GROUP SLANDER: OUR BETTERS INSTRUCT US ON WHEN IT IS AND ISN'T APPROPRIATE

There have been a couple of stories today about overtly racist opposition to Barack Obama -- several incidents are described in this Washington Post story, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tells us about a bar in Georgia that's selling T-shirts with "OBAMA in '08" printed under a picture of Curious George eating a banana.

In response to the WaPo story, we are informed by Carol Platt Liebau of the right-wing site Townhall.com that yes, racism is wrong, but we shouldn't leap to conclusions:

There's a lurking danger in these kinds of narratives, as well. When stories like these go into wide circulation, it's a sure bet that some on the left are going to start asserting -- not that America is a great country with (unfortunately) some racists (all of which is true) -- but that America is a predominantly racist country with some great people (i.e., those who support Barack Obama). If Barack loses in the fall, the USA will officially be labeled a racist country by many of its left-wing citizens.

This is one paragraph after Liebau tells us:

These incidents are deplorable, awful and totally wrong. Anyone who is refusing to vote for Barack Obama just because he's black is a racist, and should be ashamed. (And how shocking to learn that this is going on in a Democratic primary ... haven't we always been instructed that the Democrat Party is the party of the enlightened?!).

So it's wrong to look at these incidents and say the United States is lousy with racism.

But apparently it's perfectly fine to look at these incidents and say that about the Democratic Party.

Thanks for clearing that up, Carol.