Letters: Who dealt the race card?

Re “Dems play the race card,” Opinion, Aug. 28

I commend Jonah Goldberg for writing about race in the election. Taking into account American history, it’s obvious that the race card has been in play since Day One.

Consider the rise of the tea party and its reaction to Obamacare and nearly all of President Obama’s other policy pursuits. The degree of outrage has always felt out of sync. By historical standards Obama’s policies did little to upend the establishment.

So why does the phrase “take back our country” resonate? Publicly expressing racism is out of fashion. However, outrage at a “radical socialist agenda” is socially acceptable. Birthers have been most successful in sublimating their racist id. “Take back our country” also works as long as one doesn’t dwell too long on who we should be taking it back from.

Lawrence Rotunno

North Hills

If Mitt Romney tells a joke but nobody laughs, is it still a joke?

Romney’s dubious birth certificate comment was met with applause, not laughs, while he basked in the adoration from a

mostly white audience. His reaction (not of jest) and that of his followers said to me it wasn’t meant to be humorous. But, surprise, Goldberg still manages to find a way to point to the Democrats as playing the race card.

Romney dealt the hand.

Gregg Peterson

Newport Beach

One has to be pretty naive to assume that at this stage of a tied race, Romney just wanted to be humorous to lighten up things. There he was telling the world what hospital he and his wife were born at, and he just happened to eject a “lame joke,” as Goldberg calls it.

Goldberg wants to build his analysis by citing Obama’s own jokes about his birth certificate. This is Obama’s only defense. He was humiliated and forced to produce his birth certificate. But this failed to stop his adversaries.

Romney should have said that his birth certificate is as genuine as Obama’s. This would have been magnanimous.

Michael Katz

Woodland Hills

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