I do not understand why so many people are calling the recent racial remarks of several GOP presidential candidates “dog whistles”. In politics, a dog whistle is a coded/oblique remark that sounds inane to most people but is a signal with a particular meaning to others. Teresa Wiltz cuts to the chase:
Some would call this dogwhistle politicking – the cynical use of code words and phrases to rile up the racist base. That’s what Sarah Palin did back in the 2008 campaign when she famously noted that Barack Obama “is not one of us”. But this goes beyond dogwhistling. These are messages that are coming in loud and clear for all to hear. Gingrich, Santorum and Paul can’t be bothered with prettying things up. It doesn’t matter that they’re spreading lies and misinformation. (For starters, according to the US Census, 59% of food stamp recipients are white, while 28% are black. Poor comes in all colors.)
They just don’t give a flying fig.
[...] It’s Not A “Dog Whistle” If Everyone Can Hear It « The Reality-Based Community I do not understand why so many people are calling the recent racial remarks of several GOP presidential candidates “dog whistles”. In politics, a dog whistle is a coded/oblique remark that sounds inane to most people but is a signal with a particular meaning to others. Teresa Wiltz cuts to the chase: [...]
You start out in 1954 by saying, “nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger” — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is that blacks get hurt worse than whites. Eventually you start saying “nigger, nigger, nigger” all over again because that’s just who you are and the Republican base loves it.
Heh! And, as a Republican, Ouch!
Well, the major media can’t hear it, just like they can’t hear it when Buchanan, Limbaugh, etc. do it.
There is no downside to lying in public pronouncements. I would like to see a law where anytime someone speaks in an official capacity they are under oath.
No, you wouldn’t.
Okay, I am not African-American myself. Even so, I do recall that recently, Rep. Waters was on my television news, holding someone’s feet to the fire over the lack of jobs out here in LA, and IIRC, South Los Angeles in particular. (I think it might have been an Obama person, matter of fact, who was in the hotseat.) So, Gingy wouldn’t be saying anything new, if he did ever go give that speech.
And he’s right — people *should* demand jobs, and they should do it at every Republican candidate event from now until doomsday. Occupy Gingy!!!
Well, his campaign events, I mean.
Spammer
Thanks calling all toasters — it’s “toast”.