Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on January 28, 2010

Imagine if any Republican or conservative had said that he or she “forgot” Pres. Obama was black for an hour during his long State of the Union address last night. Left-wing zealot Chris Matthews says this jaw-droppingly stupid thing as though it’s a compliment. Which, for racists, I think it is. Is it just me, or did anyone else think that was a racist comment? Or was it just stupid?

Crikey. Matthews is right up there with the dishonorable Harry Reid. Must be a liberal-progressive thing, because they’re the only ones who keep bringing up and reminding themselves and us of Obama’s African heritage.

Does that matter to most people? Not to me it doesn’t. But it sure does matter enough to Matthews, who is tingling with excitement to tell America that he actually FORGOT for an hour that Obama’s skin color wasn’t white. Sounding like he deeply dwells on it for the other 23 hours in a day…

SOTU – MSNBC’s Chris Matthews up past bedtime – forgot Obama ‘was Black tonight for an hour’, other beauties

From Hot Air:

Whenever any host on MS-NBC refers to critics of Barack Obama as racist, just keep this link handy. Chris Matthews offers up this revealing non-sequitur as praise for Obama’s “appearance” of post-racial qualities in a manner that echoes Harry Reid’s strange praise revealed in the book Game Change. I’ve puzzled over this comment since I saw in on Twitter last night in the aftermath of the State of the Union address. Exactly what does it mean that Matthews “forgot he was black” in connection to his praise of Obama’s leadership?

[...]

Except, of course, when Matthews and Olbermann accuse everyone else of being racist for opposing Obama, or deciding that a pickup truck is “racist imagery.” I can certainly tell you how this would have been interpreted coming from the mouth of Sarah Palin, Scott Brown, or any conservative or Republican talking head on a news show. They would have been pilloried for suggesting that national leadership somehow doesn’t go with an African-American background, and labeled as latent racists.

From BV Black Spin:

I am not sure where Chris Matthews was coming from with these comments. To some extent, his remarks were shocking, and I wasn’t exactly sure why they shocked me until I’d had a chance to sleep on it. During my rest, I realized that Chris Matthews’ words were hurtful and irritating because they represent the kind of paternalistic racism that might come from liberals in an historically racist society. With his words, Matthews was practically applauding Obama for rising above his blackness, as if merely mentioning the words, “I am a black man,” would have completely ruined Obama’s brilliant speech. No one asked Matthews what he thought about the fact that the president was black, so Matthews going out of his way to mention Obama’s blackness is a reminder that Matthews himself was focused on the fact that he was listening to a black man.

It’s odd and interesting that in a so-called “post-racial society,” the way to applaud the fact that you didn’t notice something is to mention the very thing that you’re claiming to not have noticed. If Matthews had been truly unaware that he was listening to a black man, he would have spent his time commenting on Obama’s policies rather than the color of his skin. To be relieved that President Obama did not force you to notice that he is black is a subtle reminder of the implicit threat of putting blackness on the table for even one second during political conversation.

From Another Black Conservative, Chris Matthews: “You know, I forgot he was black tonight”:

Obama has been president for a little over a year; you would think that Chris Matthews would have gotten over the fact that Obama is black by now. Most of us are more concern with the direction Obama is taking the nation to still be noticing what color he is. Yet here is Matthews yammering on about how post racial the speech was. Never mind that there was nothing remotely related to race in the speech.

Matthew’s statement again reminds me of that subtle bigotry in the left. Biden, Reid and now Matthews’ statement all seem to suggest that it is some major feat for black people to be articulate and competent. Matthews’ statement is also probably a tell tale sign that Obama’s color had a lot to do with Matthews’ decision to vote for him.

Picture this: sports reporter interviewing basketball’s Shaquille O’Neal:

Reporter: Shaq, you played so well tonight, I actually forgot you were black during the game!
O’Neal: Thanks, man! What a nice thing to say! That’s a real compliment!

Would never happen. If it did, though, there would be immediate outrage. My money is on Matthews being a squirelly racist. Which is OK with the media if the idiot is a liberal.

Additional reading:
Frank Ross, Big Journalism: MSNBC’S Matthews: ‘I Forgot He Was Black Tonight’
Another Black Conservative: Chris Matthews: “You know, I forgot he was black tonight” and A mea culpa from a Hope Dope
Flopping Aces: Glenn Beck On Chris “I Forgot He Was Black” Matthews
Gateway Pundit: McCain Seen Mouthing “Blame It On Bush” During Obama’s Hyper-Partisan Attack Speech and Chris Matthews: “I Forgot He Was Black Tonight For an Hour” (Video) and Terrific!… Governor Bob McDonnell Gives GOP Response to SOTU– Thanks His Daughter (Video) and SOTU LiveBlogging Tonight– Excerpts– It’s Showtime — Let the Blame Game Begin and Dem Rep Admits: “We’re Told to Call It a Jobs Bill Not a Stimulus Bill” and For 2010 Election Strategy Dems Decide To Blame Bush For Their Failed Economic Policies and Pelosi Claims House Dems Are Focused on Jobs But Unemployment Has Doubled Under Her Watch
BV Black Spin: Chris Matthews MSNBC: ‘I Forgot Obama Was Black for an Hour’
Zipline Conservative: Obama’s State of the Union (Finally Focused)
The Anchoress: Obamaporta-prompta; Symptom of Distress?
Michelle Malkin: SOTU open thread: Blame the lobbyists! Fund high-speed rail boondoggles!
Frugal Café Blog Zone: State of the Union Online Poll Results from CBS News… Not Looking Good for POTUS and S.E. Cupp’s Sassy Take on the “White House’s Play-Doh Spin Factory” and Increasing Trouble in “Obama Paradise” but Don’t Blame POTUS… Newest Scapegoat Is Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Hello, Train Wreck: Obama’s Agenda Is Crashing… Calling Bill Clinton on Advice to Get Out of His Mess? and Mort Zuckerman: I’m Disgusted… Obama’s “Done Everything Wrong” (video)
Black News: Chris Matthews Says He Forgot Obama was Black
This Black Sista’s Page: MSNBC’s Chris “Tweety” Matthews: “I Forgot [Obama] Was Black Tonight”; But He Doesn’t and Neither Do We
VotingFemale Speaks!: SOTU report: Congratulations Obama! you were promoted to ‘white guy’ for an hour! and SOTU Report: Obama to America: No Habla Massachusetts and Obama’s Failing War on Reality; it is antipathy to Socialism, Barack
Nice Deb: Krauthamer On Obama’s SOTU Speech: No Pivot, “Tone Was Strained and Unctuous”
Rep. Pete Sessions, Big Government: Text2Chat: State of the Union Edition
It’s Only Words: Chris Matthews Calls President Obama “Post-Racial”
The Powers That Be: For an Entire Hour, Chris Matthews Forgets Obama is Supposed to be Shining His Shoes and The President’s Brain is Missing
On My Watch – The Writings of SamHenry: The Plastic Presidency and A Vengeful Return to Obama the Enforcer
Washington Post: New poll finds voter anger drove results of Mass. election
GayPatriot: Has the President Read His Job Description? and In the wake of Brown Victory, Obama Returns to Campaign Mode
Dancing Czars: Pelosi Says Jobs ‘Permeated’ Congressional Actions in Year of 10 Percent Unemployment
Real Clear Politics: MSNBC’s Mitchell: People Are No Longer Willing To Blame Bush
Jeremy D. Boreing, Big Hollywood: BARACK THE VOTE: Rock the Vote Violates its Tax-Emempt Status?
Political Integrity Now: Obama and the State of the Union: A lesson in Smoke and Mirrors
The Hill: Obama to talk economy, new jobs in hard-hit battleground state
Mcnorman’s Weblog: A Tale Of ObamaNomics
Hot Air: WH fumbling jobs, ObamaCare messages

Categories: Government, Media & Communication, Social and Political Climate, Videos, Audio Files
Tags: America, Americans, AOL News poll, Barack Obama, BHO, Chris Matthews, Chris Matthews black comment, Chris Matthews forgot he was black, Democrat, MSNBC, Obama speech, poll, POTUS, president, Race Issues, racism, racist, Republican, Shaquille O'Neal, SOTU, State of the Union address, television, video, YouTube