Racial code words obscure real issues - Juan Williams

http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/juan-williams/207295-2012-racial-code-words-obscure-real-issue

A lot of people will not sympathize with Mr. Williams, perhaps pointing out that he left NPR for Fox News and the world of dog whistle politics that goes on at Fox News should have been obvious to him before he joined that organization. But that does not excuse the usage of "code words" that goes on in Republican politics. He is right to suggest that it has no place in politics and that if the GOP wants to reach out to minority voters, it has to stop. The problem is they can't bring themselves to do it. The GOP has morphed from a political party into a marketing arm that simply take advantage to cultural angst. To ask them at this point to abandon racial code words, like Mr. Williams does, would be asking them to commit suicide.

The language of GOP racial politics is heavy on euphemisms that allow the speaker to deny any responsibility for the racial content of his message. The code words in this game are “entitlement society” — as used by Mitt Romney — and “poor work ethic” and “food stamp president” — as used by Newt Gingrich. References to a lack of respect for the “Founding Fathers” and the “Constitution” also make certain ears perk up by demonizing anyone supposedly threatening core “old-fashioned American values.”