DOG WHISTLE? WHAT DOG WHISTLE?

Michelle Bachmann, the God-bothering, gay-bashing, Bush-worshiping Minnesota congresswoman who's now an ANWR drilling zealot, sends a racist message in code via the religious-right site OneNewsNow, while pretending to talk about energy:

An urban America -- the Democrats' vision?

...Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) says it has not escaped Democrats what the cost of gasoline and loss of jobs are doing to the country.

"This is their agenda," Bachmann states bluntly. "I know it is hard to believe, it's hard to fathom -- but this is 'mission accomplished' for them," she asserts. "They want Americans to take transit and move to the inner cities. They want Americans to move to the urban core, live in tenements, [and] take light rail to their government jobs. That's their vision for America." ...

I know, I know -- there have been some false positives among recent sightings of racism on the political landscape. I think Bob Herbert is overreaching when he sees sinister intent in the use of tall ("phallic") buildings in McCain's Paris/Britney ad. I think Slate's Timothy Noah is really straining when he says talking about Obama's thinness is a way to make us think about his race. (Plus, Tim, I would have like a bit of credit after you cited my Amy Chozick research.)

But really, Michelle -- "inner cities"?

"Urban core"?

"Tenements"?

That's so blatant it's barely code.