Biden's targeting of racist extremism is being portrayed as an attack on the right itself

[tenderfoot]

It may not be politically useful, but if Republicans insist that an attack on racism is an attack on them maybe we should believe them —Michelle Goldberg, NY Times

President Biden’s words during his inaugural address were straightforward in their targets.

“The cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear,” he said. “And now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity.”

National unity would be required to address climate change and the scourge of extremism, particularly racist extremism. Not anything terribly controversial on its face.

Yet some nonetheless managed to wring out some controversy.

“If you read his speech and listen to it carefully, much of it is thinly veiled innuendo,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said during an interview on Fox News, “calling us white supremacists, calling us racists, calling us every name in the book.”

Paul also apparently objected to Biden’s saying that “there is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit.”

“Calling us people who don’t tell the truth,” Paul continued. “ ‘And going forward we’re not going to have manufactured or manipulated truth.’ That’s another way of saying all of my opponents manufacture or manipulate the truth and are liars.”

In that last sentence, Paul does explicitly what he did implicitly on the issue of race: conflate Biden’s constrained criticisms with a broad attack on Republicans generally. Biden never specifically mentioned who was telling those lies, though the focus was obvious. He never even called out the extremism he was targeting as being right-wing. But for Paul, the implication was clear: Biden thinks Republicans are racist liars.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/21/bidens-targeting-racist-extremism-is-being-portrayed-an-attack-right-itself/

[Aristus]

1. If the jackboot fits...

[Arkansas Granny]

11. Exactly.

[C_U_L8R]

2. If that's what they identify with... then that's their problem,

When everyone around you looks like a racist, maybe you're one too. Change is up to you.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Truth hurts.

[RockRaven]

4. Wouldn't the Cons be better off feigning less self awareness?

They seem determined to out themselves by getting righteously indignant. Okay, fine.

[Kid Berwyn]

5. Terrorists to Gitmo

Color blind, they say.

[grumpyduck]

6. Sorry if this sounds like Democrat-bashing,

but I think the Democrats need to do far better at public relations than they're doing, as far as this issue. By now we all know that all the RWNJs understand is repetition and talking points -- in very simple sentences. Reason and facts don't work with them.

It's time, Democrats: talk to these assholes in language they can understand.

[Thekaspervote]

13. you can't talk to someone who refuses to listen...they refuse to listen to anyone outside their

Alternate reality

[Thomas Hurt]

19. I get your point, we should be controlling the narrative better, but you can't fix stupid.

[mathematic]

29. Republicans enjoy the messaging advantage not through skill but through white privilege

Unearned authority when speaking is a well known example of white privilege.

Virtually all republican leaders are white.
Maybe half of democratic leaders are white.

Republican "white" positions are given default status and it's up to the democrats to overcome this sort of home court advantage. This is compounded by sexism that considers women that challenge the default extremely negatively. How to fix this? I wish I knew but it has nothing to do with simple slogans.

I do think that any analysis of messaging effectiveness that doesn't acknowledge the inherent disadvantages democrats face simply because they're the party of inclusivity is misguided at best.

[KayF]

7. we need to talk about the "Camp Auschwitz" guy more

he was at the rally that sought to keep the republican president in power after he lost an election.

And he seemed to fit in with them.

[The Roux Comes First]

8. I Would Never Have Imagined This Glimmer of Self-awareness Could Infect Rand Paul

The lying provocateurs at faux news, yes of course. But that's a key aspect of the business model.

For individual traitors and insurrectionists, it's different. The primary question is what's the degree of contagion? Does Gosar have immunity? Cruz? Hawley? Griggs? McCarthy? The unwashed hordes in the House?

[Wednesdays]

9. Rand Paul doth protest too much

methinks.

[NNadir]

10. Because, um, it is?

[3catwoman3]

12. If...

...the hood fits.

[Thekaspervote]

14. You can talk to them ..period. They don't want to hear

It doesn’t matter what we say they are going to take issue

[gratuitous]

15. I suppose President Biden could have just bleated "Fake news!"

That's language that Senator Paul is obviously quite comfortable with. Or maybe if Biden had called him the enemy of the people, like a certain former president was fond of calling his opponents, particularly the free press.

[Girard442]

16. If someone gives a speech about assholes and you think it's about you.

Maybe the problem isn’t with the speech.

[crickets]

18. +1

[Solly Mack]

20. This

[Tommymac]

17. Project much, Rand?

[lettucebe]

21. Just shows how totally ignorant they are of the take-over by the extreme right

[shanti]

22. If the shoe fits

[Corgigal]

23. Oh well.

We won the election, i guess they should have chosen a better candidate.

[struggle4progress]

24. "I resemble that remark!"

[DSandra]

25. Boohoo, they are the party of conartists, sociopaths, seditionists, white supremacists...

They are not a legitimate party for anyone other than the shadiest people in our society.

[Hotler]

26. Unity! For once we agree. nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

27. Rand Paul is such a buffoon

[Mr. Ected]

28. Then stand up and disavow racists and white supremacists, Rand

Each and every Republican who wants to draw a line in the sand between the GOP and the MAGATs needs to place their statement of record and continue to disavow them whenever a scuffle occurs.

That's step one. Everything else is rancid politicking.

[Montauk6]

30. Hey, if the shoe hits, you shoulda ducked