WaPo's Richard Cohen: to gag at the idea of biracial families "not racist."

[RainDog]

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/12/in_new_column_washington_posts_richard_cohen_makes_bizarre_racist_statement_about_bill_de_blasios_family/

Writing about the GOP, which Cohen insists “is not racist” but rather is merely “deeply troubled,” Cohen seemingly attempts to explain the logic behind Republican cultural panic by pointing to the example of NYC mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s biracial family. The results are not pretty (emphasis added):

Today’s GOP is not racist, as Harry Belafonte alleged about the tea party, but it is deeply troubled — about the expansion of government, about immigration, about secularism, about the mainstreaming of what used to be the avant-garde. People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York — a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children. (Should I mention that Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, used to be a lesbian?) This family represents the cultural changes that have enveloped parts — but not all — of America. To cultural conservatives, this doesn’t look like their country at all.

As Cohen’s colleague, Wonkblog’s Ezra Klein, notes, however, Cohen’s conflation of “conventional” with “racist” is confused and mistaken. Support for interracial marriage is a widely held, majority position, varying little by region or age. To put it simply, the only people gagging are those reading Cohen’s columns.

Why does this guy get to excuse racism at one of the most important newspapers in the U.S.?

[Chan790]

1. Cohen's a racist. n/t

[el_bryanto]

2. It's kind of sad

There is a good exploration to be had about how much of the Right wing is motivated by racism vs classism - but his piece is just terrible.

Particularly when you talk about the Tea Party and, what he references, the loss of a bygone era when White Christian Males ran everything.

Bryant

[RainDog]

5. racism vs. classism

is an excellent topic.

my pov is that racism flourishes in a society with little social mobility - like the U.S. now compared to other western democracies... yes, Denmark and the UK have more social mobility than the U.S. does.

The reason we have less social mobility is because we do not tax wealth enough to create social mobility. That's what it all comes down to, and no one with political power will make the case for taxes because the financial class controls the political conversation in all sectors of society beyond the left.

To even talk of tax increases is to be a commie/marxist, etc. etc. - even Eisenhower, no commie marxist - but labeled this by some Republicans at the time - saw the value of infrastructure investment with the interstate hwy system (but he also justified this with a military reason - to get troops around the states quickly in the case of a communist invasion/attack.)

In this nation, it seems you have to appeal to fear, not smart actions for good reasons that have shown, empirically, that they improve economic outlooks.

but I don't think that solves every problem as far as racism, or sexism, or homophobia, etc. goes.

however, it's a lot easier to discuss those issues when there is more economic stability among a population.

[PCIntern]

3. This is now what passes for responsible, intellectual, opinion?

What a bastard! And devastatingly wrong on all counts.

He's a bigger dope than I ever thought he was, and that's going a "fur piece".

[RainDog]

8. can you believe this guy gets paid for this sort of "thinking"???

in 2013, no less.

[Drale]

4. This is just a poorly hidden "I"m not racist but...." article. /nt

[Iggo]

6. How is that not racist?

[RainDog]

7. It's entirely racist

But too many people who call themselves conservative seem to think racism is part of conservatism, as we've seen over and over.

[Nye Bevan]

9. Wait..... "not racist".... "gag reflex"..... "white man married to a black woman"?

[KamaAina]

10. "They're not racist, but..."

okay, they're racist.

[RainDog]

11. economic conservatism is racist

whether the person who touts it is aware of this reality or not.

it's also sexist.

when you have groups in society that are routinely discriminated against in the job market, for hundreds of years, this inequity is not solved by reducing taxes on the rich and lying to yourself and your fellow racists/sexists that this economic boost to the wealthy will "trickle down."

Nevertheless, this explanation continues to provide cover for conservatism.

In spite of evidence that "trickle down" is a myth.

[Marrah_G]

12. Sounds pretty openly racist to me............

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. According to Gallup inter-racial marriage wasn't accepted by most Americans until 1998

http://www.gallup.com/poll/163697/approve-marriage-blacks-whites.aspx

[RainDog]

14. this is so strange to me

why is it anyone else's business who happens to fall in love?

[elehhhhna]

15. biracial families are "avant-garde"? LOL he's an asshole.

[Le Taz Hot]

21. He better not ever come to California

he's going to get more "avant-garde" than he can possibly handle. My guess is this is true in most of the rest of the country (OK, maybe not in the not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer states).

Avant-garde? Did he really say that?

[geek tragedy]

16. Cohen has a long history of racism. Long. Calls himself a liberal too nt

[MissMillie]

17. When are all this people w/ "conventional views"

going to hold the conventional view that he doesn't need to "consider" the family life of the mayor-elect--or anyone else for that matter?

[joeybee12]

18. Richard's usually not such an asshole...disappointing...very...knr

[bullwinkle428]

19. Oh god...when is this guy finally going to move to that town in North Dakota

and be done with it?

[shawn703]

20. It's 2013

People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering what Richard Cohen considers to be conventional views.

Unfortunately, I'm unable to repress mine.