Issodhos quoted:
...President Obama should “take [his] campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago.” Co-host Touré saw what he believes to be explicit racial connotations beneath what Romney was saying, calling it the “niggerization” of the campaign.
“That really bothered me,” he said. “You notice he said anger twice. He’s really trying to use racial coding and access some really deep stereotypes about the angry black man. This is part of the playbook against Obama, the ‘otherization,’ he’s not like us.”
Issodhos said:
As I wrote last year, when they started cranking up the ol' play book, I suspected Dems would increasingly resort to playing the race card
When I first read this, I was a little concerned about Toure's counting skills. I traced the link to a link and caught more of Romney's remarks and found the other "anger."
I will certainly agree that this is not the strongest example of ... "race baiting" is too strong ... maybe, "race reminding" that I've seen since Obama was elected. Maybe Toure is just a bit sensitive because of a pattern of racially charged speech by a bunch of white guys. Not direct statements, just reminders that Obama is, after all, black.
But let's consider the phrase, "Play the race card". That phrase is often used to delegitimize honest claims of racial injustice. It is glib and dismissive. When I hear it, my ears prick up because I suspect that the speaker is about to make a racist comment to which I might be compelled to respond.
