“Oh, Mr. Grant!”
I really don’t know what to make of this, but I think it means something, and whatever it is, it’s important to remember and learn from it. Now if I could only figure out what it is.
Here is what Ed Asner, the elderly “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Up” actor—he was also a bad guy in one of my favorite John Wayne Westerns, “El Dorado”—said in response to an interviewer’s question about why the Hollywood anti-war left was staying out of Obama’s self-made Syria controversy, in such marked contrast to its vocal opposition to the Iraq invasion (Where have you gone Janeane Garafolo, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you…OOOOO! ).
Spake Ed:
“A lot of people don’t want to feel anti-black by being opposed to Obama.”
Now, Asner has long been a vocal member of the Hollywood liberal activist community. Presumably, he still is well-connected and knows something about the culture and political pulse in Tinseltown. So I want to know: What can we glean from this ridiculous statement? What does it mean?
Is Ed Asner so stupid that he believes it?
Is the Hollywood Left so stupid that it could be true?
Is it possible that what knee-jerk Obama supporters have argued so long, that criticism of a black President’s policies is proof positive of racism, is something they actually believe ?
Is America so foolish that it can hear such a statement and ever, ever waste a second of time listening to the political views of any Hollywood performer? (MSNBC just hired Alec Baldwin, you know.)
Apparently, in just five short years of a Barack Obama presidency, significant portions of the nation have completely forgotten how democracy works, and how the public is supposed to, indeed obligated to, deal with incompetent, failing, unsatisfactory leaders.
From both the right and the left are coming unprecedented Bizarro World arguments that Congress must support a dangerous, pointless, misguided, murderous and probably illegal “limited ” attack on Syria because to do otherwise would diminish President Obama’s stature and credibility as a leader, when at least half the people making this argument already know he has no stature or credibility, and when his lack of competence and leadership skills is the reason the lame plan has been proposed in the first place, and is itself proof that he doesn’t deserve stature and credibility. Now this, a suggestion that Obama has to be indulged even when he proposes high-tech murder to cover for his own inept bravado and bluff about a “red line,” because to do otherwise would be feel “anti-black.” The first argument suggests that we are now approving bad policy so that the makers of bad policy don’t look bad, though that’s what they are. The second argument suggests that at least some members of the political left are using skin color above all else to determine what leaders and policies they support. Wasn’t that once what liberals were fighting against?
What the hell is going on here?
Whatever it is, it’s important.
And wrong.
___________________________
Source: Hollywood Insider
Ethics Alarms 
I actually think its an admission that people are about to change their stances because of Syria. People don’t want to have to do that, so a statement like that is a bellweather that hope has become something more balanced… Or I’m being optimistic again.
As a fellow conspiracy theorist, I am a fan of Ed Asner… But I don’t agree with this comment. All the stupid stuff going on right now I believe, are just events that are meant to try to divide the populace. I think everybody needs to take the 10,000 foot view and be united as a people to facedown this ridiculous war machine for profit. Because – that is what it is.
Aren’t the new four richest suburbs in the United States all located outside Washington DC? They’re all filled with the mansions of defense contractors and their giant country club memberships. It’s ridiculously silly.
And the whole race card thing – we’re all the infinite being, experiencing reality as (your name here.) / If you think about human beings and our species in this manner, our differences fly out the window. So all the Syrian drum banging, I believe, is the last gasp of the control of the military-industrial complex slipping from their control.
Consciousness is evolving – It’s time to move past all this war is a racket mumbo-jumbo BS. That’s my take.
It’s an admission of soullessness. If a person buys it they should look hard at their value system.
They’re bad enough when they only fool themselves, but what they are doing to the country our children will inherit is nothing less than vile. No wonder people want to get out of range by homeschooling and abandoning technology.
I believe he is admitting to the fact that people of a certain mind find any opposition of President Obama as racism. It is insidious and frightening.
Racism has been an underlying problem on both sides of the aisle in many ways. These last few years have been frightening. The tension in this country is ready to split us all apart.
Tension that wouldn’t be there if key leadership in this nation at several levels haven’t irresponsibly and maliciously perpetuated and increased that tension for personal gain.
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Perhaps he had a senior moment. It’s a ridiculous statement.
I think he was telling an inconvenient truth. And it IS ridiculous.
I am with you here, Jack.
There are people who are critical of this President because they are racist. Those are likely people who would support action in Syria under a President Romney but not now. (Though some of those people who would support action in Syria under Romney but not now are just partisan hacks and not racist)
There are also people who are critical of this President because they just disagree with him on policies. Those people are not racist.
Saying that, I will answer your questions:
“Is Ed Asner so stupid that he believes it?”
He was stupid enough to make that statement so yes, he is likely stupid enough to believe it.
“Is the Hollywood Left so stupid that it could be true?”
I am not sure that Asner speaks for all liberals in Hollywood. However, it is possible that some of the starts in Hollywood are just as stupid as Asner. All groups have their idios.
“Is it possible that what knee-jerk Obama supporters have argued so long, that criticism of a black President’s policies is proof positive of racism, is something they actually believe ?”
There are people who believe that all criticism of Obama is proof of racism. They are wrong. But there are people who believe it. There are also people who believe that none of the criticism of Obama is based on racism.
“Is America so foolish that it can hear such a statement and ever, ever waste a second of time listening to the political views of any Hollywood performer? (MSNBC just hired Alec Baldwin, you know.)”
I think it would be foolish of America to discount comments from all of Hollywood just because of one moron. It would be like saying we should ignore the entire teaparty and GOP because Michelle Bachman jumped on the anti vaccine bandwagon.
But Dan—you can’t discount what Asner said so airily in the face of the FACT that Hollywood mobilized big time before Iraq, and is doing literally nothing now. Where is Mike Farrell? Where is Garafalo? George Clooney? Spielberg? Where even is Alec Baldwin? Susan Sarandan? Tim Robbins? The Dixie Chicks? Linda Ronstadt? How is Asner the moron here? It seems to me that he is showing some guts to tell the truth.
Why should America pay any attention to Hollywood, which has dubious values and is populated by a majority that has celebrity without authority, and presumes that fame equals qualifications to preach politics? Actors are presumed to be intelligent because most of the time someone smarter than they are write what they say.
Maybe Hollywood has given up. The “inconvenient truth” that you referenced in another comment is that Obama is a moderate who likes his wars just as much as the moderates in the Republican party. With no viable option for a third party candidate, we get a warmonger who is slightly more progressive on social issues vs. a warmonger who would be slightly more lenient on tax policies for the wealthy. Either way, we have to keep our military and defense contractors happy.
1. Anyone who really thinks Obama is a moderate is waaay left of center.
2. I didn’t realize you were this cynical!!!
Now THIS is REALLY cynical.
Wow. I’m not even that cynical. And yet the only thing I disagree with is hissing assertion that the Syria debacle is an essential component of his intent to decrease American power and prestige. I do think the Syrian debacle and his handling thereof is a direct result of his attitude towards a weakened America on the world stage.
I absolutely disagree with Podhoretz that Obama uncannily resembles Carter. Obama is a whole generation’s and alternate culture’s worth more comfortable with corruption – be it his, or his supporters’.
Carter was an awful president, but he said “I will never lie to you,’ and to an amazing he extent, he didn’t. He was openly, honestly incompetent.
I agree; I was focused on character resemblance.
Kucinich is liberal. Obama and Hillary are moderates. Look at Nixon’s views on healthcare — not all that different than our democrats of today. I think the whole country has moved to the right over the last 30-40 years — with the exception of gay marriage and a few other social issues.
And yes, I am THAT cynical. 🙂
No: Kucinich is insane, not liberal. Hillary is whatever will work—soulless, scary.. Obama is the most liberal President since Carter and maybe ever. Nixon was a liberal—Clinton was right of center.
Insane and liberal are not mutually exclusive.
Some would say they are biconditional however.
http://instantrimshot.com/
But Dan—you can’t discount what Asner said so airily in the face of the FACT that Hollywood mobilized big time before Iraq, and is doing literally nothing now. Where is Mike Farrell? Where is Garafalo? George Clooney? Spielberg? Where even is Alec Baldwin? Susan Sarandan? Tim Robbins? The Dixie Chicks? Linda Ronstadt? How is Asner the moron here? It seems to me that he is showing some guts to tell the truth.
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I agree.
The only thing worse than being a racist in today’s climate is being a child molester.
The Hollywood Left will not speak up against Obama because they are cowards.
They cannot chance what may happen to them if they voice an opinion against Obama and the Nation of Unthinking Sheep declares it a racist opinion.
Just look at what happened to Paula Deen.
When you’re talking about fame and fortune, it always trumps killing innocent Syrians.
No, racist is still worse—don’t forget about Roman Polanski!
Obama is a Nixonesque, Corporatist, Wall Street puppet of a Right central moderate at Best. And Politics is NOT a linear exercise – it’s spherical.
The republicans have moved their goalpost Around the sphere to way right, so anything to the left of that (which is everything) seems waaaay left of center from yooooour vantage point. Look at the man in the mirror there, in relation to that – where does your perspective line up on that sphere, Jack?
I’m nearly dead center, BBA. You would have a hard time finding anyone moreso who actually has opinions and pays attention. You are right that the spectrum is spherical, however, putting me near the Center of the Earth…you know, with all the Morlocks and dinosaurs.
And I’m not a Republican.
To the right, ever to the right
Never to the left, forever to the right
We have gold, a market that will hold
Tradition that is old, a reluctance to be bold.
AWFUL song, and historically inaccurate and unfair. The movie cut it, and so would I.
Above you categorized Nixon as a liberal. I agree with you. He was a Republican though Jack, and the Republican party would want nothing to do with him today. Even Reagan might not be conservative enough. I do think the country has moved to the right. It is a terrible song though….
Moved slowly *back* to the right on the national stage in certain regards after the wild careen left during the FDR revolution.
Yep.
Where does Senator Al Franken stand on US intervention in Syria?
I am asking seriously.
Franken came straight out of the leftist entertainment-advocacy complex.
His position thus far is very “senatorial:”
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/09/06/franken-leaning-toward-supporting-syria-resolution/
So I wonder what his best buds in his old line of business are saying to (and about) him.
Certainly, no one would be suggesting that Franken is a “wigger.”
Now, where were these same people during the intifada of the ’80s and ’90s when the Assad regime rolled tanks in to destroy any village that rose up? Assad slaughtered thousands to pacify his country then, but where were these Hollywood supporters of Obama then? They were condemning Israel. The atrocities in Syria have been going on for decades. The right conveniently ignored them because to support Palestinians in Syria would be problematic when they weren’t supporting them in Israel. The left took the nonsensical position of supporting (or ignoring) their slaughter in Syria while protesting their imprisonment and poor living conditions in Israel.
Although, if you think about it, Asner’s simplistic explanation fits. If you just assume that the liberal elite always side with the person (or people) with darker skin. They support Obama because his opponents have lighter skin. They supported the Palistininans in Israel because they view the Israeli’s as “whiter”, but they failed to support Palistinians in Syria until now because they had about the same skin color.
Don’t pretend that liberals have fought against skin color determining rights and privileges. I grew up in the atmosphere of affirmative action. I went to a college where white male students were not eligible for any University-administered scholarship, where admission to the school and to facilities was doled out by race and sex-based policies, and where white male students were even forbidden to speak in some courses. All of this was implemented and praised by the ruling liberals of the time. Liberal thinking of the last 30 years has closely mirrored the ideals of South African Apartheid, that a person’s rights and privileges should be determined by the official standing of their race, as judged by the authorities.