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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Richard Cohen's Race Baiting Attack on Governor Palin; UPDATED

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

Governor Palin's new book, America By Heart, hit bookstores yesterday, and already the far-Left crap has hit the fan. Richard Cohen of the The Washington Post, who himself has been accused of inappropriate, anti-semitic, and sexist behavior, has chosen to point his finger at Governor Palin in what surely appears to be an accusation of racism. He who shows little regard for the United States Constitution seems to lack a basic understanding of the country he calls home as he seeks to attack her because she would dare criticize Michelle Obama for saying, during the 2008 campaign, that for the first time in her adult life she was proud of her country. Somehow that criticism makes her a racist in the eyes of race baiters like Cohen. In his article, "Palin needs a history lesson," he writes:
Sarah Palin teases that she might run for president. But she is unqualified - not just in the (let me count the) usual ways, but because she does not know the country. She could not be the president of black America nor of Hispanic America. She knows more about grizzlies than she does about African Americans - and she clearly has more interest in the former than the latter.

His ridiculously asinine and ill-informed assessment of Governor Palin's qualifications aside, Mr. Cohen's failure to understand America is both embarrassing and insulting. Granted, I'm no history expert, but the last time I checked there wasn't one America for Blacks, one for Hispanics, one for Whites, and so on. There is, however, the United States of America, a place that is the envy of the world, where those who are blessed to live here have the opportunity to work, prosper, and thrive. That's the America I see and the America Governor Palin sees. Clearly, it is not the America Richard Cohen sees. From his perspective, America is divided into sections of people based on race, and because he sees the world in this way, he expects others, namely Governor Palin, to see it as such and to walk around with a negative view of this country. Not going to happen.

Noel Sheppard of NewsBusters backs me up in this. He offers the following:
And therein really lies the problem in the liberal media. Folks like Cohen and his ilk still see many Americas all divided by race and ethnicity.

This divide will only disappear when the Cohens of this world see America as one and stop using race as a political tool.

Sadly, I don't expect that will happen in my lifetime. How about you?

No, I don't expect such a change in my lifetime, either. Too much is at stake--for the Left, that is. If they actually stop race baiting and working the victimhood approach, they might actually have to deal with the issues and face the facts. That would totally isolate them from the vast majority of Americans who love their country and are tired of hearing people apologize for it.

As America By Heart just came out yesterday, I am not yet able to speak on the entire book; however, my understanding is that Governor Palin does discuss the Founders, slavery, and racism. Also, Jedediah Bila's review states that Governor Palin includes inspirational words from such people as Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King. Nonetheless, she gets criticized for using so-called racially charged language because, as we saw during the campaign, questioning the Obamas' association with Reverend Wright or Mrs. Obama's suspect comments about America are off-limits. The lyrics, "Can't Touch This" come to mind.

I'll be the first to state that America is not perfect. We have made huge mistakes in the past; my ancestors could attest to that truth. However, who can deny that America has indeed been a shining city on a hill, a land of opportunity, and a force for good in this world? Just two years ago America voted for the first half-Black president, this in spite of his gross lack of experience, radical associations, and relative anonymity. I'd like to ask Cohen which America he believes voted for Obama. Was it Black America? Was it Hispanic America? Could it have been White America? Which America is President Obama presiding over? Since he imagines more than one, I reckon he has answers to such questions.

See, people like Cohen habitually zero in on race and the mistakes of the past and exploit them. He enjoys and cultivates the culture of victimhood that is the brand of the Left. Anyone who deviates from that mindset, who dares to believe the best in America, who dares to even live in the present where race is concerned, is somehow racist, unaware, or both.

While Michelle Obama's words should be mind-boggling to anyone who lives in this country or has benefitted from the benevolence of this country, they surely have no place coming from someone who is a part of a campaign to lead this country. Nonetheless, he chooses to defend her because--imagine this--she is the descendant of slaves. Huh?

He writes:

It's appalling that Palin and too many others fail to understand that fact - indeed so many facts of American history. They don't offer the slightest hint that they can appreciate the history of the Obama family and that in Michelle's case, her ancestors were slaves - Jim Robinson of South Carolina, her paternal great-great grandfather, being one. Even after they were freed they were consigned to peonage, second-class citizens, forbidden to vote in much of the South, dissuaded from doing so in some of the North, relegated to separate schools, restaurants, churches, hotels, waiting rooms of train stations, the back of the bus, the other side of the tracks, the mortuary, the cemetery and, if whites could manage it, heaven itself.

It was the government that oppressed blacks, enforcing the laws that imprisoned them and hanged them for crimes grave and trivial, whipped them if they bolted for freedom and, in the Civil War, massacred them if they were captured fighting for the North. And yet if African Americans hesitate in embracing the mythical wonderfulness of America, they are accused of racism - of having the gall to know more about their own experience and history than Palin and others think they should.

I could honestly puke at what Cohen attempts to do here. My ancestors also were slaves. I descend from the family of Harriet (Ross) Tubman, a fact that I hold in high regard. Believe me, I am not one to forget where we came from, but the awareness that I carry involves as much a pride of how far we've come as it does where we've been. Michelle Obama received Princeton and Harvard educations and was living the good life, even before her husband was nominated to run for the presidency. Would Cohen have us believe that America was not good to her?

Cohen's comments truly speak to where he stands in his view of this country. He mentions the "mythical wonderfulness of America." Mythical, really? He makes the accusation that Blacks are deemed racist if they don't subscribe to that mythicism. Interesting, because I don't hear that. I didn't hear Governor Palin call Michelle Obama a racist at all. Actually, what I hear is Cohen calling someone racist for refusing to deny the wonderfulness of America. So Governor Palin is supposed to apologize for being proud of her country? In Cohen's warped mind, such patriotic pride disqualifies her for the presidency.

Even more interesting, he comes to Michelle Obama's defense at the start of his article by stating she wasn't really saying what Governor Palin criticized her for saying, but then he goes on to agree with what most of us heard her say--that America has not been a very good place. If Mrs. Obama didn't mean to say that, why then does Cohen defend that position?

Richard Cohen ends his article this way:

Did she [Governor Palin] ask about her [Michelle Obama] background? What it was like at Princeton? What it was like for her parents or her grandparents? I can offer a hint. If they were driving to Washington, they slowed down and stopped where the sign said "colored" - and the irritated Palins of the time angrily hit the horn and went on their way.

I read this to say: the nerve of Governor Palin not checking up on poor Michelle Obama to ask how bad things were at her Ivy League institution in this horrible country. And the nerve of her not asking about her ancestors. Even more, the nerve of Governor Palin not being born "colored." How dare she be born White. Apology required, lady, or no presidency for you, at least no presidency of Black or Hispanic America. Now, where those two places are located, I don't know, but apparently Richard Cohen does.

Here's the end of the matter: Governor Palin is an American and proud of it. She does not believe in apologizing to our enemies or to ourselves. She believes in American exceptionalism and that here, in the greatest country on the face of the Earth, the same principles and policies benefit all Americans regardless of race or gender. She does not embrace different sets of beliefs for different sections and categories of Americans. Whereas the Left always sees things in terms of black and white, Governor Palin truly doesn't. They deem this a problem because they want the division, they rely on it, and they promote it.

On the contrary, the Governor believes that we can progress as we elect leaders who are committed to moving America forward by embracing common sense conservative policies that benefit all. And those who put themselves in position to represent this country ought to unapologetically believe the same. If they appear not to, they risk getting called out, and they should be. Governor Palin is not afraid to do just that. This ought to go without saying, but I'll say it once again anyway: this fearlessness doesn't make Governor Palin a racist. It makes her an American, and a proud one at that.

(Thanks to numerous C4P editors and contributors for assistance)

Update by Doug: Lori Ziganto further "refudiates" Cohen's nonsense here.

Congratulations, Bristol Palin; Mission Accomplished

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

Bristol Palin entered the Dancing with the Stars studio with these goals in mind:

1. Get out of her comfort zone
2. Have fun

Mission accomplished--and then some. Her improvement over these last several weeks is obvious. Judges spoke time and time again of her impeccable form and footwork. They encouraged her to let go more, and we beheld her do that as well. This was not by accident; this was the result of hard work, determination, and a relentless commitment to progress. Bristol has come a long way, and we had the privilege of watching it all and cheering her on.

When she took on this adventure, Bristol readily admitted that she had done no more dancing than that which a mom does with her son when no one else is watching. However, when contacted by DWTS, Bristol didn't let her inexperience get in the way. In true Palin fashion, she chose to tackle this new challenge with which she was presented and to do it with everything within her. I don't know if Bristol realized the impact that stepping out--literally--would have, but immediately people rallied around her and were very much engaged in her new endeavor. This is evident on Facebook, for as soon as she started her official page, her Facebook friends blew up, as the saying goes. She reached 1,000 in just one day, 5,000 in a week, and the growth continues. She currently has nearly 27,000 in such a short amount of time.

Bristol's ability to exchange "mourning for dancing," as Governor Palin reminds us, should be a lesson to each of us. Her appearance on the show did more than electrify fans. It inspired a multitude. While the number of people who follow her on Facebook does speak to the celebrity Bristol has, various comments I've read there are what speak to the impact she's having on the lives of people. Both men and women are applauding her growth as a person and the perseverence she personifies. Not everyone can come through what Bristol has come through with such class, grace, and influence. As a teenager, she became a mom. She faced her responsibility and brought her son into the world. She finished school, worked hard, and committed herself to putting Tripp first. This journey wasn't without mistakes, heartbreaks, or sacrifices, but she entered this season with faith, hope, and a steely spine--not just the DWTS season either. I'm talking about this new season of her life. This is where people find inspiration in her.

As if DWTS wasn't challenge enough, Bristol simultaneously took on the added challenge of traveling to share her testimony and the message of abstinence she has embraced. She spoke at Lifehouse in Louisville, the Tulare-Kings Right to Life in Visalia, and the Perry Center in Fargo. She has found her own voice and has literally matured before America's eyes, and it's only the beginning for her. As her mother, Governor Palin, would say, "The world is her oyster" as she moves forward.

Dancing is a metaphor for life, and in just a few weeks, Bristol has lived it before us:

You're faced with a challenge, so you put one foot in front of the other. It may be new, but each step leads to another--and you learn along the way. It may be uncomfortable, but you give yourself to someone you trust to lead you--and you find out that there was more to you than even you knew. Your routine gets judged, but you take the criticism, some of it unfair and inconsistent, but you go back to the practices, the sweat, the discipline--and you come back again for more. The music ends all too soon--and yet you walk away secure in the knowledge that you did what you set out to do. You got out of your comfort zone, you had a blast, and you even did something you hadn't bargained for: you made a whole lot of people feel like they were dancing right along with you.

Tonight's third place finish is certainly not the end for Bristol. The greatest adventures of life are ahead of her still. She'll continue to embrace new challenges, grow as an individual, and share a message of faith, life, and hope--and she'll do it with the support of people who, while watching someone become her best self, have found the strength to become their best selves.

Stepping out never comes without haters, and there have been many along the way trying to derail Bristol's efforts. We can learn much from her philosophy, however--the same philosophy she shared with her parents when they reminded her of the criticism she was sure to face: "People are going to criticize anyway, so I might as well dance." Dance she did, and in so doing, the numbers of people she inspired far outweighed the numbers of haters.

Bristol Palin's Dancing with the Stars adventure ended, but if this chapter had to come to a close, if tonight's dance was her last televised dance, what better way to go out than having the courage to step out of her comfort zone the last few weeks--once in a monkey suit, no less--and have the time of her life? These were her goals after all, were they not?

Yes, mission accomplished. Congratulations, Bristol Palin!

Of course, Governor Palin offered her congratulations. She just tweeted the following:
1. Well, what a great ride! Competition is good for everyone.Be inspired by those who step up to challenges & improve w/each step;Congrats Jen!

2. Congrats Jen,Kyle,Bristol,et al, for proving competition is GOOD! Remember: "They're going to criticize anyway, so you might as well dance!"