THE COLOR OF WHITE

"Who's the white guy now?"  "We are!!"

In my last article, I suggested that Romney simply come out of the closet and proclaim that he is a really, really, really rich guy and that he will no longer be compelled to be ashamed of this.  I have to hand it to Romney’s advisors— instead of taking my suggestion, they have decided to have Romney and partner proclaim something slightly different--  We are really really really white guys!

This represents the Republican strategists’ bold, new plan of attack—to woo the white middle class guy vote.  Many of us did see this coming after seeing so many appearances of two really white guys particularly in the swing states— I mean how come neither one of them even got a mild tan being outside in Florida so much?

The indication that the Romney ticket was going to play the race card, however, came the moment Romney made a crack about the Presidents birth certificate.   The hope is that this will translate into a language that a conventional white middle class male can understand, perhaps the earliest language known to man, that of racism:  “This Obama bin Laden ain’t even American—that name has terrorism written all over it!”

Instead of continuing to make promises that he will put the middle class back to work with real jobs, Romney has chosen to accuse the President of encouraging welfare recipients not to work and still receive their benefits.  Again they are hopeful of another translation:  “Hey white guy, look at all those lazy blacks, who take your tax money to buy drugs and have babies!”

The RNC itself has heralded this "move to the white" strategy by choosing as its keynote speaker Chris Christie, a choice with the added benefit of being, in terms of sheer volume, worth at least three white guys.  I expect that we will soon also hear of the President’s pandering to illegal aliens with the hope that the translation will resonate in every white man’s ear:  “This used to be a country where being white, talking American, and celebrating CHRISTmas was a good thing.  Look at it now.  That’s what happens when you put a black Muslim born in Africa in charge.  Romney’s gonna make us proud to be white again!”

Look, white men, I understand.  I am a recovering white guy.  I know how easy it is to blame shortcomings and failures on someone or something else.  That’s human nature.  Take sole credit for our success, and little if any blame for our failures.  I have learned, however, that the truth is not difficult to see— one doesn’t even have to renounce racism all at once to see it.  Just pause for one moment and picture the Republican ticket:  they are REALLY RICH and REALLY WHITE.

As white guys in the middle class, we have a choice:  to identify with their color (egg shell and sour cream) or to identify with their wealth (tens of millions for Ryan; hundreds of millions for Romney).  Sure we may share their skin color (although many of us white guys pride ourselves on having a slightly darker tan), but we do not nor will we ever share their economic status.  Economically speaking we are as different from them as night is from day.  And the night is dark.  We—those of us who have renounced racism, those who are seriously thinking about renouncing racism, and those who are still proud to be racists—are part of the dark and colorful crowd whether we like or know it or not—we are the color of illegal aliens, hungry children in overcrowded classrooms, welfare recipients, the homeless, single mothers raising children, or the prisoners in jail for lack of an costly defense team.  Our we is not the Romney/Ryan we.  The sooner WE understand this, the sooner real change will come, a change that will make America a land of freedom and opportunity for US not just for THEM.  At least since 1980, THEY have enjoyed a political system that allows THEM to pay less and less for the opportunity to steal more and more from US.  The less WE have is being taken not by big government but by THEM! 

Don’t be blinded by the Republican platform with it moral red herrings—marriage between man and woman or life begins at birth.  These are like coupons to give you free admission to an amusement park where you then have to pay for all the rides.  Romney and Ryan are RICH REPUBLICANS.  Unfortunately that’s all WE need to know.  THEY will safeguard the interests of the REALLY RICH.  The Tea Partiers have attached their broken down dreams to this Republican tow truck, and the destination is simply the next dump.  If WE want to be a working class who benefits from a free America, then WE need to take what WE deserve and what THEY have stolen. 

I appeal to all white guys:  “SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS!”