Conservatives Furious That Obama, Like Bush, Issued Kwanzaa Message
Remember when conservatives raged after President George W. Bush issued messages marking the celebration of Kwanzaa each and every year he was in the White House? Neither do they. That's why the right-wing blogosphere is apoplectic that Barack Obama followed Bush's lead in recognizing a holiday many African-Americans celebrate each year.
As he did in 2009 and 2010, Andrew Malcolm made sure his readers knew that President Obama and the First Lady issued an official White House statement marking Kwanzaa. Tammy Bruce quickly retweeted a message declaring, "Obama celebrates Kwanzaa...Idiots," adding, "Oh freaking brother." The always execrable Weazel Zippers fumed:
Just because Kwanzaa was made up by a racist black nationalist who was convicted of torturing two women who were part of his group "United Slaves," because he thought they were hiding nonexistent "crystals" of poison meant to kill him doesn't mean it's not a legitimate holiday, right? Or how about the fact that actual Africans have never heard of Kwanzaa? I could go on and on but I'm preaching to the choir.
Sadly for the foaming-at-the-mouth right-wingers, that choir did not include President George W. Bush.
Had they simply followed Dubya's practice of "clicking around" the "Internets," they would have discovered that President Bush issued official Kwanzaa statements in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. For example, on December 20, 2002, President Bush offered this Kwanzaa greeting to the American people:
I send greetings to those celebrating Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa celebrates the traditional African values of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. From December 26th to January 1st, people of African descent gather to renew their commitment to these seven principles, known as Nguzo Saba, and give thanks for the blessings of family, community, and culture. Kwanzaa is also a time for Africans and African-Americans to honor their common heritage by participating in events based on early harvest gatherings called matunda ya kwanza, or first fruits.
As individuals and families join together during Kwanzaa, their joy enriches communities in the United States and across the globe. By uniting people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs, this holiday promotes mutual understanding and respect. These universal principles inspire us as we work together for a future of freedom, hope, and opportunity for all.
Laura joins me in sending our best wishes for a memorable Kwanzaa, and for peace, happiness, and success in the coming year.
GEORGE W. BUSH
As it turns out, this year's greeting from Barack and Michelle sounds a lot like the ones from George and Laura:
Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa -- unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
We celebrate Kwanzaa at a time when many African Americans and all Americans reflect on our many blessings and memories over the past year and our aspirations for the year to come. And even as there is much to be thankful for, we know that there are still too many Americans going through enormous challenges and trying to make ends meet. But we also know that in the spirit of unity, or Umoja, we can overcome those challenges together.
As families across America and around the world light the red, black, and green candles of the Kinara this week, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year.
If this latest manufactured controversy sounds familiar, it should. After all, conservative culture warriors also burst a collective blood vessel in November when President Obama's 2011 Thanksgiving message failed to include the word "God."
(This piece also appears at Perrspectives.)
UPDATE: For those who missed it, President Obama and the First Lady used the weekly address on December 24th to deliver their annual Christmas message. Here’s the transcript.
Surprise, surprise! IOKIYAR! Why are people amazed at this? This is just another instance at trying to get at President Obama. This is because conservatives cannot stomach being governed by a black man.
I have to disagree a bit - the "outrage" has nothing to do with Obama being black. Pubelickins would be just as fake angry if Joe Biden had issued the statement. I'm not saying conservatives in general aren't racist - there is definitely a strong tendency in that regard. But these tantrums come more from abject hatred of anything and everything done by "libruls".
is anything BUT liberal.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." -- Robert E. Howard
BINGO.
There's always free cheddar in the mousetrap, baby. - Tom Waits
...because while Kelvin Phillips might not be entirely correct when he attributes this solely to the fact Obama is a biracial man with an African parent (even though some Americans actually find it more difficult to accept biracial people than they do African-Americans), he's not entirely incorrect either. The truth of the matter is that there's a reason why Republicans are able to get away with just about anything in this society while Democrats can't -- and that's because overwhelmingly, the Republicans symbolize the group which still holds the dominant position in this culture (meaning white, wealthy, heterosexual, Northern European Protestant males). At least historically, the Democratic Party has been a voice for many of the subordinate groups within our culture -- minorities, the working class, etc.. I firmly believe that one of the primary reasons why Republican politicians often get a pass for the very same actions that Democratic politicians are criticized for is because Republicans are firmly entrenched within the dominant group far more than Democrats. Despite the fact that Obama is a wealthy man now, he didn't come from a wealthy family (and neither did Clinton, for that matter). He's also not white and has been suspected of being a secret Muslim, which means that he represents at least three subordinate groups and therefore people are more at liberty to target him than George W. Bush (who's a white Northern European Protestant heterosexual male from a wealthy family). For that matter, think of all the debate that surrounded JFK's presidential candidacy just because he was Catholic!
Never trust anyone who insists that patriotism requires you to blindfold yourself with the flag.
Not only is Bush a "white Northern European Protestant heterosexual male from a wealthy family," his family's money came from supporting the Nazis. Prescott Bush may have become a Senator after World War II but leading up to and during the war he made his money financing the Nazi regime in Germany. Roosevelt threatened to throw him in prison unless he stopped financing Hitler.
Tammy Bruce? Really? I guess I should say, "Tammy who?" I'll bet most people reading this does not know who she is. There is a reason for that. She is a nobody. I want to know what Megyn Kelly thinks.
"Megyn Kelly" and "thinks" do not belong in the same sentence. They don't even belong on the same planet.
"Whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, the Republicans are not the least bit interested in solving it. They are interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it."
I know who she is. She's another dumb conservative flame thrower who hates everything Obama.
I thought she was calling those worked up over a simple friendly seasonal greeting 'idiots.' I didn't realise she was being one.
She and hers are the Idiots.
me-oww!
Isn't she the nasty self loathing lesbian wingnut psycho?
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
They have a cult to maintain. And I know think that Obama's "mysterious" religious life is meant to sound more distasteful to conservatives than Romney's. And one thing we know is the GOP has been ready to run Romney since 11/4/08.
From the bizarre cult of political extremists, freaks, and anarchists who have a reflexive hatred of those who oppose their attempts to impose a totalitarian regime.
"We will find fulfillment not in the goods that we have, but in the good we can do for each other."
Robert F. Kennedy
If you're going to have something, like the Presidential Message here, pop out and the word "Enlarge" appears in the instructions, the pop-out should not be smaller. I'm not looking for a wallpaper or desktop image, but I was hoping to be able to read the words.
Thank you.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
I totally agree. What's the point if you still can't read it? A technical problem C&L needs to adjust in 2012.
Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders.
It would have been nice if someone would have given out a "happy holidays" or at least a "best wishes" to the Hutchenites. If they are shaken, do they not jingle? Do they not sometimes don their gay apparel.? Like someone said, "what about the fest of us"?
If not now, when?
*yawn* BFD. These people are idiots, hypocrites, liars, and anti-American to boot. I've grown bored with their fake outrage and their transparent manipulation.
Anything actually interesting going on?
There's always free cheddar in the mousetrap, baby. - Tom Waits
message anywhere, so those who celebrate Kwaanza should feel honored!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
for Christmas written on White House stationary!
But I found an official Christmas greeting to the Pope and the rest of the world from Ahmadinejad!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
... another bout of faux outrage by right wingers. Remember, it's all about which family is living in the White House.
Over and over again, self-righteous conservative pundits have indignantly decried something that Obama has done, completely and conveniently oblivious to the fact that said statement, practice, policy, event, expenditure, etc was hardly unprecedented and was well within the norm for the POTUS and First Family.
Let us pause now for a moment of SCIENCE
..there is Boss Limbaugh, there is Lonesome Rhodes Beck, there is Hannity, O'Reilly & Coultergeist.
But when you get to Tammy Bruce, you are suddenly taking it to a whole 'nother level...
http://mediamatters.org/search/tag/tammy_bruce
When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in excess body fat & carrying a misspelled sign.
This just shows the utter contempt they have for their own single digit IQ audience that they know they can manipulate them with such transparent garbage.
are still on the hunt for the Dixie Chicks to produce birth certificates....
You are right: "At least historically, the Democratic Party has been a voice for many of the subordinate groups within our culture -- minorities, the working class, etc." However, the GOP and its media troops have drawn many of those groups to its side with slick and pervasive demagoguery, spinning facts and appealing to basic prejudices. I am always reminded of a postman friend of mine in Massachusets who firmly thought that the rightwing Boston Herald tabloid was on his side; he hadn't noticed that any mention it made of unions was always negative. Propaganda can be very seductive.
Glad to see we have a PRESIDENT, that knows what the US Constitution says about NO, NO, NO recognized religion, and that America is for EVERYONE to WORSHIP as they see fir.
Now if the Cowardly, Gutless, ASS WIPE, Spineless christian who care so Hateful and Cowardly they think that their Make Believe religion is real, ROFL, even their book of Fairy Tales that they use to scare and Justify the HATRED and INTOLERANCE they spew.
Three cheers for the PRESIDENT doing what is RIGHT, now if he would move to BAN christianity as a religion of HATE and FEAR, and start IMPRISONING christians on a 900 calorie diet a day AMERICA would be a better place.
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