In a piece today in America Magazine, Michael Sean Winters starts out talking about how the notes on Palin’s hand made certain liberals froth at the mouth but then he obviously couldn’t help himself and jumped over to full Obama apologist mode again by telling conservatives like Palin to leave Obama alone because…he’s black. Yup. That’s what it’s come down to. He writes:
There was plenty that former Governor Palin actually said to the Tea Party convention that was disturbing, no one needs to focus on the sideshow of her palm notes. Palin has a knack for making the hokey comment that drives her opponents wild, in this case asking “how that hopey-changey thing is working out for ya?” Of course, at one level, this is merely a cute attempt to mock the President’s sloganeering during the campaign, although it should be noted that all candidates sloganeer during campaigns. Remember “Read my lips: No new taxes!”? At a deeper level, and among one group of Americans that did not appear to be well represented at the Tea Party convention, President Obama’s election represented a hope and a change that was both historic and deeply personal: For African-Americans, Obama’s election represents the same kind of hope and change that John F. Kennedy’s election represented for Catholics, and Palin is wrong to fail to understand that.
So all politicians have slogans, does that mean we’re not allowed to mock them. Because, you know, nobody ever used “Read my lips. No new taxes” against George Bush, right?
And because Obama represents hope for many African Americans, does that mean that Palin can’t criticize him? This is America. We’re allowed to criticize dear leader even if it upsets his supporters. Winters continues:
Of course, Palin is not unique in this failure. During the pile-on of Obama before his commencement address at Notre Dame, I kept wondering what the critics, especially the venomous ones, would have to say if they were called upon to preach at St. Augustine Church here in Washington, a historically black Catholic congregation that is somewhat conservative but was also deeply aware of the ground-shifting significance of Obama’s election. Being the first black President is not a free pass on any issue including abortion. But, the inability of some white Americans to see how their words fail to grasp this elemental experience their black fellow Americans have just celebrated shows a lack of human and moral imagination, whether that lack is found in former Governor Palin or in a Catholic bishop.
So take a memo everyone who’s pro-life. Any criticism of Dear Leader must now be preceded with the “Winters caveat” which goes as follows “While I appreciate and celebrate the truly historic nature of Obama’s election and in no way intend to demean the hope African Americans feel when they see a black man sitting in the Oval Office, I’d like to humbly say…(insert criticism here and immediately apologize for your cultural insensitivity.)
Anytime you forget to couch your criticism with a compliment of Obama you will likely hear from Mr. Winters. And you really don’t want that.
Mr. Winters, I am an Obama critic but I am not hung up on Obama’s race. In fact, I don’t even think about it. I’m hung up on the fact that he sees babies as punishments and is spending like a drunken sailor. Obama’s election was a great moment for born blacks and a terrible moment for unborn blacks.
Sure Obama is black but who cares? Obviously Michael Sean Winters does but I don’t.
I’m still waiting for Winters piece saying we shouldn’t criticize GOP Chair Michael Steele…cuz he’s black too, you know. I might be waiting a while for that one though.
