The more I look at this thing—and I’m not spending a whole hell of a lot of time on it—the more it seems that whoever put Hawkins up to it is playing to a common theme in the right-wing radical Republicans.
This isn’t the first time that the Obama = Sammy Davis Junior meme was played.
The first widespread one was by Rush Limbaugh in February 2008. This was during the part of some skit where Rush “endorsed” Obama against Hillary Rodham Clinton, back when the two were going at it in the Democratic primaries.
RUSH: By the way, folks, the vocal portrayal here by Sammy Davis, Jr., who’s black. So don’t say anything to me.
(playing Candy Man by Sammy Davis, Jr.)
RUSH: Sammy Davis, Jr., ladies and gentlemen, here on the EIB Network. That’s our Barack Obama theme song for right now. Who knows what the future will hold? By the way, Mr. Fast Eddie Rendell, what he was really doing… When Fast Eddie goes out there and says (paraphrased), “I don’t think white people are going to vote for black people,” he’s telling white people not to vote for black people. That’s the message from the governor of Pennsylvania, Fast Eddie Rendell. Of course, the Clintons don’t get called on this. This is, again, the playing of the race card. They’re trying to start an Uncivil War, or revive it. This time you’re not using the Schlick Meister, Bill Clinton. They’re using Fast Eddie Rendell — who used to, by the way, in the old Veterans Stadium throw snowballs from his seat in the upper deck on the visiting players, particularly the Dallas Cowboys.
Standard Limbaugh fare. He was funny and creative around 1994, even if you disagreed with what he said. But to me the schtick has worn and gotten nasty in the last 15 years. He should go back and listen to the early stuff, which was much more creative.
Next comes “Joe the Plumber”. Remember “Joe the Plumber”?
This was the character in Ohio during the fall election campaign, who pulled out the question about whether the government taxing people is “socialistic” or some fed-line crap like that. And then-Senator Obama made a remark about “spreading the wealth around”—which, like I said, is what the Federal Income Tax has been doing since 1913. Mostly out of Northern pockets into Southern ones. Or out of seven-figure-a-year class into Sam “Joe the Plumber” Wurzerbacher class.
But Joe the P. wasn’t having any of that. So in his fifteen minutes of fame he advocated for the Flat Tax and took shots at politicians who he felt weren’t giving him the “straight” answer, which meant the one he wanted to hear.
He said Obama tap danced around the issue like Sammy Davis, Junior. This was noted in political blogs at the time, like Open Left.
Now you have the parody on one of Sammy Davis’ most noted songs. And like I pointed out in my first post, around 0:37 in the vid you see this tap dancing guy on top of a pile money, meant to look like a light-skin version of the President.
Admittedly, for all the crap that is being thrown out there by the right-wingers, this stuff is relatively mild. (It seems like par for the political course of the moment would be a viral video with the President putting an elderly lady in a wheel chair to eternal sleep.)
But if you are a willing/unwilling consumer of these “messages” as they pop up on the internet, you can’t help but be offended by insinuations of how stupid you might be.
Yes, we are probably in for another four years of analogies to black entertainers or other African-American figures of note. Courtesy of the sewer that runs behind today’s Republican Party. The one that made a sissy out of John Kerry in 2004, a man who is carrying metal in his body from when he was shot at in Vietnam. No surprise there.
But at least if the creators of this garbage would up the level of what they think of us. I realize they are going for the emotional gut. But I think they screw up a little when they package stuff as if we (the people out there) don’t know a damn thing about history. Or can be played on questionable comparisons between a noted black entertainer of days gone by, and a black elected official.
People don’t want to be treated for stupid. One of the reasons that Joe Sam Wurzelbacher Plumber failed as a shill was because he wasn’t believable to the target audience. Whether “Joe the Plumber” was a set up or no (meaning he was encouraged by party operatives to confront Obama when Obama was campaigning in Ohio), the fact was, he wasn’t believable. An everyday-guy plumber who is there philosophizing about the Flat Tax and state socialism.
Likewise, out-of-nowhere comedian Tim Hawkins and his bullshit, (Really, really, this total bullshit!), seem like a concoction of someone behind-the-scenes who wants to influence those mindless stooges out there to be against Obama, anything to do with environmental regulation, “free college” or mortgage relief.
I know I’m sick of it. Aren’t you? People out of nowhere coming in with something slick and trying to get people to think that yes is no and up is down.
Hoofin 