ColorOfChange.org changing the color of democracy

Even after Americans voted against Mitt Romney's backwards economic and social policies, the former presidential candidate still doesn't seem to get it. Echoing his previous statement that 47% of Americans don't take personal responisibility for their lives, Romney attributed Obama's win to voters of color desiring "gifts." 

So what exactly are these "gifts?" The NY Times coverage of the event revealed that Romney's definition of "gifts" is just a rundown of critical social programs:

“With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift,” he said. “Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women. And then, finally, Obamacare also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people. They turned out in large numbers, a larger share in this election even than in 2008.”

It's the same divisive language we saw throughout his campaign — striving to delegitimize and dehumanize people of color, while simultaneously attacking crucial government programs.

In his first post-Election Day interview, Congressman Paul Ryan offered a troubling explanation of President Obama's re-election when he stated, "the surprise was some of the turnout, some of the turnout especially in urban areas, which gave President Obama the big margin to win this race.”

Although the election is over we will continue to monitor race in the political arena. Check out the Spread the Word and Watch the Race sections of vote.colorofchange.org for continued coverage.

Bill O'Reilly spoke on Fox News Tuesday night, mourning America's changing demographics and apparent shift in political power.

In this brief clip, O'Reilly expresses a familiar paranoid frustration that we've seen throughout the election season. While his motives may be suspect, his point is not entirely wrong. People— indeed, all people— are "entitled to things."

Earlier this week, Donald Trump teased the hosts of Fox & Friends about a potential "bombshell announcement" that he was planning to release this week regarding President Barack Obama.

Today, the video was released. In "From the Desk of Donald Trump: Major Announcement," Trump issues an ultimatum to the president demanding he release his college transcripts and passport application records in exchange for a charitable donation of $5 million to the organization of the president's choosing.

Update (10/31/12) While speaking at a Romney rally in Florida, the state's Commissioner of Agriculture referenced the race-baiting "Obama phone" myth, marking the first time the topic was raised at an official GOP event. 

Conservative media outlets have been up in arms since the release of a video, in late September, that features a Black woman in Ohio enthusiastically declaring her support for President Obama. The woman is supportive of the President because of an FCC program that helps to provide phones to low-income individuals. After being featured on the right-wing site, The Drudge Report, the hashtag #ObamaPhone became very popular and filled with hateful tweets. Going one step further, the far-right group Tea Party Victory Fund has released this ad, using the same clip to exploit racial fears. 

The ad is a clear example of race-baiting. And the most effective way to defeat the influence of race-baiting is to do it together. ColorOfChange.org is dedicated to empowering the over 800,000 members of our organization, as well as our friends and family members to do exactly that.

At the end of September, Newt Ginrich appeared on Fox News to discuss President Obama's role at the UN General Assembly. During the interview, when asked about his opinion on the President' decision not to meet with world leaders, Ginrich stated, "there's some rhythm to Barack Obama that the rest of us don't understand. Whether he needs large amounts of rest, whether he needs to go play basketball for a while or watch ESPN." Gingrich continued saying, "the President is not a real president, he doesn't do anything that presidents do, he doesn't worry about any of the things that presidents do."

In a politically telling move the Mitt Romney campaign has placed controversial Florida Representative Allen West at the head of a newly created Black Leadership Council. Tea Party conservatives adore West and he is known as the "movement's political avatar." For much of the rest of the country he is infamous for his outrageously offensive racial politics and shockingly bold language. West once described President Obama supporters as "threats to the gene pool."

Earlier today at a campaign event in Commerce, Michigan, presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney joked about his Michigan roots, "No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that [Ann and I] were born and raised."

On August 2, an ad was released attacking controversial Tea Party Congressman Allen West (R-Florida). The ad takes a different angle on West's view of himself as a "fighter" to say he's fighting against the interests of his district. It depicts West punching various groups from his constituency, including two White women and a Black family.

Using racial fears to divide us is wrong but it's not clear that is the intent or effect of the ad.

During a campaign speech in Danville, VA, Vice President Joe Biden raised many eyebrows when he made a racially insensitive comment while referencing Mitt Romney's banking policies. Biden exclaimed, "[Romney] said in the first 100 days, he's gonna let the big banks again write their own rules. Unchain Wall Street! They're going to put you all back in chains."

In a bout of extreme hypocrisy, a Romney spokeperson stated that the Obama campaign had "reached a new low"and that Biden's words "are not acceptable in our political discourse."