During the holiday season, a period where goodwill is traditionally embraced, it’s discouraging – but not surprising — to watch conservatives unleash their contempt for President Barack Obama.
Here’s the most recent example. Dinesh D’Souza, the right-wing commentator and filmmaker who released the biased documentary “2016: Obama’s America,” tweeted a message last week that caused an online furor.
“I am thankful this week when I remember that America is big enough and great enough to survive Grown-Up Trayvon in the White House!”
Wonderful holiday sentiment: Calling Obama a “Grown-Up Trayvon?” What does D’Souza actually mean?
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“Feigned outrage on the left over me calling Obama ‘grown up Trayvon’ except that Obama likened himself to Trayvon!” D’Souza tweeted.
Why is D’Souza making a critical reference to Obama’s comments after the acquittal of George Zimmerman who claimed self-defense when he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin?
Critics of D’Souza responded quickly. One tweeter asked: “So is D’Souza’s point that Obama should be shot?”
Interesting question.
D’Souza’s remarks are not only vile and inappropriate when directed at the president, but he also disrespects the memory of Trayvon Martin. D’Souza has absolutely no compassion for Martin’s parents who are still grieving over the loss of their son.
And Republicans actually wonder out loud why they can’t get black folks to join the Republican Party.
Meanwhile, the president’s remarks about Trayvon Martin were right on point.
“When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son,” the president said in July. “Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.”
In a deeply personal reflection about racial polarization, Obama steadfastly aligned himself with black men in America.
For all the black men in America who suffer racial indignities; for all the black men who have been called the N-word by racists; for all the black men who feel marginalized — and invisible — in this republic, Obama, the nation’s first black president, stood with them.
I was proud of the president.
D’Souza’s tweets, however, are part of a broader campaign by conservatives to criticize the president no matter how obnoxious or disrespectful.
A few weeks ago, Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican from Texas, criticized Obama’s Affordable Care Act by linking Obama to Nigerian con men.
“You may have noticed that all the Nigerian email scammers have become a lot less active lately,” Cruz told a conservative audience. “They all have been hired to run the Obamacare website.”
This is what it’s come to in the halls of Congress: A black joke? And a black joke told in public?
But here’s the big picture: D’Souza and Cruz are desperate to fire up their right-wing base by any means necessary one year before congressional elections.
It’s unfortunate that even for a few weeks during a joyful season Republicans still need to show their disdain for President Obama.
For the GOP, hatred never takes a holiday.
(Photo: AP)
