Warming the Cockles
Hoke here.
The Bush win was fantastic.
But talk about a gift that keeps on giving.
Read Donna Brazile's Slate column.
I, too, hail from red America. The people from my native South are not necessarily more racist or less tolerant than other parts of the country. In fact, I find white Southerners to be more candid about their feelings on race and religion. Some of them honestly believe that by discriminating they are doing God's work, and instead of pulling out of the South, Democrats should re-engage them.
Lovely. The folks from her region are not necessarily more racist or less tolerant than those from other parts of the country. Translation -- "Well, they really are, but at least they're straight up that Jesus is communicating to them through their tin foils hats to kill the black man, and dammit, I respect that."
In the rest of the piece, Brazile explains why her family is the best - even her recovering Republican sister - and tosses off a vignette about that sister having her preacher threaten the congreagtion (using the words go to hell) if it voted for Kerry. The story is almost assuredly a lie (it is such a lame trope that I haven't seen it on The West Wing yet), but in the lie, the real truth emerges. Brazile presumes that the South is so hateful, narrow, and racist that just such a tale is plausible -- at least, to the readers of Slate.
Brazile continues:
You see, despite our personal differences on matters of faith and religion, we believe that in order to be good disciples of Jesus, you have to not only know his words but also perform his deeds. That is where we draw the line with those who spend hours and hours in church, only to come out and hate everyone around them.
Translation -- The South is a hellhole, spewing vile hatemongers from the bellies of its noxious churches every Sunday (except for Brazile's "recovering" sister).
And her conclusion?
More Barack Obamas and, I'm not kidding you, that Democrats must speak in a language that allows all voters to know we share their outlook for a strong and prosperous country.
Places like South Carolina and Oklahoma are so noncompetitive that halfwits like Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn can defeat their Democratic opponents even if both congressman were caught buck-naked at a squirrel roast and they wore flowered bathing caps on Russert.
And Brazile's advice?
Keep the same tune, change a few words, and those religi-racist retards will get back on the team that's good for them.
Like I said, the gift that keeps on giving.