The case against critical race fear-mongering
Beware of Obamacare!
Those 无毛视频渄eath panels无毛视频� are brutal.
Remember them?
They were hatched out of thin air by Republicans, with hopes of thwarting President Obama无毛视频檚 proposed health-care reform bill in 2009.
It was the boogeyman the folks on the right used as shorthand for the predicted danger that would befall America无毛视频檚 elderly if they signed up for the expansive new plan.
When that bill became law, there became no 无毛视频渄eath panels.无毛视频�
There have never been any 无毛视频渄eath panels.无毛视频�
The Republicans who alerted us to them knew there wouldn无毛视频檛 be any of them.
They still couldn无毛视频檛 resist finding ways to remind us of them daily.
They were using that tired, old, fear-mongering technique they无毛视频檇 used when they warned us that the fellow who was running for president in 2008 was a secret Muslim, hellbent on jettisoning democracy from our nation.
And so, in the days leading up to the presidential election in 2020, President Trump discovered a new boogeyman 无毛视频� 无毛视频渃ritical race theory.无毛视频�
According to Trump无毛视频檚 directive, 无毛视频渁ll agencies are directed to begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on 无毛视频榗ritical race theory.'无毛视频�
Bingo!
A new boogeyman was born.
One that could be easily repeated all over right-wing media ad nauseam.
He无毛视频檇 indicated that 无毛视频渃ritical race theory无毛视频� was antithetical to American life as we know it, or as it was meant to be.
Before long, Trump devotees were claiming that CRT had seeped into public schools, where it无毛视频檚 being force-fed to the nation无毛视频檚 vulnerable young无毛视频檜ns.
According to many Republicans, schoolchildren are being taught to hate themselves and the country because it无毛视频檚 无毛视频渋nherently racist and evil.无毛视频�
By August of this year, 27 states had introduced legislation that would hinder 无毛视频渃ritical race theory,无毛视频� or the discussions of race in public schools.
It doesn无毛视频檛 matter that no public school in the entire United States teaches CRT.
Those Republicans who brandish 无毛视频渃ritical race theory无毛视频� know that its mention is a call to arms to suburban white voters, who may feel their role in society is being diminished.
To them, CRT is racist. To be frank, calling for CRT to end, when it doesn无毛视频檛 exist, is, for the lack of a better word 无毛视频� racist!
Republicans never let a good boogeyman get in the way of some votes.
That无毛视频檚 exactly what the newly elected Republican governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, did.
While he was campaigning, Youngkin signaled that he无毛视频檇 prevent Virginia无毛视频檚 public schools from teaching CRT as if there were already plans to teach it.
There weren无毛视频檛 any plans.
It无毛视频檚 a funny thing, when people campaign against something that doesn无毛视频檛, or wouldn无毛视频檛 exist 无毛视频� but they campaign anyway.
Perhaps Democrats should come up with their own boogeymen.
They could find stuff that doesn无毛视频檛 exist, but they could still campaign as if Republicans are planning to make it happen, anyway.
They could announce, 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e gonna stop having loaded assault rifles and target practicing at birthday parties for toddlers.无毛视频�
They could call it 无毛视频淎nti-bullets for Babies Theory.无毛视频�
That couldn无毛视频檛 be any worse than trying to outlaw something that doesn无毛视频檛 exist.
It无毛视频檚 a familiar formula.
Coin a phrase, and ignite a controversy worthy of campaigning against.
无毛视频淒efund the police,无毛视频� was a boogeyman used by Republican candidates in 2020.
Listen closely. They无毛视频檙e still clinging to that fiction.
Down through the years, Republicans have race-baited using 无毛视频渃rosstown busing无毛视频� and 无毛视频渨elfare queens.无毛视频�
Dr. Seuss was good enough for a rallying cry, when the folks running that enterprise suggested they were pulling some of their books from store shelves, because of 无毛视频渙ffensive imagery.无毛视频�
According to politicians on the right, that was caused by left-wing-based 无毛视频渃ancel culture.无毛视频�
Of course, that was a misrepresentation. The Dr. Seuss estate was responsible for the change.
No Democratic politician had anything to do with it.
You see how this works, don无毛视频檛 you?
Since Youngkin struck gold in Virginia, you can expect lots of Republican candidates to conjure up rogue grade school educators who无毛视频檒l force 无毛视频渃ritical race theory无毛视频� down the throats of the nation无毛视频檚 school kids.
Republicans can无毛视频檛 help themselves.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.