"If you thought the buzz behind Congressman Joe Wilson’s 'You lie' outburst last week was over, think again," said Jimmy Orr in The Christian Science Monitor. Former president Jimmy Carter gave the controversy new life by saying that Wilson's jab and much of the most intense animosity toward President Obama "is based on the fact that he is a black man." (watch NBC's report on Jimmy Carter's comments on racism; watch more Carter comments on racism) Predictably, the blogosphere went wild.
Jimmy Carter's broadside was the "last straw," said John Tantillo in Fox News. "The widespread anger and doubt (the hundreds of thousands marching on Washington) is about genuine ideological differences between the president and his opposition"—not racism. Unless Democrats start paying attention to the "palpable fear that the Obama brand" is pushing big-government change many Americans don't want—instead of crying racism—they'll divide the nation further, and hurt their own cause.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'Solitude has become a notable, and worrisome, trend of our times'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Blake Lively accuses rom-com costar of smear jobSpeed Read The actor accused Justin Baldoni, her director and costar on "It Ends With Us," of sexual harassment and a revenge campaign
-
Germany arrests anti-Islam Saudi in SUV attackSpeed Read The attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg left five people dead and more than 200 wounded
