Op-Ed: Are President Obama's critics motivated by racism or ideology?

In recent weeks, as opponents to President Obama and his policies have become more vocal, many on the left have suggested that the opposition to the Obama Administration is rooted in racism.

This weekend, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote a column in which she accused those opposed to the president as being motivated by race. "I've been loath to admit that the shrieking lunacy of the summer ... had much to do with race," she wrote. "But Wilson's shocking disrespect for the office of the president -- no Democrat ever shouted 'liar' at W. when he was hawking a fake case for war in Iraq -- convinced me: Some people just can't believe a black man is president and will never accept it." In addition to Dowd, Washington Post columnist Colbert King wrote that "There's something loose in the land, an ugliness and hatred directed toward Barack Obama, the nation's first African American president, that takes the breath away," Earlier today, Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) said that if Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) was not rebuked for his outburst of "You Lie!" towards President Obama during his speech last week, which he believes his evidence of racist attitudes, then people will be wearing "white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside." These allegations appear to have reached a crescendo over the past few weeks in the wake of Wilson's comment, packed town hall meetings, and Tea Party rallies. Many Democrats, specifically African American leaders, are becoming increasingly vocal at what they view as racism on the part of conservatives. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, who is facing numerous ethics investigations into his own actions, said that "Some Americans have not gotten over the fact that Obama is president of the United States. They go to sleep wondering, 'How did this happen?" Even the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, insinuated that opposition to President Obama goes deeper than his policies and may be rooted in race. In a speech this past Friday, Kaine said that “Republican leaders…rose up to say that he did not deserve honorary degrees from colleges that were giving him degrees last spring, members of Congress, Republican members of Congress, are spreading bogus rumors about where the president was born, and they whipped up opposition all across this country when President Obama wanted to give a speech to our nation’s schoolchildren to tell them to take responsibility, study hard and stay in school.” Gwen Dawkins, who is a Democratic activist from Michigan said that "Black people have lived under white presidents since day one. So would you give him a chance?” While racism in our country still exists, on multiple levels, as a whole that is not what is driving opposition to President Obama and his policies for most people. Ideology and personal beliefs trump race in terms of what Americans will and will not support. "It is an intimidation tactic. When you make that attack and call someone racist or homophobic it is a way to kind of silence them," said Brendan Steinhauser, grassroots coordinator for FreedomWorks. Most opposition that Mr. Obama is facing is because of the policies and agenda that both his White House and Congress are pursuing. Whether it was the stimulus bill, the bailouts, the cap and trade legislation, the closing down of Guantanamo Bay, or healthcare reform, Americans are growing increasingly angry with what they are seeing out of their government. On Saturday, thousands of people, several hundred thousand people even, marched on Washington to protest the Obama Administration. Thousands of people have also shown up at the town hall meetings over the past few weeks, and many are becoming increasingly vocal with their concerns. What people oppose is liberalism, big government, socialistic policies, and corruption. As I previously said, some people are racist, but by and large most people are not. Not only do I find it ridiculous, but also insulting, that anyone who may disagree with President Obama is going to be labeled as a racist. That is clearly not the case and appears to be another way that the left is using to distract Americans from real issues and a real debate. What happened to the time when we could have a debate instead of being accused of being something that you are not? The only racist that was in the news lately was Van Jones, and he was racist toward white people. Maureen Dowd and Colbert King are notorious for being liberal hacks, Charles Rangel should not be in Congress and probably should be in jail, and the other proponents of this insulting line of thought are showing just how desperate they really are. Americans are becoming increasingly aware of racial politics. The election of Barack Obama should prove to the world, whether you voted for him or not, that Americans, as a whole, are not racist anymore. President Obama promised a post-racial America and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs even said that the President doesn't think that the opposition against him are racist. I appreciate that sentiment, but Mr. Obama needs to be more proactive than that. He needs to chastise these people who are seeking to further divide our country with race, instead of having a discussion on policy. Conservatives are not racist because they disagree and it is time for the people who made the above comments to apologize, before they dig themselves deeper in a hole.