Reason.tv: Matt Welch on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer—Is criticism of Barack Obama's agenda based on race?

On Wednesday, September 16, Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch appeared on PBS' The Newshour with Jim Lehrer to discuss whether criticism of Barack Obama's politicial agenda is, as former President Jimmy Carter has asserted, due to racial animosity.

Approximately 15 minutes. Edited by Meredith Bragg.

Comments

[Dello]

I have no problem with the part of Obama that's Black. I have a problem with the part of him that's President.

[ll blow j]

In Matt v. 4 black folks, it's clear that Matt held his own.

Good job!

[VM]

well done, Matt!

to your final point, don't forget that the code words the opposition uses ("socialism") also distract from actual legit objections.

Very well done, indeed. Congratulations on a very successful interview!

[ed]

Anybody notice that, of all the guests, only Matt was identified by his political philosophy?

[Xeones]

Is criticism of Barack Obama's agenda based on race?

Yes. Moving on...

[Fist of Etiquette]

My gut feeling is that McWhorter and Belcher occupy a similar space with douchebaggery.

[Warty]

Those negroes could almost pass.

[twv]

If anyone's a douchebag, it's Carter. McWhorter was basically correct, though, no? Or, that's how I judged it when I commented on it last week, here: http://www.wirkman.com/Wirkman/Netizen/Entries/2009/9/17_Opportunistic_racism.html

[Solana]

Principled and thoughtful as always, Matt. Well said.

[Matt Welch]

Appreciate the nice comments, thanks.

[Warren]

Nice job Matt. You comported yourself well. But your no Nick Gillespie (not that he's a friend of mine or anything). How I'd love to see Nick lay into the PBS home team with his unique brand of Eng. Lit. infused snark.

[John-David]

twv,

You couldn't be more wrong. Saying "some are racist, some are not" may be technically correct, but doesn't do anything to advance the debate.

[Fist of Etiquette]

McWhorter was basically correct, though, no?

He is probably correct that racism won't stop any legislation, and he is no doubt correct that he believes there is racism in the opposition to Obama's policies. His particular phrasing appeared to me (then and now) to be crafted such to make the protesters' racism a given. That is douchebagism, at least according to this viewer's gut.

[chuck]

Anybody notice that, of all the guests, only Matt was identified by his political philosophy?

The first guest was identified as a "Democratic pollster."

[Gilbert Martin]

The anti-capitalist G-20 protestors are rioting in New York. The are throwing rocks at the cops and rolling trash cans at them.

Gee I wonder where all those handwringing MSM reporters and commenters are who were so very worried about "racist" and "violent" tendencies amongst the tea party demonstrators.

[?]

A wire story about the G-20 rock-hurlers that gratuitously notes their overwhelming whiteness would be pretty sweet.

We got any moles in there?

Didn't think so.

[Brandybuck]

Nick's Reading Rainbow
Liberal children circle
Black leather jacket

[24AheadDotCom]

Great job! MattW's earned his stripes - and probably a few more Beltway cocktail party invites - with this appearance.

However, he said: The white resentment candidate in 2008 for the Republican side maybe was Tom Tancredo. He got drubbed; he got nowhere.

Now, if we actually put on our PBS/NPR Thinnking Caps, is that all there was to it? Wasn't Tanc basically somewhere on the other end of the spectrum from MattW vis-a-vis establishment support? Wasn't the issue not so much what Tanc said as the fact that he was consistently undercut by the MSM? Sure, he wasn't a great campaigner, but didn't MattW's establishment buddies try to marginalize him? (For one very small example, the NYT used a photo of him on their blog that made him look like a toothless yokel.)

Isn't MattW just another cog in the machine?

[ll blow j]

"A wire story about the G-20 rock-hurlers that gratuitously notes their overwhelming whiteness would be pretty sweet."

It's always hard to tell race with these guys. They tend to cover their faces with the burka.

[ll blow j]

(shakes head)

White people. Crazy motherfuckers:

http://reuters.scribblelive.com/Event/G20_Pittsburgh

[Warty]

Holy shit, Matt! You got Lonewacko-served!

Shut the fuck up, Lonewacko.

[ll blow j]

Why do these white G-20 protesters hate Obama's policies?

Because they're racists.

[Warty]

I think links to porn are generally frowned upon here.

[Nancy Pelosi]

"Why do these white G-20 protesters hate Obama's policies?"

They don't frighten me. Dissent is patriotic.

[ll blow j]

"I think links to porn are generally frowned upon here."

My apologies, little man.

[Warty]

Don't misunderstand me. I love porn. Do you have any Japanese scat/puke porn plz?

[Rich]

Cornell Belcher: "I think you can't separate ideology from adverse racial attitudes."

Well, then, that settles it for the Democratic Pollster. Yo, ...

[The Angry Optimist]

Die in a fire, Lonewacko.

[Eric Dondero\'s Publicist]

Seriously: can an admin remove the pr0n links? Linking to pr0n is something search engines look down on. They might think this site is about pr0n when as we all know they don't have any balls.

[Rimfax]

Has the lonewacko been taking his meds? That post was almost lucid.

[GILMORE]

I never watch glen beck (I dont believe in cable tv), but what the hell is he doing to submarine his own constituency by saying things like, "this president has a deep-seated hatred toward white people and white culture"...? What the hell does that even mean? Who do they think is on the other side of the tube nodding away, and is that guy someone you want on your side?

If these guys wanted to try and avoid the 'racist' label, maybe they could have avoided idiotic rhetoric like that? Its not even about 'racist or not'; its just embarrassingly stupid.

[FTG]

"this president has a deep-seated hatred toward white people and white culture"...? What the hell does that even mean?

He means that Obama is a Marxist.

[Mister DNA]

I never watch glen beck (I dont believe in cable tv)...

I can assure you, cable TV exists.

[GILMORE]

Why do these white G-20 protesters hate Obama's policies?

Watching the news hour now, and they interviewed some of the g20 protesters.

I dont think they worked too hard to find spokespeople for any protesting 'organizations'... they just picked a gang of idiotic unwashed squatter-punk anarchist types. They seemed like they were whacked out on painkillers too. One rambled for like a few minutes, and were like, "see....man, capitalism is just bad". The correspondent was like, "but hey, shouldnt countries at least get together and talk about policy from time to time?" and they just blinked and gaped. "sure, I guess... cause then we can come and harass them all at once" Saves on travel bills i guess.

It seemed pretty clear these guys were not political science majors. For them it seemed to be a "dead-show" type situation: we're here for the scene and the chicks and the getting tear gassed man. I wear black; I got nose rings; I sport mad tattoos; this protest shit is part of the whole getup. Whats with all these political questions man?

They were all white males. (**Racist!)

[GILMORE]

Mister DNA | September 24, 2009, 6:54pm | #

I never watch glen beck (I dont believe in cable tv)...

I can assure you, cable TV exists.

(fingers in ears) NYA NYA NYA!! Not listening!! THERE IS NO SUCH THING!!

I am also trying hard to not believe the WB network exists. Basically, I watch PBS until Bill Moyers or Masterpiece theater comes on, then I rush to the perpetual mexican soccer match way off in the UHF range. its soothing.

[GILMORE]

\FTG | September 24, 2009, 6:53pm | #
"this president has a deep-seated hatred toward white people and white culture"...? What the hell does that even mean?

He means that Obama is a Marxist.

Uh...

=/=?

all the marxists i've ever met are dumb white college kids.

or those G20 protest types.

Why not just 'say what he means'?

[GILMORE]

just saw the intro to the discussion on TNH

Gee, my fist thought on the participants was, "one of these folks is not like the others..."

You think they'd not leave Matt to be the one whitey

[FTG]

all the marxists i've ever met are dumb white college kids.

It was a joke, GILMORE. Lighten up.

And Obama loves white people - especially with tartar sauce.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

If I followed the arguments here,

1) if you don't criticize Obama 'cause he's black, that's racist.
2) if you disagree with Obama's policies as policies, you're not a racist, but
3) if you're white and disagree with Obama's policies, McWhorter still feels you're subconsciously racist; there's no way to measure it, but he's sure it's there
4) if you suggest that Obama's a racist, that proves you're a racist

[MNG]

"Is criticism of Barack Obama's agenda based on race?"

Well certainly some of it is, and certainly a lot of it is not. Obama is seeking some big policy initiatives which would likely make many on the right really mad even if he were purple.

[Suki]

I refuse to watch that racist display on PBS.

[MNG]

Was the deep seated dislike of W Bush among most blacks racist?

[Eric Dondero\'s Publicist]

What's funny here is that Instapundit is linking to a page that links to a pr0n site and that shows just how childish and despicable libertarians are. They can't engage in debate, they can only make comments that even Olbermann and his ilk would never consider making.

[Snickers]

Triple token talks with black supremacists. I feel your an evil turd, it really doesn't matter what you believe.

[Robert]

Late in the conversation she uses a sexual slur..."teabaggers", instead of the accurate and correct "tea partiers"...to describe the opposition. I'd have called her on her slur right then! Who the heck does she think she is that she can use a sexual slur to refer to a significant part of the public?

[Wacky Hermit]

Yeah, Robert, I noticed that too. It's rich how they assert that racism is in the eye of the minority and if the minority is insulted then it's racism, but then turn right around and use the epithet "teabaggers" which is patently offensive in the eye of the protestors. The same people who balk at "nappy headed hos" and don't like African-Americans being lumped in with welfare queens don't bat an eyelash at using a term like "teabaggers" or "feeling" as Mr. McWhorter did that all this hullabaloo is racist by default.

[Mike DeSoto]

I never watch glen beck (I dont believe in cable tv), but what the hell is he doing to submarine his own constituency by saying things like, "this president has a deep-seated hatred toward white people and white culture"...? What the hell does that even mean?

It means that Obama is a balls-to-the-wall racist bigot who has said things such as wishing he could somehow remove his "white blood".

[Matt Welch]

Re: teabaggers, Ifill has since apologized.

[mph]

Most critics of this president are rational and reasonable. But when racism rears its ugly head, it must be identified and ostracized and certainly never ignored or explained away. Racism does exist on all sides of the political spectrum -- not just the far left. The David Dukes and Pat Buchanans of the world are still manuevering, manipulating, and seeking to co-opt power structures for their own perverse desires.

[Paul]

Re: teabaggers, Ifill has since apologized.

What I really want to know, Matt, is has NPR apologized for not sending a limo?

[Paul]

The David Dukes and Pat Buchanans of the world are still manuevering, manipulating, and seeking to co-opt power structures for their own perverse desires.

David Duke lives in Austria.

[Paul]

And really, was there ever a more marginal politician than David Duke?

[Real Americanb]

People don't have a problem w/ Obama b/c he's black. People have a problem with him b/c he's RED.

[Jack Olson]

The black commentators on the PBS show basically said,"I'm not saying that the President's critics are racists, but they're racists."

[ken in sc]

WB does not exist. It changed its name to CW, at least around here.

[Tman]

Great Job Mr. Welch! You made a very important point, which is that there are some justified arguments being made against the spread of big government that are being ignored, and those that are making them aren't a majority of racists, which is what Mr. Cahtah absurdly proposed.

I suppose Matt could've asked the panel if they thought that the black people attending the Tea Parties are a little racist too, but I suppose that would be in bad taste.

I suppose.

[Sam Hill]

Would Welch have interrupted McLehrer to complain that his audio was out? Huh? would he?

[jester]

'even if he were purple.'

There's no telling now. Maybe someday he will go the way David Carradine went.

[jester]

Glenn Beck, unfortunately, has a paternalistic attitude of 'black people'. A lot of the right does. This is a key reason why Beck has not reached the libertarian level that he sometimes claims.

He believes that a 'black' person can be elevated to the level of a 'white' person if he learns the ways of the 'white man'. He erroneously believes that every righteous invention of man was done by 'white man'. White is a ridiculous division, the sort of 50/50 that ardent proponents of pure democracy consider their domain.

A libertarian belives a human being (individual) inherently has the capability regardless of genetic origin to reason. Mental retardation and/or low intellect is not unique to any particular genetic pool (beyond an artificially created small population), but its existence neither proves or disproves any superiority. Technology is an artifact of free trade NOT one of 'racial' superiority. Superior political systems lead to higher wealth standards that are independent of 'race'.

Rather 'superiority' is measured in technology and/or abundance and is richest in human communities most subject to free trade and often accidents of geography, but that modernly free trade has shown the accidents to be more and more nonrelevant.

[jester]

The fact that there are defenders both 'black' and 'white' of both sides of the old ignorant status quo racial theories is no surprise.

They both can reference back to the days of the Enlightment which was heavy on advanced political theories but short on any understanding of genetics because genetics did not exist. Ironically, the political theory advances of the Enlightenment allowed for human surpluses that created the ability to objectively (and often subjectively) study humans from around the world. Ironically, even the subjective studies such as phrenology which set out to prove the superiority of certain 'races' eventually proved themselves wrong.

[Brown Line]

Matt, on the whole you did a very good job. But the French have an expression, "Staircase arguments", for those things you think of only after the conversation is over and you're heading out the door. When I look over the tape, three "staircase arguments" come to mind.

First, Carter said "much" of the anti-Obama movement was motivated by racial hatred. He offered no support for this assertion. It was rankest slander, and he should have been called out on it.

Second, McWhorter spoke of "cliches" and "stereotyping", in particular the stereotyping of females and minority candidates. Well, stereotyping applies to white males, in particular white on the right: and the stereotype is that we are bigots. We must somehow prove, to leftists satisfaction, that we are not bigoted - which is impossible, of course. We're guilty until proven innocent. It's simply a way of dismissing criticism by stuffing the critics into a box labeled "BIGOTS". In any political argument, you have to give your opponent the assumption of good faith: and that is precisely what the critics of the tea party movement are not willing to do.

Finally, all the discussion has been about race, but what this movement really is about is class. All of the members of the panel, possibly excepting yourself, are members of what James Burnham called "the managerial class": journalists, academics, people in well-paid positions - in short, the sort of people who are selected to appear on PBS, and the people who will benefit most from Obamaization of the country. With very few exceptions, the tea party participants are of the *managed* class. Perhaps it's because I'm reading about the French revolution just now, but seeing them side by side with images shot at the tea parties brings to mind the clergy and nobility of France telling the peasants to shut up and stay in their place.

Again, good show.

[MNG]

"It's simply a way of dismissing criticism by stuffing the critics into a box labeled "BIGOTS"."

Sort of like calling everyone who disagrees with you "SOCIALISTS?"

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[Ron]

the far fringes of conservatism occupies the same space as racists? Ask "people of color" in Russia about their treatment. I guess that the communists are suddenly republicans. Sheesh

[GILMORE]

how much of this discussion was completely hypothetical?

On review, the vast majority of points made that were based in some kind of objective fact were all Matt's.

Almost everything else was pop psychology and subjective interpretations

[jester]

Sort of like calling everyone who disagrees with you "SOCIALISTS?"

Well put MNG. Exactly.

[K]

I'd still like to hear more about Matt's claim that "a lot" of the people at the 9/12 protest told him they "like" Obama.

Does he imagine that more than a very small share of them actually felt that way? Enough to support his claim that there were almost no expressions of racial anxiety among them?

My own sense was that the dominant feeling toward the President was intense fear & dislike. The marchers' signs & message-bearing clothes, their responses to speakers' references to him, etc, etc, all suggested he was in fact very widely & strongly disliked. (And if I believed a tenth of the calumnies against him they do, it'd be odd if I didn't feel the same way.) These were not, for the most part, equable swing voters.

[jester]

K,

I work with multi-racial gay couples. It's a different world now, thankfully. Some even have adopted children. In Texas!

I like Obama as a person. Why not? He is no different than many of my colleagues whom I esteem for various reasons.

As a libertarian, I find that I disagree with nearly everyone. If I projected that into the friendosphere, I'd have no friends. I'd certainly never get laid.

I don't fear our president. Sure he's out in left field, but at least now most people recognize that. I am not particularly bright but I you made me feel just a little brighter.