You know, the accusation of racism is a sign of desperation by people who know they are losing the national debate, and they want to hurl the ultimate charge in American politics. This is dealing from the bottom of the deck, and I agree that it is a disgusting tactic. It's done as a way to end debate. The minute you call somebody a racist, the debate is over. You don't continue…. Accusations of racism are the last refuge of the liberal scoundrel. As for Maureen Dowd, imagining a word [“boy”] that wasn't said: Well, in my previous profession, I saw a lot of people who heard words that weren't said. They were called patients. Many of them were actually helped with medication. The reason she won't be — and others who are hurling the [racism] accusation — is because it is a deliberate attempt to change the subject and discredit the opposition with an unprovable — and unproven — ad hominem.

The label "racist" is a weapon just like "anti-semite" is. It's time to use it.

Against who? Today, when either charge is made, white people stop listening; they are intimidated no longer. I never thought I'd agree with anything in the NRO, but AnnaA's excerpt above is accurate: The accusation has been made too often with the intention to shut down debate, and today fools no one. It's not that hatred based on race or religion has disappeared - it hasn't - but these charges have been made so often, and so cheaply and scattershot, that the "weapon" now fires blanks.

Well, some of the incidents are subtle, with many contributing factors, so it is difficult to make an example of them as racially motivated. However, there have been several incidents which would not have happened to a white man in the office of President, which in fact in over 200 years of Presidents have not happened to a white man. The extreme disrespect shown by Rep. Joe Wilson to Barack Obama in a joint session of Congress was unprecedented. Joe Wilson revealed himself as either racist or so lacking in self-control that he is mentally unbalanced and unqualified to serve in Congress.

The whole "birther" phenomenon is unprecedented. While it is common for the party out of power to seek ways to derail the President's agenda and to smear him personally, continuing to claim that the child of an American citizen is unqualified to hold the office of President well after he has assumed office is way out of bounds. Some of the rhetoric is reaching levels of incitement to assassination. The sort of rhetoric about Obama's arrogance has shades of the sorts of language used by racists about uppity Black men and threats of lynching.

Jimmy Carter's mother raised him in Koinonia Farms, an interracial community. His ears are better attuned than most white Southerners of his generation to pick up racist undertones when he hears them.

Whether the racism charge is true or not (and I guarantee it is not true across the entire group of people who oppose Obama), how does adopting your tactic help? What tactical goal does it achieve?

1. there are people who disagree with the policies of the obama administration who are not motivated by racism.

2. there are those who express their racism by disagreeing with the policies of the obama administration.

3. there are those imply that all who disagree with the obama administration are not motivated by racism.

4. there are those that imply that all who disagree with the obama administration policies are racists.

only your hairdresser knows for sure if you're really a blond.

"We all know that racism is behind the anti-Obama furor. T* * * In Obama's case, 99% of the criticism is race based"

You're being deliberately provocative, yes?

I happen to agree with President Carter that an overwhelming majority of the "intensely demonstrated animosity" toward the President is race-based -- but that's a majority of the frothing-at-the-mouth placard carrying, gun-toting, finger-pointing conspiracy-believers. In fact, for those folks I doubt they care a great deal about health reform or any of the other issues --- they've just been waiting for an occasion to give vent to their hate and be accepted as legitimate.

They should be called on it, and they should know that aside from others just like themselves no one is agreeing with or applauding their actions except Rush, Beck, Coulter, et al. -- and they aren't applauding out of respect but out of glee that these folks are so easily manipulated.

But 99% of the people who disagree with Obama? No way ..... as I suspect you know quite well, right?

Forget: Health Care, Racism, Child Prostitution, Czars, Cash for Klunkers.
You have to see:
"The Audacity of Hos" on The Daily Show
even Bertha Lewis was laughing
Rosy, you are getting lots a hits, congrat !

The "Grand Wizard" of the Maryland KKK once tried to explain to me that the Klan was not really a racist organization. He was a small, well mannered and intellegent sounding man. As a good liberal I suppose I should have engaged him in a nuanced discussion and even given him the benefit of the doubt. Instead I told him I wasn't interested in doing business with his club.

President Carter (a man from Georgia) knows what I know: racism is like pornography, I may not be able to define it but I know it when I see it. Didn't any of you guys ever live in the South? Try hanging out in a real redneck bar and try to find a black face. Contrary to popular oppinion racists are not an endangered species.

We liberals (or progressives or what ever we are supposed to call ourselves these days) must stop always being so 'reasonable'. Painting opponents with a broad tarry brush is how battles are won. The other side knows this and is not shy about it and not shy about using our reluctance to do the same to shame us into tying ourselves into knots of inaction. When your opponents hand you a bucket of hot tar and a big barn painting brush it is not taking unfair advantage to slather every bit of the stuff on them that you can. The racist label in this case has the added advantage of being true.

I'm with you on this MJ.

Reason? Those who oppose the health care reform bill haven't brought a SINGLE cogent argument to bear.

(Except, perhaps, issues of cost.)

ALL we hear about are "death panels," mandated abortions, socialism...and similar nonsensical points.

They ignore what's in the bill and make up stuff that's not in the bill.