From the WaPo:
The sign went up Sunday evening, bold black letters against the stark white background of the marquee at the Colony South Hotel & Conference Center in Clinton: “Country First. McCain/Palin.”
By daybreak, pandemonium had broken loose all across heavily Democratic Prince George’s County. Many local supporters of Democrat Barack Obama, jolted by the message as they headed down Branch Avenue on their Monday morning commutes, grabbed cellphones and BlackBerrys to notify friends. Operators of neighborhood e-mail group lists cried foul to their memberships. The NAACP logged calls. Community leaders demanded boycotts of the hotel, a common venue for Democratic events.
“Businesspeople have to be mindful of the sentiments and sensibilities of their market trading area, and Prince George’s County is overwhelmingly for Obama,” said community activist Arthur Turner of Kettering, who was among those advocating a boycott. “People I have talked to look at the sign as a slap in the face. They feel it was blatant disrespect […]”
Prince George’s [County, MD] is clearly Obama Country. As the nation’s wealthiest mostly black community, where about 77 percent of registered voters are Democrats, residents have Obama placards in their yards, bumper stickers on their cars and the candidate’s visage on their T-shirts.
The marquee supporting the GOP ticket in “an area that is strongly African American was like putting a stink bomb in the middle of the living room,” said University of Maryland political Professor Ron Walters.
Well, “a slap in the face” and “like putting a stink bomb in the middle of the living room” are two ways of putting it, I’ll grant.
Here are two more, though: political free expression; showing support for the candidates of your (individual) choosing.
What is so remarkable here is that the “outrage” and the promise of boycotts and all the calls were not fueled by any direct denigration of Obama (cf. The Dixie Chicks); no, this “slap in the face” was instead fueled by the simple placement of a sign supporting McCain/Palin, and that placement itself construed as a sign of “blatant disrespect.”
But “disrespect” to what, exactly? Certainly not to the political process. Nor to any candidate.
Instead, the “disrespect” here is to the Obama-supporting community, who, I suppose, feel entitled to ownership over political advocacy in “their” area based on “their” ownership of the controlling majority.
From a business standpoint, showing one’s support for McCain/Palin is not the smartest move — but it is a politically brave move, and one that certainly isn’t worthy of the kind of feedback it has provoked. The reaction it has prompted, in fact, suggests that a failure to fall in line with the political choices of the “community” — here, overwhelmingly black and overwhelmingly Democrat — is worthy of a kind of swift and violent community censure. And we’re not talking about support of some fringe party candidate here. We are talking about support for one of the two viable parties in this election cycle.
It is not enough, apparently, that 77% of the population of PG County supports Obama; instead, merely being confronted by the more uppity of that 20-something percent who haven’t fallen into line is an outrage so severe that IT SIMPLY MUST BE STOPPED!
For my part, I can certainly see how those who disagree with the political choice of the hotel operator might decide to take their business elsewhere. What I don’t understand — and what I find increasingly troubling, however — is this subterranean suggestion that the community is willing to run off any who don’t at least pretend to join its political bloc — or that the very act of disagreeing with “the majority’s” political choices is a racial affront rather than the competing opinion of an individual.
When it was whites running off blacks, liberals were outraged. But when it’s Dems running off Republicans, this is merely the sign of “community pride.”
Let’s keep this in mind going forward, when America begins once again to resegregate itself along certain lines.
(h/t Mike C)
got a sign on my forehead
says “vote hats”
my hair plugs are incensed
More Obama freedom in South Carolina.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences.”
C.S. Lewis
Ha! Ron Walters! Diane Rehm’s bestest friend! The go-to-guy in the “let’s keep Marion Barry” sweepstakes.
It’s all race, all the time with Walters.
I, for one, will NOT welcome our new socialist overlords. Who’s with me?
It seems to me that the Conference Center owners are doing what the lefties always claim they love to do … speaking truth to power. Guess it only works one way for them, though.
P.S.
yes, I hate that f**king phrase as much as everyone else does.
“This is a highly charged election where the stakes are extremely high and emotions are running high on all fronts,” said Orlan Johnson, a lawyer who lives in Bowie and is on Obama’s national finance team. “But it is difficult for me to believe that individuals shouldn’t continue to have the opportunity to exercise their right to free speech. It would be un-American to not allow that to happen.”
He’s right too.
Run the banners out of town, while new lessons in indoctrination are given right down the block, so to speak.
Right behind almost every other paragraph in the article too.
a bicycle for two
u must pedal faster…mr white sock oppressor[sp?]
can u loan me a side-car?
“If you respected me you would stand silent while I shriek my beliefs at the top of my lungs, 24/7!”
No wonder thor supports Obama.
“See any whites hangin’ in the trees?”
No no no, you twit.
The Democrats used to hang blacks.
Didn’t you pay attention in class?
See any whites hangin’ in the trees?
thor needs The Negro. It justifies his cape.
don’t look up
the billboard does lie
keep ur eye on the freedom trail
it’s okay if u cross the white lines
rules are made by whitey
to further his hate
of ur miles davis jazz driving
crazy baldhead
Accusing the host of racism is so October 13th, thor.
Oh yeah well I heard a conspiracy theory that aliens were going to show themselves to us today and join us together in love and unity so there. Keep hope alive!!
What about a sign that says “FREE DRUMSTICKS FOR MCCAIN VOTERS”
and I believe that’s checkmate.
Plopping race in the place of Party here is part of that low-information useful idiocy thing you just mentioned. The dynamic’s the same here in Whiteyland.
A friend of mine works with the Adult Swim guys, and he passes his swag heaps along to me, because unlike him, I’m a fan of some of their shows. In the last batch, there was a “Killface for President” shirt, obscurely promoting Frisky Dingo. Long anecdote short, I wore it, and a girl-encouraged handful of guys at a a bar tried to start a beatdown on me because I was wearing a seemingly political but not pro-Obama shirt.
“I’m against politics, actually. I’m for cartoons.”
Well, that’s not what a real white man says. Summon the goon squad.
Unsummoning one isn’t so easy.
If the people who run the place didn’t know who I am and like me, I’d have been stomped out. There was enthusiasm. Not just from the would-be gang-jumpers, either. It quickly became a thing.
This is what democracy looks like.
“If you respected me you would stand silent while I shriek my beliefs at the top of my lungs, 24/7!â€Â
That was good, McGehee. Very good.
Freedom of speech and expression will not be tolerated in Baracky’s world.
I wish people, not saying anyone in particular, would brush the hell up on their American history. That is all.
what came first? acorns or trees?
hangin or chilln’?
fake tits or jane fonda?
I think they should brush up on some German history myself.
Dissent in the Bush Administration was “patriotic”
Dissent in an Obama Administration will be “hate speech”.
had a dreamy
something about skin and character
forgot the details-doesn’t matter though
cuz ur a billboardin’ snowboardin’ oppressor man
history begins tomorrow
daddy warbucks save us!
sharptons march around the billboard
no piece/no justice
question/when’s his legs’ gonna get tired?
u been bamboozled!
keep on creepin’ on!
Wait, wait! I’ve got it! You remember those “Enterprise Zones” from the Clinton years? You know, the ones that created tax and grant opportunities to start businesses in depressed areas.
Well, well, well. we could do POLITICAL ZONES! Yea, don’t you see? Take Prince George County. We could declare the whole county an “Obama Zone.” This’ll work, I’m telling you! All of the consideration, respect and manners will go to Obama supporters. IT’LL BE THEIR ZONE! We’ll have standby tanker trucks filled with Marshmallow Fluff and if anybody VIOLATES THE ZONE THEY GET A BIG, GHOSTBUSTER’S SIZED FLUFF COVER OVER THEIR NOT APPROVED FOR ZONE SIGNS!
WHADDAYA SAY! WHO’S WITH ME!
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!! (smoke)
Son of a bitch! The Trans Dimensional Political Idea Bridge from Bizarro World fried again! Stinkin’ cheap assed Chinese wormhole generators…
I turned on MSNBC earlier, and a NY Times writer (I did not catch her name) had the audacity to say that race is a major factor in this campaign, and apparently the Baracky campaign are the only ones that do not recognize this.
Which is why for the longest time now we haven’t had one.
we got political zones now dog/called the inner city
how’s it workin’ out?
“makes me wanna shout/holler”
they pimpin u
fascists!
Please say she was joking, JD. Please.
I’ll tell you one thing – Geraldine Ferraro is the only one who’s displayed and balls in this election year. 90 DAY MORATORIUM ON PC!
thor lifts Mjöllnir and delivers a resounding blow of fail.
Sadly, No, BJ. She had one of those serious self-lefteous faces on, and seemed to actually believe the drivel that spewed forth from its mouth. She was followed shortly thereafter by the elf Krugman, whose Nobel prize further debases a once important award.
JD: The Nobel lost all gravitas and credibility when they awarded the Peace prize to the Goracle.
…..”and balls” are like any balls only more.
This is what democracy looks like.
– When you turn it over to the Fascists.
Actually I think Krugman earned his Nobel prize. As opposed to Gore, Carter and that guy who used to make a living off of killing people until he ate it himself.
– The reaction of the herd is perfectly understandable. The Left, in spite of having a stacked deck, with the entire MSM in its tank, groups like ACORN gaming the election system, the fact that its a “democratic year”, and the rubber spine’d GOP and its rubber spine’d sitting Pres and rubber spine’d “mice guy” candidate, they’re still afraid their WonderBoy may find a way to lose.
– The core Left is still a small percentage of the electorate, and since Candy<ams entire mezmerizing act on the mainstream Democrats is aparatchik, polemic lie based propaganda, things could change in a heartbeat with just one really indefensible revelation.
– So even the most normal kind of display can shake them up badly, making them feel the revolution is under attack.
– I believe more than ever there will be civil unrest if the CandyMan losses.
– BTW, with the outright purchase of all major banks by the FED we became officially a Socialist based country as of today.
Krugman did earn his Nobel Prize, but like Chomsky, is brilliant in his field and sounds off moronically on every other one.
The cloud of smug over the NYTimes HQ just got waaaaaaay thicker.
…”we became officially a Socialist based country as of today.”
But with a twist: the government now owns all the means of production of debt. Score!!!
And I think Krugman consistently declared the future.
It’s ALWAYS been okay when Dems run out Republicans, and it’s ALWAYS been a sign of “community spirit.” Only difference is, it was about the “White Culture” then and about the “Black community” now, but the principle is the same: Don’t Show Your Fucking Colors if They Differ From Ours.
Ah, Prince George’s County. Home of the people who aspire to earn enough to live in Waldorf or Glen Burnie.
pretty idiotic for any hotel to be engaged in partisan politics.
pretty idiotic for anyone to give a crap.
there is a place in hell for reporters who rely on quote machines like Ron Walters.
Isn’t he the fellow who said the collapse of Enron would be marked as more important to history than 9/11?
He’s still wrong.
(Of course, isn’t it odd that so many Democrats, including Krugman himself, were so busy trying to keep Enron afloat and their role in it hushed up? I wonder if Jamie Gorelick ever did anything for Enron…)
I think where Krugman lost all his Nobel extra credit was when he started writing for the papers. But I think his work on trade was very, very highly regarded.
This all goes back to that Stephenson’s world of cloistered academics is probably not all that bad of an idea, after all.
I have consistently declared the future, as well. And I’ve been wrong nearly as often as Krugman, so SCORE!!
“Candidate Banners Can Leave Clients, Businesses Bruisedâ€Â
Baracky’s media should take fucking note I think. Or for real do they mean businesses bruised except not ours which is propagandy AND thrivey cause we is special? Doubt it.
â€ÂBut with a twist: the government now owns all the means of production of debt. Score!!!”
– Well, thats what the Socialists say, believe in big government. Me. I have My doubts.
– WomderBoy and his campaign are really trying hard ti deflect the ACORN “problem”. Hes on TV today talking about ACORN as “that orgabiztion thats been involved with fraudulent voter registrations, and the “his” people are running thier own registration ops and have no need of “help” from ACORN.
– And so yet another Obama/Demoractic group sails under the MagicBus.
– The McCain people have thrown down the gauntlet by challenging the Obama camp to join them in chasing down every registration, and question before the election. Obama’s people have said they’re not interested, which in itself is interesting.
– CandyMan has a new dustup to deal with as of this morning, based on comments made once again, by his good friend Jesse.
– Jackson said in response to a reporter, that “Isreal will loss its favored position under an Obama administration.
– The Obama camp went into full out panic mode, instantly throwing Jackson under the MagicBus, saying Jackson has no connection with Obama’s campaign and absolutely no input from Obama on foriegn policy, and hardly can be expected to understand O’s ideas of dealing with it. O’s people went on to say that “[with] Obama in the WH, Israel can be assured that the US will continue to support Israel and its ability to defend itself from any and all enemies.”
– Seems a day doesn’t go by that someone or some group doesn’t express doubt in the CandyMan’s ability to lead, or worry about his Socialist ideas and policies.
BJTexs:The Nobel lost all gravitas and credibility when they awarded the Peace prize to the Goracle.
I’d have pegged that event at Arafat, myself.
The last recipient who TRULY deserved it was Norman Borlaug.
Is it okay to print Obama’s likeness in a political cartoon? Or will that bring on another jihad of firebombing campaign signs? It might be easier for him to shake the Islamic terrorist tag if his followers would stop acting like them.
That being said, this guy, in terms of business sense, was a moron. i’m as libertarian and anti-left as any of you, but, as a small business owner in a small city, i know you have to use some common sense and stay away from publicly pronouncing your political beliefs. It’s just the way it is. In a perfect world all of us (well, maybe not ALL of us) would be able to express our polital beliefs unfettered, but in the real world, business people, and especially small business people, simply have to keep their mouths shut, publicly anyway. You have to look out for your livelihood and the livelihoods of your employees. This man made a conscious, and stupid, decision to enter himself, and by proxy, his business into the realm of politics. He made a decision and is living with the consequences of it…and that’s the way it should be. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it is. As a business person, he should have known better.
Which is his right. Certainly people are free to shun his business afterwards, but, really, shouldn’t we expect better of the oh-so-tolerant “liberals”?
#54
Wrong. While you are free to patronize, or not, any establishment based on their political declarations, he has a very reasonable expectation not to be harrased for his political views.
I was driving along on Sunday in a rural area, lookin’ at the pretty trees. I was checking out yard signs as I went, seeing lots more McCain than O! here in the Midwest (starts with “W”).
I saw one brave business had a bunch of political signs on their front lawn. It was a factory that apparently made ice cream and other dairy specialties, but had its McCain sign large as life. The wife would not have been as happy, had she been awake and seen it herself.
No point, really, just sayin’.
@54
You may be right from a business sense, but apparently his convictions drove him to action. Isn’t that sorta an ideal?
I am a honestly disturbed about this territorial shit. Is America going to be like gangland?
I don’t think the Obamiacs want to go there.
[…] it’s hard out there for a pimp black man who opposes Obama. Some might even say hateful. Racists. Posted by Dan Collins @ 12:41 pm | Trackback Share […]
I think it’s not all that far a stretch for someone to do exemplary work in their own particular area, yet dish a bunch of politically-motivated nonsense in newspaper columns.
It’s what they’re for, after all. Again, perhaps another case in favor of academic cloisters.
Daddy was a cop on the east side of Chicago
Back in the U.S.A.
Back in the bad old days
In the heat of a summer night
In the land of the dollar bill
When the town of Chicago died
And they talk about it still *
How far does the ACORN fall from the tree?