Fox Newsies just love painting Republican candidate Dr. Ben Carson as somehow “more black” than President Obama.
You may recall that Rupert Murdoch got into a bit of racial hot water last month when he tweeted that Carson would be “terrific” as a “real black President.” Now comes Fox News contributor and National Review senior editor Jonah Goldberg with the same sentiment. (h/t Media Matters)
In a National Review column on Friday, Goldberg suggested that Carson’s popularity is a sign that conservatives are more evolved on the subject of race than liberals – and, presumably, the 93 percent of African American voters who voted for President Obama.
Indeed, most analysis of Carson’s popularity from pundits focuses on his likable personality and his sincere Christian faith. But it’s intriguingly rare to hear people talk about the fact that he’s black.
One could argue that he’s even more authentically African-American than Barack Obama, given that Obama’s mother was white and he was raised in part by his white grandparents. In his autobiography, Obama writes at length about how he grew up outside the traditional African-American experience — in Hawaii and Indonesia — and how he consciously chose to adopt a black identity when he was in college.
Meanwhile, Carson grew up in Detroit, the son of a very poor, very hard-working single mother. His tale of rising from poverty to become the head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital is one of the most inspiring rags-to-riches stories of the last half-century. (Cuba Gooding Jr. played Carson in the movie about his life.) He was a towering figure in the black community in Baltimore and nationally — at least, until he became a Republican politician.
And this matters, why? Because it “proves” that conservatives aren't racists. Just pay no attention to the dog whistles and support for causes, such as voter ID, that disproportionately disadvantage minorities – which, by the way, Carson supports.
Goldberg continues:
How strange it must be for people who comfort themselves with the slander that the GOP is a cult of organized racial hatred that the most popular politician among conservatives is a black man. Better to ignore the elephant in the room than account for such an inconvenient fact. The race card is just too valuable politically and psychologically for liberals who need to believe that their political opponents are evil.
Carson’s popularity isn’t solely derived from his race, but it is a factor. The vast majority of conservatives resent the fact that Democrats glibly and shamelessly accuse Republicans of bigotry — against blacks, Hispanics, and women — simply because they disagree with liberal policies (which most conservatives believe hurt minorities).
Conservatives may resent being labeled as bigots “simply because they disagree with liberal policies” but they’ve got a lot of ‘splaining to do about Donald Trump’s popularity if they really want to wear the mantle of minority-friendly. I would love to hear Goldberg tell me how it is that the leading GOP candidate’s appeal has nothing to do with bigotry when his politics are mostly known for being anti-Hispanic, anti-immigrant and birther.
But until then, Goldberg’s “more authentically African American” statement quacks an awful lot like, “Some of our best candidates are (real) black.”
Carson caricature by DonkeyHotey.
(H/T NewsHound Richard)
‘Cause, who better to determine who’s more “authentically African-American” . . . than a white Jewish guy . . .
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