There is no greater danger to the left (and therefore the media) than minorities who “forget their place” and join the Republican Party. Each time this occurs, it represents a two-part existential threat. First, these apostates undermine the cherished media narrative that portrays Republicans as intolerant of anyone who isn’t white or male. Second, those who think for themselves might give others ideas. And so, in order to terrify others into “knowing their place,” the media targets “runners” for personal destruction.
In order to destroy apostates, the left and the media are merciless and oftentimes willing to cater to the worst kind of racial stereotype. Some twenty years ago, during his confirmation hearing, the left and media attempted to paint Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as a not-very-bright sexual predator. Recently, Hispanic Republican Senator Ted Cruz was attacked for being too “uppity.”
Now it’s Herman Cain’s turn.
Born into relative poverty in 1945 (his mother was a domestic worker, his father a chauffeur), Herman Cain is a Stage IV cancer survivor and self-made millionaire who served as Chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Omaha Branch, and as the CEO of the National Restaurant Association. Cain has written a syndicated column, hosted a successful talk radio show, and ran for president twice.
Yet, for some odd reason, this resume just isn’t good enough for the media. Ever since Fox News announced the hiring of Cain as a regular contributor, the elite media has coordinated a mocking, demeaning, “othering” attack right out of the playbook wielded against Clarence Thomas:
[A] high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the [elite media] rather than hung from a tree.
As you can see, that quote from Justice Thomas, made during his infamous confirmation hearing, only needs one tweak to perfectly describe the media’s racially-coded attack against Cain.
In the sampling below, you will see how the media have coordinated a Narrative against Cain similar to the one used against Thomas. Time and again, Cain’s intelligence is questioned, or in the case of Howard Kurtz, Cain is painted as an over-sexualized black predator.
These tactics are as old as the segregated South:
NBC’s Chuck Todd and Joe Scarborough
TODD: We need to discuss two words, Herman Cain — and Roger Ailes. It’s like stunning — because Roger Ailes, is that good for the country?
SCARBOROUGH: Roger Ailes figured it out, and by the way, he figured it out before everybody else figured it out, and that’s why he was going to Chris Christie, trying to ask him to run for president, because Roger Ailes always figured it out. He figured out that some people had jumped the shark after the Gabby Giffords shooting. He said so.
TODD: But, if he rewards people, like Herman Cain’s got a bigger [platform], is that going to encourage, what kind of presidential primary is that going to encourage?
Keep in mind, this is coming from two leftists who work for a network that gave Martin Bashir, Al Sharpton, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Toure their own shows.
Social media crackled with the news.
New York University journalism educator Jay Rosen tweeted, “After Republican defeat, comical predictions and fallen ratings, the re-think is underway. Fox News signs Herman Cain.”
Herman Cain Hired by Fox News
It’s hard to say who provided the best cartooning material during the 2012 Republican primaries. The lunatic fringe voters, the ones who turn out for these events, dutifully produced a rich, colorful succession of front runners; Bachmann, Gingrich, Santorum, Perry, Paul, Trump and–one of my favorites–Herman Cain.
Somehow Howard Kurtz and his Daily Download partner, Lauren Ashburn, pack at least an hour of Mean Girling into only 75 seconds. Nothing is said about Cain’s many accomplishments. The focus is solely on allegations that taint Cain as some sort of sexual predator and liar.
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Bill Clinton remains a god to the media — and he’s been accused of rape.
The Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik:
In his own way, Cain is more a red-hot ethical mess than Morris. And the former pizza executive has shown none of the mental dexterity and nimbleness of mind Morris demonstrates when he is on his game.
Again an attack on Cain’s intelligence, as though he soared to the heights he has based on some sort of cosmic affirmative action program.
Politico’s Jonathan Martin (on Twitter):
GOPer can blame media all they want for primary process but when Ailes gives deals to Cains of world, [this] only [incentivizes] more such candidates.
Man #HermanCain is making a comeback – says he likes working with Fox team, particularly some of them fine-ass white women they got there[.]
The idea that anyone, much less those who pose as objective journalists, would attack Herman Cain’s intelligence, is astonishing. If you’ll notice, there’s absolutely no context in these attacks — nothing about Cain’s resume or his rise from nothing into a bona fide business legend.
As far as Cain’s so-called ethical issues go, this is the same media that have embraced a number of controversial figures tainted by scandal.
Al Sharpton became a national figure through a series of racially-charged lies told by Tawana Brawley and the unforgivable ginning up of hate against Jews during the Crown Heights riots.
Jesse “Hymietown” Jackson enjoyed his own show on CNN, is still a regular face all over the news, even though he has faced his own allegations of womanizing.
Dan Rather is treated like an elder statesman among the media elite these days, even after being caught red-handed attempting to use fake documents to bring down a president in the heat of an election.
Eliot Spitzer has now enjoyed the privilege of hosting two primetime shows on two cable news networks (CNN and Current TV), and his claim to fame is being forced to resign as governor of New York due to admitted involvement with a prostitute.
Van Jones currently occupies a cushy role as a CNN contributor despite his support for cop killers and the signing of a petition that claimed the Bush Administration allowed 9/11 to happen.
And this is the short-list.
Furthermore, this is the same media that has no problem hiring blacks much less accomplished than Cain — Roland Martin, Soledad O’Brien, Toure’ — and regularly hosts as contributors and guests those who ran for president and failed.
No one is claiming Herman Cain is perfect, but there is no question he is currently being singled out as the sexualized clownish idiot based solely on the color of his skin.
This is what the left and elite media always do to those who “don’t know their place.” Ask Sarah Palin, Michele Bachman, Ted Cruz, Dr. Benjamin Carson, Bobby Jindal, Clarence Thomas…
In the segregated South, racist whites (almost all of them Democrats) used the exact same tactics to keep blacks from obtaining political power. The only difference is that today “Bull” Connor (another Democrat) is the media establishment, the dogs are the likes of Chuck Todd, Joe Scarborough, and Howard Kurtz, and the fire hose is The Narrative.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC