The Rich ARE the Enemy

In Charles Kaiser's analysis of the failure of the fourth estate exposed by the Sherrod story, I noticed the phrase "bias against white people" and that got me wondering ....

What if Breitbart's real target wasn't the NAACP or the Obama administration or even supposedly anti-white liberals at all? What if the real target was Sherrod herself? Specifically, the danger that her real message would take hold and get wide distribution?

Because Shirley Sherrod's dangerous message was NOT her personal overcoming of racism and how we can all get along. No. Shirley Sherrod's dangerous message, the one with the enormous potential to undermine republican race-baiting and even overcome racism itself, is this:

The bias in this nation is against poor people, of all races. Genuine racists of all races use racial resentment to keep poor people poor. Because if white poor people and black poor people and hispanic poor people in large numbers ever realize they've been had, that their real and mutual enemy is the plutocracy of wealth and privilege, that will be the end of the plutocrats and the republican party that enriches them.

Yes, the Democratic Party has also become a wealth-enabler over the last 20 years, but unlike republicans, Democrats can fall back on a long tradition as champions of the poor and middle class. They did it for 50 years, and they can do it again.

The alliance of poor people of all races against the money power is what terrifies the repugs and the baggers and the corporatists and the plutocrats.

Shirley Sherrod let the cat out of the bag, and for that, she had to be destroyed.

And it's a long way from over. How shamelessly disgusting is it? Now the frightwing racists are claiming that Sherrod lied about her relative being lynched. It's too stupid to even explain, but here it is: he wasn't lynched because he was beaten to death while handcuffed on the courthouse steps. Somebody tell Webster only hanging from a tree is lynching.

Meanwhile, the Impeach the Nigger in the White House campaign moves into higher gear. Steve Benen explains:

This is hopelessly insane. There's just no way around this simple fact. The NBPP "controversy" is complete and utter garbage, a detail even many conservatives are willing to concede.

Judiciary Committee Republicans, I'm willing to bet, know this. They know the Bush Justice Department dismissed the issue as pointless; they know no one was prevented from voting or felt intimidated at that Philly precinct; they know that the New Black Panther Party didn't even support Obama.

But these congressional Republicans pursue transparent garbage like this for one reason: to stoke the fires of racial resentment. That's why Fox News has been obsessed with this story; it's why Senate Republicans want hearings; and it's why House Republicans want a special prosecutor. The desire to make white voters afraid is as obvious as it is shameless as it is ugly.

Republicans have worked to undermine the country in a wide variety of ways over the last 18 months, but deliberately trying to scare whites into fearing blacks with a trumped up story is arguably the most loathsome move yet.

If you didn't see Rachel Maddow's stunning exposure of this all-too-real campaign, here it is:

Part One



Part Two



And read Shirley Sherrod's full speech here. The relevant sections:

That's when it was revealed to me that, y'all, it's about poor versus those who have ....

SNIP

Well, working with him made me see that it's really about those who have versus those who don't, you know. And they could be black, and they could be white; they could be Hispanic. And it made me realize then that I needed to work to help poor people -- those who don't have access the way others have.

I want to just share something with you and...I think it helps to -- it -- you know, when I learned this, I'm like, "Oh, my goodness." You know, back in the late 17th and 18th century, black -- there were black indentured servants and white indentured servants, and they all would work for the seven years and -- and get their freedom. And they didn't see any difference in each other. Nobody worried about skin color. They married each other, you know. These were poor whites and poor blacks in the same boat, except they were slaves. But they were both slaves and both had their opportunity to work out on the slavery.

But then they started looking at the injustices that they faced and started then trying -- you know, the people with money -- you know, they started -- the...poor whites and poor blacks who were -- they -- you know, they married each other. They lived together. They were just like we would be. And they started looking at what was happening to them and decided we need to do something about it -- you know, about this. Well, the people with money, the elite, decided, "Hey, we need to do something here to divide them."

So that's when they made black people servants for life. That's when they put laws in place forbidding them to marry each other. That's when they created the racism that we know of today. They did it to keep us divided. And they -- it started working so well, they said, "Gosh, looks like we've come up on something here that can last generations." And here we are over 400 years later, and it's still working. What we have to do is get that out of our heads. There is no difference between us. The only difference is that the folks with money want to stay in power and, whether it's health care or whatever it is, they'll do what they need to do to keep that power, you know. It's always about money, y'all.

If you are not rich, and you think that's the fault of people with a different skin color, know this for a fact:

You are being played for a chump.