Coloring the convention

Tim Cavanaugh | August 28, 2008

Here's a conspiracy theory for our time. Fox News did the pool coverage for the convention. That was a controversial development among Democrats back when the pool credentials were awarded, and it remains so now. So how is Fox executing its scheme to undermine the Democrats? According to a Coloradan I spoke with last night, they're including too many black people in the cutaway shots.

I'm not really sure how that undermines the party, and in fact I'm pretty sure the Republicans also go to great lengths to present a politically correct mix of races for the cameras during their own conventions and SOTU addresses. But when my friend explained that the cutaways keep creating the impression that half or more of the conventioneers are African-American, I realized that I'm in on the conspiracy too: Though I identified them only by affiliation, I must admit that three out of the five people I quoted in my lurker roundup yesterday were black! The truth is out: There are many black people at this convention. (Who would have guessed?)

But again, how does accurately or inaccurately depicting the racial makeup of the crowd help the GOP, hurt the Democrats, or in fact discombobulate anybody except this weirdo bean counter I was talking to? It turns out that when the bigoted troglodytes out in the Real America (which I apparently don't understand the way this guy does) get a load of all that soul, they'll flee to John McCain. (You see how it's never you who's the racist; it's those ignorant others in the heartland.)

Because the pun is so easy, I'll paraphrase the original Dr. J., and say that to endeavor to make the Democrats look bad would be like blacking the chimney. That was already done when the party itself allowed Melissa Etheridge to shamble up on stage and deliver the worst musical performance in galactic history. That rambling, tuneless, arrhythmic atrocity made me deeply, deeply ashamed to be white:

Comments

|8.28.08 @ 2:33PM|#

Apparently, according to Tim Cavanaugh, it's not possible to be non-racist and yet observe that other people are racist. Noticing that other people are racist means that you are just covering up your own racism. Typical Suck.com-style "ironic" cheap shot that proves Cavanaugh doesn't deserve to be employed as a columnist or anything else that requires having intelligent opinions, and Matt Welch should be drummed out of the media for having such poor taste in cronies.

|8.28.08 @ 2:36PM|#

I still want an explanation of Clinton running naked with NAMBLA or whatever that claim Tim made yesterday.

|8.28.08 @ 2:39PM|#

Along similar lines, I did notice, although the cameras worked real hard to keep them out of view, flags of the Nation of Mexico being waved, by delegates to a primary convention to elect a candidate for the President of the United States. Not sure how Mexico would feel about me waving an American flag at their political conventions, oh wait, that's against the law down there, silly me.

I'm not sure which is the more important message, the presense of the flags, the effort to keep me from seeing them, or the lack of commentary on them.

Also, how many times did I have to see that black woman wipe away the tear from her eyes. I was crying too, just not for the same reason.

After telling us time and again that this election was not about race, all I heard from the MSM was how historic it was that an African American was chosen blah blah blah. Somehow not mentioned was that fact that he is only half black.

All these supporters of "womens rights" were very comfortable with the fact that half of his heritage and lineage is being totally wiped form the picture. Lets face it, without mom there is no baby Barack, and yet, her life and the lives of her entire family apparently does not exist, only the black side of the family counts. Thats one heck of a way to champion the importance of women in this country.

Orange Line Special|8.28.08 @ 2:47PM|#

me: thanks for providing a comment with more news than Reason has been able to generate by actually being there.

However, I need more information: what delegation was waving the flags (IL, TX, AZ...?) and can you please find video or at least a screengrab?

BakedPenguin|8.28.08 @ 3:02PM|#

...they're including too many black people in the cutaway shots.

They're obviously showing too many gay people too. Over half of that seven minute video a gay person was on screen.

|8.28.08 @ 3:03PM|#

Couldn't FOX save time and energy by just focusing the camera on Barack Obama? Holy shit he's BLACK!!! I'm gonna guess that the "bigoted troglodytes" don't need sophisticated subliminal camera work.

|8.28.08 @ 3:10PM|#

Don't you get it? FAUX News has right-wing biases, so it's conspira-ma-cizing. But left-wing biased media would never do that.

Really, the left's terror and hatred of Fox is fucking pathetic.

Seitz|8.28.08 @ 3:23PM|#

However, I need more information: what delegation was waving the flags (IL, TX, AZ...?) and can you please find video or at least a screengrab?

Looks like Lone Whackoff is running low on immigration porn.

Rhywun|8.28.08 @ 4:17PM|#

Not sure how Mexico would feel about me waving an American flag at their political conventions, oh wait, that's against the law down there, silly me.

Aren't you glad we have the freedom to wave any goddamn flag we want, anywhere we want? Oh wait - that's not the point you're trying to make. Never mind.

Lefiti|8.28.08 @ 4:21PM|#

Clealry the media are intentionally undermining Libertarians by occasionally showing pictures of Bob Barr and the porno-star look alike. How about those Ron paul rallies where the cameras always focused on crazy-looking people? Why so many shots of Ron Paul himself? To make it look like all libertarians are crazed old fanatics with squinty eyes? You have to wonder.

|8.28.08 @ 4:49PM|#

A great example of how race politics is no-win politics.

(a) Show black attendeees, and you're a racist for trying to stir up the troglodytes.

(b) Don't show black attendees, and you're a racist for not giving blacks equal time.

Lefiti|8.28.08 @ 4:58PM|#

Yeah, you can't win.

a) You believe in the free market of ideas, and nobody's buying yours.
b) You keep running the most unappealing old fucks to get your message out just to show that it's the message, not the messanger, that's impoortant, and the media just focus on the unappealing old fucks. I mean, fuck!

|8.28.08 @ 5:14PM|#

Lefiti,

What?

|8.28.08 @ 5:16PM|#

The left just needs to start working on an excuse why Obama blew the easiest Democratic Presidential election in history. The way Fox News presented their convention is just the beginning.

By the way, how is it Fox News's fault to show anything that is going on in the convention?

Lefiti|8.28.08 @ 5:24PM|#

I dn't know, Marcus. I guess I'm just whining about how tough it is to be a libertarian. We have all this contempt for every other political phiolosphy because we have such simple rules like just don't initiate force against anybody (like making people pay taxes), and nobody pays any attention. We know government is bad and want to keep it small and weak, but it just keeps getting bigger and stronger. And the kicker is that the big statist parties get all the intelligent, reasonably good-looking people, and we get stuck with Bob Barr. Jesus Christ, the hairlip would look better than that mustache! And what's with his goofy running mate? Nobody looks like that on purpose. So I'm just wondering--maybe somebody is fucking us over. I don't want to sound like a conspiracy nut, but how come we get all the dumb, crazy-looking people?

|8.28.08 @ 5:37PM|#

Lefiti,

Small government and personal responsibility isn't popular. It's not a conspiracy.

Lefiti|8.28.08 @ 5:41PM|#

Marcus,

That's easy to say, but what about Bob Barr? If the idea is unpopular, should we really have Bob Barr selling it? And what about the market? If the idea is unpopular, isn't that market forces at work? We believe in the market, and the market kicks us in the ass. Tell me there's no conspiracy. Maybe Barr's in on it.

|8.28.08 @ 5:53PM|#

Bob Barr is probably the most popular LP candidate for the past 20 years (in total, not among LP'ers necessarily).

And "the market" is an economic reality, not a political one. It costs nothing for idiots to hold bad political ideas.