XDA

Here is a rather condescending article written by CNN's David Wilson, who should have studied more history at his Jersey college, about Dr. Ben Carson. I think it needs a response. Oh, the title is: Ben Carson's success: Is conservative white guilt driving it?

Let me start out with two confessions: 1) I don't care what your race is, in fact, it's difficult for me to imagine caring less about an individual's skin color; and, 2) I don't have any white guilt. I'm a Republican, the son of a Republican and the grandson of a Republican. We Republicans have no history regarding black Americans to be guilty about. We are the good guys on race.

OK, let's get to Wilson's super deep thoughts on the subject.

Oh, one more thing; if I did care about such a superficial thing as skin color, I'd be pretty proud of my party's gaggle of candidates, which includes a black man, two Hispanics and an Indian. Where's the superficial diversity of skin color in the Democrat candidates?

While conservatives have long accused their political counterparts of white liberal guilt, those on the right are showing their own brand of it. The modern day Republican Party has always had a strained relationship with people of color, but the election of President Obama has deepened the rift.

I think the conservatives' main criticism of the left regarding this subject is that they have been and are still racist. They have a terrible history of racial hatred of blacks and they still think blacks are less capable than whites. The most recent example is the Democrat talking point that blacks are too inept to be able to obtain a photo ID. I don't believe that's true. Republicans don't believe that's true.

Notice that he has to add the words "modern day" to describe the Republicans he's accusing of racism. That's because he apparently is a firm believer in the switch of invidious racial animus from the segregationist Democrats to the civil rights supporting Republicans that took place in the 60s. This is one of the Great Lies of our generation and Wilson seems to have swallowed it hook, line and sinker.

Finally, Wilson seems to believe that Republicans think President Obama is an inept narcissist because he is mixed race. I can assure Mr. Wilson that most Republicans would think the President is an inept narcissist if he had plaid skin. Skin color, for most Republicans, just doesn't matter. It doesn't matter for most young white people of any political stripe either, which is proof of a bettering of racial relations over the past decades after the Democrat century of Jim Crow, KKK rule, particularly in the South, ended. But let's get back to what Mr. Wilson thinks.

However, Carson is their latest "magic negro;" he is someone who makes them feel good about themselves and their beliefs. The divine intervention that transformed him from being a violent, quick-tempered black boy in an impoverished Detroit to a celebrated Yale-educated brain surgeon is what evangelicals' dreams are made of. He presents himself as an example of how minorities can lift themselves up from poverty through God and with little government intervention.

Wait, the "magic negro" is not a Republican idea. It was made popular in America by Democrat David Ehrenstein talking about then Senator Obama. Ehrenstein pointed out in that article the memorable description of Obama by Joe Biden as "clean" and "articulate" as proof of deeply held invidious stereotypes but, of course, Biden is a Democrat not a Republican. Democrats have centuries of invidious racial animus against blacks to be guilty about and apparently they do.

And the idea that Republicans are drawn to Dr. Carson because of his achievements and his character and they care not a whit about his skin color never appears to enter Wilson's mind. There is none so blind...

[Carson's] harsh criticism of Obama, the Black Lives Matter movement, Muslims, and Mexican immigrants provides the political right with racial cover. Their logic is that if a black man says it, then it can't be racist. Their support of him is proof to progressives that they too are willing to vote for a black man. If you're trying to boast your racial tolerance credibility these days, "I'm voting for Ben Carson" sounds a lot more convincing than "some of my best friends are black."

Wait, we Republicans know that anyone of any skin color can be a racist about another race. Democrats deny that and think that only whites can be racist about blacks. Blacks cannot be racists against whites because of power or privilege or something. But isn't it logical to think that you can't be racist about your own race? Wouldn't the accurate term for that sort of feeling be "self-loathing"?

But for many African-Americans, Thomas, Steele, Cain and now Carson's popularity with the right is reminiscent of an old racial dynamic. During and post slavery, white slave owners and employers would often provide special treatment to select blacks, who in turn would help assuage their white guilt. It became the role of these black servants -- who were often deemed a "credit to their race" -- to heap praise on the "good" and "God-fearing" white boss, often at the expense of their own people.

The white slave owners he's talking about here were all Democrats. Apparently they needed their guilt assuaged. But to think automatically that Republican support of Justice Thomas, Dr. Carson, Mr. Cain and Mr. Steele was for anything other than recognition of those men's abilities and character is to betray an underlying belief that all Republicans actually hate blacks and don't accept their ability and character but only pretend to in order to assuage guilt for what the Democrats did, and continue to do, to blacks in America. That's some high quality projection, that is. It get's worse.

To be clear, the Republican Party should be encouraged to search for African-American candidates and political stars. What's offensive is that they are propping up inept and inexperienced blacks to run for the highest office in the land.

Now many Republicans with a sip of morning coffee in their mouths reading that last sentence might spew it all over the computer screen. The irony of Wilson's projection here is off the charts. The major Republican complaint about Obama was that he was inept and inexperienced and he was being propped up to run for the highest office in the land by Democrats merely because of his skin color. So Wilson' stupid criticism of the Republicans here is precious. It's offensive to Wilson and his ilk that Republicans are doing the same thing the Democrats did just over 7 years ago. The difference here is that Dr. Carson has some real achievements and a non-narcissist character and he's worthy of support in a way the President never could be. The idea of outsiders with no political experience being the Republican's preferred candidates this round is very interesting but outside the scope of what Wilson's writing about and what I'm commenting on. There are a couple of more snort-worthy sentences from Wilson.

His skin color and his willingness to criticize other black and brown people is at the heart of his appeal to the right. The Republican Party is now engaging in political affirmative action of the worst kind and in the most visible way.

No, Mr. Wilson, the Republicans support Dr. Carson generally because he is a great guy with whom they agree on a lot of issues. His skin color has nothing to do with it. Democrats support judging people by the color of their skin, which is why they and not the Republicans support affirmative action. We Republicans choose the people we support on the content of their character, as a great Republican once wished would become the American way. Also we Republicans support Carson's criticism of Democrats and racially neutral subjects like terrorism and illegal immigration not for anything to do with skin color but because the last two are problems which the Democrats are only making worse. Apparently everything Mr. Wilson sees is somehow a reflection of the superficial, of skin color. It really doesn't matter to us. Really. That's entirely your gig.

The last quote from Wilson below is also rich in irony.

Carson has excelled at telling the far right precisely what they like to hear and think. He doesn't challenge their beliefs, he confirms them.

Right. Which is why, regarding their decision to support a political candidate, Republicans support someone running for political office who is revealing his belief in Republican ideas and principles. Mirabile dictu.

The sad fact for Wilson and the Democrats is that Republican support of Ben Carson and other black candidates runs completely counter to the Big Lie (that Republicans became the racist party in the 60s when the racist, slave owning, Jim Crow writing, KKK member Democrats magically purged that history and put it on the Republicans). The Democrats can't have the facts of such Republican support get in the way of the Big Lie. So they put out these easily debunked sub-memes that the Republicans aren't really supporting black candidates but are merely assuaging the guilt they supposedly feel for the racist Democrat history.

Yeah, Mr. Wilson, that's it exactly--we're pretending to support the good doctor because we feel guilt over what the Democrats did. Perfectly logical, that.

I'll end quoting Jonah Goldman on the subject. Again.

How strange it must be for people who comfort themselves with the slander that the GOP is a cult of organized racial hatred that the most popular politician among conservatives is a black man. Better to ignore the elephant in the room than account for such an inconvenient fact. The race card is just too valuable politically and psychologically for liberals who need to believe that their political opponents are evil.

Carson’s popularity isn’t solely derived from his race, but it is a factor. The vast majority of conservatives resent the fact that Democrats glibly and shamelessly accuse Republicans of bigotry — against blacks, Hispanics, and women — simply because they disagree with liberal policies (which most conservatives believe hurt minorities).

Labels: Democrat Big Lie; Republicans Assuage Guilt by Supporting Ben Carson