An asshole? Maybe. But not everyone who disagrees with President Obama is *racist.*

“Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an ism, he should believe in himself.”
– Ferris Bueller

What if white, country-boy Kanye West interrupted African-American, R&B singer Taylor Swift? Would this switcheroo have changed public sentiment after their now-infamous interaction at last week’s MTV VMAs?

I doubt it.

The only difference – Kanye West would have been called a racist and a bigot, his behavior used as evidence that we still have a long way to go.

Well. We can call him a racist, bigot anyway. And still agree that we have a long way to go.

My question is – who cares?

Race matters, but only as part of the equation. Studies show that people are more inclined to vote along socio-economic lines rather than in accordance with their faith or skin tone. A person’s race is one of many factors used when deciding to agree or disagree with someone’s policy, genre, music, or point of view.

I thought about this over the weekend when listening to both friends and foes discuss how racism fuels the fight against everything Obama is trying to accomplish. When watching Jimmy Carter (big fan) talk about racism in the south, I agreed with him to a point.

Racism is still everywhere.

But it’s not as important as it used to be.

No matter what Rush Limbaugh says, reasoned arguments should be addressed and ridiculous arguments ignored. When we respond as if they are equally important, the ensuing discussion belittles us all.

Carter should know this better than anyone because his comments about Israel are called anti-Semitic by too many in an attempt to deflect what is, at heart, justified criticism.

Is this what we’ve become? Too afraid or uninterested in lively debate so we cry racism, anti-Semitism, or some other form of hate-ism, take our ball, and go home?

There are more examples of this trend.

Those against Sotomayor were anti-Latino, those who disliked Hillary were misogynistic, and people who hate pretty white Christian boys are unfairly targeting the Jonas brothers.

Nonsense.

Except for Jonas haters. Those people are dead on.

When Bill Clinton was in office, Republicans focused on his personal life. The “values” debate was really just an illogical hatred for Democrats and the desire by the right to win at any cost. Neocons didn’t actually believe in what they were selling, too many of them were divorced men preying on secretaries and interns themselves, but they used whatever worked to get the masses-are-asses in line.

No different now.

Some fools will respond to cries of socialism, communism, or Hitler. Their reactions justify the tools the right will continue to use as long as such tools work. Others will vote to the right when they see campaign literature calling Obama a thug. Wingnuts don’t actually believe this nonsense, but they will say whatever they have to say in order to keep the insurance companies happy and contributing to their reelection campaigns.

My concern is that the tactics of the debate will overshadow the real issues at play. If we’re talking about Wilson being a typical racist from South Carolina, we aren’t talking about the need for healthcare reform. We aren’t talking about the millions of people who are going bankrupt due to outrageous medical bills. We aren’t talking about the need for real answers that will help people get out of poverty and live healthier lives.

Right, I know.

Kanye West wouldn’t have upstaged a sister. Joe Wilson wouldn’t have heckled a good ‘ole white boy.

Keep in mind, though, that Joe Wilson wouldn’t have heckled a *black* president who supported rightwing policies.

So what?

That makes race second to other, more important issues.

Issues we should focus on as well.

Tags: everyone who disagrees with president obama is racist