until we address the enormous dysfunction in American politics that is the "party of no," the "party of 'no we can't'," the Republican Party.
The elephant in the room, Senator, is you.
"Look what good people will do when they're under siege. What happened in Arizona is that good people are so afraid of an out of control border that they had to resort to a law that I think is unconstitutional."
As others have said, this law effectively mandates racial profiling.
"Good people," of course, is Super Sekrit Code for "white people." It's nothing more than blowing the Tea Party dog whistle. If you can stomach it, listen to how he says it not once, but twice, on YouTube.
Oh, poor, poor white people! Under siege by the invading brown hordes from the south! They're so scared, downright terrified in fact, that they just had no choice but to pass this horrible, unconstitutional, racist, 21st century Jim Crow law that will as sure as California's Prop. 187 be stricken down by the courts.
I mean really, what else could those poor scared white folks do? What other option did they have?
Ahem.
That's a sufficiently craven bit of race-baiting, wedge-issue politicking that I could just leave this post right there. But Senator Graham goes on to add, in his "Shocked! Shocked, I am!" disapproval of Arizona's law, this further bit of utterly feckless--and moderately Freudian--hypocrisy, saying that we need to:
"...address the big elephant in the room and that is that our borders are broken and there's a war going on."
Interesting choice of words, Senator. Freudian slip, perhaps? Because the elephant in the room is the Republican party. How dare you try to score points on America's "broken borders?" As if foreigners' desire to come here were some kind of problem to be eradicated, rather than an opportunity for America to become stronger? How dare you try to score points on this issue when the major obstacle in the way of meaningful immigration reform is the Republican Party itself?
Jackass.
You're right about one thing, though, Senator. You're right that we need to address the big elephant in the room. You're absolutely right that nothing is going to get better until we address the enormous dysfunction in American politics that is the "party of no," the "party of 'no we can't'," the Republican Party.
The elephant in the room, Senator, is you.
# Posted by Jason Black : 10:39 AM
Comments:
As Greg Palast's investigative report on www.truthout.org demonstrates, the real reason for what you accurately describe as a new Jim Crow law is the ongoing Republican effort to discourage Hispanic citizens from registering and voting. They claim, with no evidence, 5 million undocumented residents are likely to register fraudulently. The only fraud is this number. The Governor succeeded in purging one-third of Hispanic voters when she was Secretary of State. Shades of Kathleen Harris! Republicans in Arizona are rightfully afraid of the demographic handwriting on the wall of legal Hispanic residents. Who would want to move there and be constantly harassed?
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