There was, understandably, plenty of outrage this week upon hearing MSNBC host Touré accuse Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney of what he called the "niggerization" of President Obama.
On Thursday's The Cycle, Touré responded to Romney's charge that the President can "take [his] campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago” in the following unhinged manner:
“That really bothered me. You notice he said anger twice. He’s really trying to use racial coding and access some really deep stereotypes about the angry black man. This is part of the playbook against Obama, the ‘otherization,’ he’s not like us.
“I know it’s a heavy thing, I don’t say it lightly, but this is ‘niggerization.’ You are not one of us, you are like the scary black man who we’ve been trained to fear.”
Appropriately, the level of disgust for such an outrageous slander has been great. But there is one person who may believe Romney got off relatively easy for being accused of the "niggerization" of one man - George W. Bush.
Bush wasn't simply slandered for his actions towards any one person rather, he was accused of the "niggerization" of the entire "American people". And it wasn't just that he was smeared with such a disgusting term, but that he was accused of using the events of 9/11 to achieve that goal.
So was it some hack blogger on the left who used such terminology? Nay.
Bush was accused of promoting the "niggerization of the American people" by frequent guest of the Bill Maher Show, host on CNN, C-Span and PBS, and esteemed Professor at the University of Princeton, Cornel West. In a piece for the Atlantic, West wrote:
Since the ugly events of 9/11, we have witnessed the attempt of the Bush administration—with elites in support and populists complacent—to promote the niggerization of the American people. Like the myopic white greed, fear, and hatred that fueled the niggerization of black people, right-wing greed, fear, and hatred have made all of us feel intimidated, fearful, and helpless in the face of the terrorist attacks. And, as in the 19th century, we’ve almost lost our democracy.
Additionally, West can be seen in this video comparing the backdrop of the Attica Rebellion to attitudes fostered by the ruling government party after 9/11.
West: The Attica Rebellion was a counter move in that direction - I call it the "niggerization" of a people. Not just black people because America has been "niggerized" since 9/11.
Is it any wonder that Touré has referred to Professor West as a "genius"?
In the end though, there's nothing new to see here. Just as it was acceptable for George Bush to be accused by liberals of "niggerizing" America, so too will it be acceptable for liberals to state that Mitt Romney is "niggerizing" Obama. It is the media's standard operating procedure to portray any and all critics of the first black President as a racist.
Based on the statements by Touré and Cornel West, let there be no doubt which side of the aisle the true racists sit.
Cross-posted at The Mental Recession
