Harold's Left:

It's all a big joke. I didn't know that when speaking to a crowd of proud "right-wing terrorists" I can't make blatant racial comments like "the Republican Party is looking for it's great white hope" without anyone noticing. I am sorry if anyone was offended. All I meant to say was that the Republican Party has some bright up and coming stars. These were essentially the words of Rep. Lyn Jenkins in talking about the state of the Republican Party to town hall participants last week.

This is the line of reasoning Republican leadership is playing. They are trying to walk a tightrope. On the one hand, in the confines of their small meetings and town halls with their constituents, they want to play on their groups ballooning racial angst over the election of a black president. They want to send out the coded messages that say "I am with you, I am frustrated that 'our' America is changing too". Yet, on the other hand they know that it is politically untenable for them to come out and say what the really think.

Unfortunately, I have a broad array experiences with these scenarios in my personal life. When I showed up at Fort Benning, Georgia in the fall of 2004, eager and nervous to begin my journey in the military, I was greeted with some mixed feelings. I was the only black person in my platoon of 55 men, most of whom came from small towns across America, and many of whom had never encountered a black male in any up close and personal way. The first day there, three young men approached me and began to talk about their affiliation with the Klu Klux Klan, in an apparent attempt to intimidate me. In the coming months the situation only got worse. I was pummeled daily with "jokes". I had my locker vandalized with the famous KKK picture of three hooded men looking into a well, in which they presumably threw a black man. A soldier painted his face black and danced in front of the whole platoon saying "see, look now I'm a nigger like Harold". All hell broke lose when I was appointed by the Drill Sergeants to be the Platoon Leader. The Platoon Leader (sometimes referred to as the platoon guide) is the only recruit that can give orders on behalf of the drill sergeant. He manages the platoon and stands tall in front of every formation. Needless to say, it was an unpopular pick. When the platoon was all sitting in a circle cleaning weapons, a soldier looked at me and said "I wish I had my maglite, used to call that thing my 'nigger beater'". I was upset to say the least. (I got my revenge on pugil stick day when I called him out and beat him to a pulp with my stick). The biggest incident happened when we were finishing our land navigation course and two soldiers in front of me said, " the only reason he finished first was because those niggers can see at night". I was feed up and I reported it. Interesting thing that happens when a black man reports a racial grievance... He gets labeled a "race baiter". I mean it's all in good fun right? Everybody is just joking, I should have had thicker skin. Those two soldiers were punished handily and I was looked at as a guy who was just "looking for racism".

Through all of that, I never wavered in my love for my country or my commitment to the Army. It only motivated me to be the best soldier possible. To show that I too could hang with the elite. The sad reality of the Army is that it is fairly segregated, and civilians really don't know it. The support positions in the military are filled with blacks, from cooks to mechanics. The actually jobs where you are kicking in doors and shooting people... not so much. I have lived the life of an airborne infantryman for five years, and have only seen a handful of blacks in this profession. (I've only got a few weeks left in the Army by the way)

I say all of that to say, these racial attacks by the right-wing and elected Republican officials are exactly what we know them to be. A play to some in their ranks who are complete bigots. To those who long for the "good 'ol days". When Jews were outcast and blacks were second class. The same people who are the quickest to sight that racism in America is gone because of its election of a black president (see Ann Coulter) are also the first ones to hope that their "great white hope" arrives to shut down this "scary" black man.

Last week a Republican gubernatorial candidate from Idaho remarked that Idaho should buy "Obama tags", tags being the designators for animals that can be shot during the hunting season. His apology was, "Anyone who understands the law knows I was just joking, because Idaho has no jurisdiction to issue hunting tags in Washington D.C.". Oh, great, we can all breathe a sigh of relief because he was only joking. I mean, it's not that joking about assassinating the president is bad, it's just that everyone knows the laws in D.C. wouldn't allow him to get the "Obama tag" he wants.

The Republican apology for their racist remarks always fall into three categories: I didn't know (Rep. Lyn Jenkins), I was only joking (Idaho's Rex Rammell) , or I don't care (anything Rush Limbaugh says).

Republicans. America's racial history is not a joke. Slavery was not funny. Jim Crow was not funny. You can continue to make your jokes and say "why can't you people just get a sense of humor" all you want. The fact is, everyone besides the whites in the Deep South and Midwest have abandon you. With the election of Obama, we have gotten to see who you truly are. The rest of us have moved on to trying to create a united America. One where the original principles of "liberty and justice for all" still ring true. So as your base dwindles and your votes wash up. We'll try not to laugh, because this time, the joke's on you.

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