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Republican Protest of Michelle Obama Is Nothing Short of Racist

by Maressa Brown on July 10, 2012 at 2:59 PM

michelle obamaAs if you needed another reason why some people refer to the Sunshine State as "Flori-duh": Now a couple of hot shot Republican school board members in the Miami-Dade area are stomping their feet about First Lady Michelle Obama making an appearance at a campaign event to be held at Barbara Goleman Senior High in Miami Lakes. They're urging the event to be cancelled and are even questioning its legality.

Too bad the idea that the event is out of line legally is a complete conservative fairy tale (or nightmare, however you wish to see it). And the only obvious conclusion why they've dreamed this temper tantrum up is clear: They -- like a gazillion other backasswards politicians on the right -- are complete racists.

Since that conclusion could easily come off as a knee-jerk reaction, let's try to give the guy the benefit of the doubt for a moment ...

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Board member Carlos Curbelo wrote in a letter to the board's attorney:

Allowing the First Lady of the United States to use one of our schools explicitly to benefit the president's reelection campaign is inappropriate and sends the wrong message to our students, employees, and to taxpayers -- even if the president’s campaign is willing to pay for all costs resulting from the event.

But then, lookee here ... The Daily Kos breaks Curbelo's concerns down for us. To sum it up ...

  1. The district's policy is to allow all groups, including political ones, to lease facilities. Obama's campaign is paying $2,351 to rent the school for the event.
  2. Mitt Romney's campaign is also renting out a public high school in Colorado to do the same thing.
  3. In the past, (white) Democrats like Bill Clinton and politicians' spouses like Laura Bush have participated in similar campaign events at Florida public schools.    

So there you have it. There's absolutely no legit reason for them to be throwing this hissy fit.

Sadly, this incident is further proof that there are some on the right who are attempting to block the Obamas at every turn, for one reason alone. They hate them unconditionally. They can blame their disdain on Obama being a "socialist" or "Communist" or whatever other ridiculous, extreme label they want to slap on our POTUS and his wife. But ultimately, the real word they can't stand -- and the real reason they're giving Michelle a hard time in Miami -- is "black."

Do you believe this campaign event should be held at a public school? Do you think it sounds like the FLOTUS is being discriminated against?

 

Image via Talbot Troy/Flickr

Filed Under: politics, michelle obama, racism

Comments

72
  • ldbc
    --

    ldbc

    July 10, 2012 at 3:11 PM
    I am so sick and tired of people playing the racist card. Give it a break!
  • right...
    --

    rightside

    July 10, 2012 at 3:13 PM

    Yawn.


  • Guest
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Guest

    July 10, 2012 at 3:14 PM
    Seriously? This is nothing more than an ad-hominem attack on Republicans. Yes, it's perfectly legal for the Obama campaign to rent the facility. And it's perfectly legal for members of that community to oppose the campaign doing so. To throw out the race card is quite the stretch, though not a surprise coming from someone with a liberal viewpoint. It's part of your playbook. You forgot to throw in how some big business played a part, how children are losing a free lunch program as a result, oh- and how it's all George W. Bush's fault.
    Puh-leeeze.
  • mamaw...
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    mamawidup

    July 10, 2012 at 3:25 PM
    I'd rather be racist than as naïve as you!
  • hotrd...
    --

    hotrdumommy

    July 10, 2012 at 3:32 PM

    You know that little voice that tells you not to read the comments on any blog or article that mentions race and the President and First Lady? Well I didn't listen to that voice and now my blood pressure is up. I don't think it's racism though. It's just ass clowns being ass clowns. Plain and Simple.


  • SoJaided
    --

    SoJaided

    July 10, 2012 at 3:36 PM
    Shit, I'm white (Italian) and I also believe a lot of these Republicans are pulling this type of shit just because the Obamas are black. Open your eyes, it's always been a-ok in any other circumstances but just since it's the Obamas, it's like they want them to follow another set of rules. Not cool.
  • Lesli...
    --

    Lesliemom2mzjm

    July 10, 2012 at 3:45 PM

    Soooo, how the hell is this racist???  As a conservative, I think the GOPers are in the wrong on this one, but I don't see how it has anything to do with Mrs. Obama being black.  It's idiots like this writer who try to perputrate the fallacy that Republicans or conservatives are racists, when in actuality, it's the other way around.


  • Flori...
    --

    Floridamom96

    July 10, 2012 at 4:13 PM

    As to the DailyKos bullet points so helpfully posted by you...

    1) The two school board members want the policy to be changed to exclude political events.

    2) What happens in Colorado has absolutely nothing to do with the Miami-Dade Florida school board. Each school board gets to make it's own policies.

    3) Did the individual school board members (de la Portilla and Curbelo) who are contesting this policy in Miami-Dade county support these uses? If so where is your evidence that they did?

    A statement by Curbelo, says, "There’s a difference between official visits to schools by elected leaders and events that are for the sole purpose of advancing the interests of a political campaign.”

    And, in a quote from the Miami-Herald, "Curbelo added that his request was not an “anti-Obama position” and that he welcomes official visits from the president and first lady, but wants to keep politics out of schools to the extent possible."

    Do try to actually know the facts and share them with others. Name calling is such an unattractive and juvenile way to make a point.

     


  • Laura
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Laura

    July 10, 2012 at 4:16 PM
    Could it be possible that Republican school leaders are trying to prevent Democrats from winning over voters? Could it be that simple? Oh, no, according to Maressa here, it simply must be about race. What you don't realize is that people like you just make racial tension worse.
  • JAFE
    --

    JAFE

    July 10, 2012 at 4:34 PM

    Racist? Again? Oh please. The minute you don't like this administration, out comes racist. There could be a million reasons for this.


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