President Obama no longer enjoys stratospheric opinion poll ratings. He has come down to earth because he misread his mandate. He was elected as a moderate alternative to the Bush years but he is governing like a radical (particularly on public debt and healthcare reform).
Too many Americans do hate President Obama because of the colour of his skin but the main reason for the current opposition is more simple: Many, many Americans do not like the substance of his healthcare plans. They are expensive and may not deliver better care.
Yesterday former President Jimmy Carter stepped into the debate and said an "overwhelming portion" of the opposition had a racist dimension. Video report below:
This is dangerous politics. As Tony Harnden warned, "calling critics of Obama racist is this way can all too easily be a way of trying to make all criticism of Obama a kind of hate speech." Toby concluded: "That’s no way of conducting a free and open debate."
This tendency - particularly among the Left - poisons politics. The media have a duty to really test the person who accuses others of racism. People who issue smears (like Edward McMillan-Scott) should be subject to intense examination. Mark Mardsell, the BBC's new North America editor, disappoints with his response. He simply covers the allegation of racism but then refuses to examine whether it has an adequate basis. The headlines on Radio 4 this morning simply report President Carter's smear. That is not good journalism.
All this reminds me of one of my favourite political bumper stickers:
