Dan Rather "[Obama] Couldn't Sell Watermelons"

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

(Do ya think Chris Mathews would try to stop Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck from saying this?)

"Listen he just hasn't been, look at the health care bill. It was his number one priority. It took him forever to get it through and he had to compromise it to death." And a version of, "Listen he's a nice person, he's very articulate" this is what's been used against him, "but he couldn't sell watermelons if it, you gave him the state troopers to flag down the traffic."

-Dan Rather

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[one...two...tree 2,762]

Doh!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I love the Chris Mathews verbal tap dance.

[Nagishkaw 510]

0h snap!

[scandal 951]

An African American President, a crack about watermelons... hmmm.... Mr. Rather, questionable choice of analogy there....

[spookyturtle 9,465]

He should have said cantaloupes or honeydews instead.

[Danno 1,228]

HAs anyone seen or come up with the official list of common use words which are banned when speaking about or too an AA?

If not perhaps we can get to work on that.

It seems every week we learn of new words which even used in proper context must (we are told) be meant for racist ill intent.

Will we ever crest the hill where the sensitivity meter begins to ratchet down?

[scandal 951]

HAs anyone seen or come up with the official list of common use words which are banned when speaking about or too an AA?

If not perhaps we can get to work on that.

It seems every week we learn of new words which even used in proper context must (we are told) be meant for racist ill intent.

Will we ever crest the hill where the sensitivity meter begins to ratchet down?

I know where you're coming from Danno. Sometimes the PC (politically correct) crowd gets way too overblown for me too.

Some of it really is insane, and just our culture wars run amok.

Some of it however I can relate to. As a Jew, perhaps I'm overly sensitive to common stereotypes and hateful speech often associated with Jews.

I therefore sympathize with blacks, or any minority, who feels that certain caricatures or patterns of speech are offensive. If it's offensive to them, they are the final arbiter of whether it's offensive. "Little negro sambo boy" is offensive. Watermelons are delicious and not in the least offensive, but if they evoke the image of little negro sambo boy, perhaps that's better left unsaid.

[Danno 1,228]

I doubt many want to excuse purposeful words which are playing off degrading themes but there are so many words or terms one might speak offhandedly ... and which would not even be noticed but for the color of the President.

Just imagine if some critic of Obama, in fast conversation accused the president of "monkeying around with the numbers" of a budget.

Holy Smokes could you imagine the fire storm it would create?

If two years ago this same line was used in reference to Bush, it would have had no meaning at all.

Even though in both incidents the same exact thing was said and meant.

On occasion we all get tangled in the random choice or circumstance of words, often it has a sexual flavor when none was meant.

I noticed a "Congressman Ball", Visit My Website in the news, I imagine his name has cause a number of such incidents over the years.

I believe the bigger the issue people make out of these clumsily composed sentences the greater the wedge is that separates people.

It seems the Left have been playing this gotch'ah game (all things are racist) for sometime now and the Right is now playing it too.

[scandal 951]

Like I said... PC for the hell of it is ridiculous, and has become a bit of a national sport in America. One I'd be happy to do without.

To go back to the original Rather comment regarding watermelons.. I am sure he never intended it in a racist way. I'm just reflecting that if it came across to ME that way, it probably has to many others as well. I don't think he needs to apologize or anything, it really isn't a big-deal comment. I'm just guessing that if he could rephrase it, he probably would have chosen a different fruit. Why not cherries or plums, for instance?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

The funny part is that Dan Rather was merely suggesting something the Republicans might say in the fall elections, he wasn't "saying it" himself, yet Matthews cannot even tolerate a Democrat saying something the Republicans might say.

[alienlovechild 75]

You'd think Rather, who was the face of CBS News for years, would be better able to communicate without looking like a fool.

If was anyone on Fox News, this story would be repeated over and over as "proof" of racism no matter who said it. Public apologies with firings to follow once the blood is in the water.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

You'd think Rather, who was the face of CBS News for years, would be better able to communicate without looking like a fool.

If was anyone on Fox News, this story would be repeated over and over as "proof" of racism no matter who said it. Public apologies with firings to follow once the blood is in the water.

rather was already fired. How do you fire an unemployed guy? what was he fired for? Oh yeah...trying to sell us Government CHEESE!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You'd think Rather, who was the face of CBS News for years, would be better able to communicate without looking like a fool.

If was anyone on Fox News, this story would be repeated over and over as "proof" of racism no matter who said it. Public apologies with firings to follow once the blood is in the water.

If Rather was still on CBS, this would probably be a bigger story. As he isn't, it's not.

[Danno 1,228]

If Rather was still on CBS, this would probably be a bigger story. As he isn't, it's not.

Yet every teaBagger with a photoshopped sign is.