Roseanne Barr’s never been a shrinking violet, but her latest rant is beyond heavy-handed. The comedienne took to her blog to take on presidential candidate Barack Obama and his medial mogul booster Oprah. Preemptive sic:
barak obama is an empty suit selling “hope” in lieu of Truth. Oprah Winfrey helped to elect Arnold Swartzenegger. I have no doubt that she voted her purse by doing this, as she is a large land owner in California, and that ilk fears Dems because they do not want to pay their “fair share” of Cali tax.
…
Oprah, you play the race card and the gender card too.You are a closeted republican and chose Barak Obama because you do not like other women who actually stand for something to working American Women besides glamour, angels, hollywood and dieting!
Roseanne’s blog has since been suspended. Don’t fuck with Oprah.
We cached Roseanne’s site, though, and found another post in which she say’s Obama, too. Why? He makes people talk about race.
I like Hilary for the discussions about sexism that come up now. I like Barak Obama for the way the subject of race just appears. These two things form two of the four pedestals upon which the foundation of America rests. The other one is Class, which I allow two pedestals, since it is the biggest subject in the world, now then and forever into the future. Alot of people who are white will vote for Obama and turn their backs on the black children in the inner cities of America, and on the still suffering victims of Katrina.
That is because of Class, not race and not gender. Class erases Race, and Class erases Gender. But within the race or gender itself, there will still be class divisions. Within the Class, seperation occurs first by gender, and race second. Each ranking will ultimately be about class. Like Chris Rock saying there are good black people and bad black people, and the bad ones are the uneducated illiterate ones, the good are the middle class ones. That was a statement about class, not race. Obama is about class and not race too. He needs to start talking about class if he wants my vote.
todd
I totally agree with Rosanne. Barak is an empty suit who speaks in glittering generalities. Hope, Change, Unity, blah, blah. Oprah and Obama staged the most non-political political rally in the history of America. Leave it to Oprah to suck the substance out of a campaign so rich white women can feel comfortable.
abelincoln
-suspended-
So much for freedom of speech.
I agree with some of what she says.
faghag
I knew there was a reason why I loved this crazy bitch.
Tintin Malfoy
I totally agree with what Roseanne says about class in our society.
Jack E. Jett
One thing I think we can agree on is that Oprah doesn’t want another woman to be as powerful as her. Remember she is the one who force fed Dr(?)Feel down our throat. Oprah is the one who had a major diva attack in Paris because the Hermes scarf store had closed and they wouldn’t reopen it for her. Do you think this is what MLK had in mind when he said he “had a dream”.
I love Obama, and think will make a great president. Lucky democrats have some good choices to make.
I love that Roseanne has the balls to speak up. I would like to know who shut down her site and why?
ee.em.bee
I normally just fine Roseanne annoying, but in this case she’s correct about Class: that’s in large part why Obama is doing so well–he’s a black man who doesn’t scare the middle- and upper-class voters of whatever ethnicity. His speeches are comfortably about unity, not confrontation; his positions are fairly squishy and thus economically unthreatening; his speaking style is literate and motivational and inspirational without taking on the revival tent cadence of spooky black-speak. None of this is necessarily anti-Obama; it’s just what it is: class is alive and well in America, and trumps race and religion every time. What really frightens middle-class white America are poor people (of any color, but usually Black), who may become violent, or commit property crimes. White middle-class America is not afraid of middle- and upper-class folks of whatever ethnicity.
JR
Who knew? Roseanne hit this one out of the ballpark. I think she has it right.
Obama is no agent of change. Looks at all the corporate lobbyists who are filling his campaign with dollars. He has three corporate lobbyists who are his main advisors and aides.
When Bill Kristol a war-mongering far-right wing
Republican endorses Obama, it is pretty clear Obama is no liberal.
I think Oprah continues to become more irrelevant over time. She lives in a bubble with her wealth and has little idea what goes in the real world.
I really don’t want Oprah to choose my candidates.
hells kitchen guy
She’s batshit crazy, but I’ve always loved her outspokenness and the fact that she really, truly doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks about her. Also, until the last year, her show was great.
zeami99
Don’t fuck with Oprah? PLEASE fuck with Oprah.
We don’t know why Roseanne’s site is down – it might be to avoid the groupies of O and O who would pillory it?
Nitesurf
Roseann has to say SOMETHING to get a little media attention since she’s pretty much a has-been.
todd
Has- been? She created one of the funniest shows ever on television, and has more money than Jesus. If she’s a has-been, does that make you a never has been?
Scott Berwitz
Oy…this woman is off the deep end.
Iceblink
Roseanne is right. Any of you gays who are supporting Obama are just going to be disappointed when he just sits there and does nothing on our behalf. For those of you who think the Clintons threw the gay community you really need to get a reality check and see this:
http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/Accomplishments/ac399.html Hillary has already proven herself as a friend to the community. Obama and Donnie McClurkin should tell you all you need to know about what Obama thinks about Gays and Lesbians. He’s no friend to us.
Alan down in Florida
Roseanne is right. Politicians want to feed people on hope and platitudes – the same way religion does. That way they can endure suffering in anticipation of a later earthly/celestial reward. Generalities enable politicians to proclaim accomplishments from whole cloth, sort of like cotton candy whereas specifics require a plan and actual knowledge. Whereas I wouldn’t call Barockstar Obama an empty suit, I would say that his overweening ambition has probably made him look the other way and not acknowledge his status of Democratic house N-word – a half black man who by virtue of his halfness makes him less threatening to the electorate. Don’t be fooled for a moment – he is not a member of PFLAG. Our issues will be ignored in return for the support of black churches and self-hating black queers like Donnie McClurkin. And the white society who use him for their own ends will cash in their markers upon his election.
dvlaries
Yes, she’s right in this instance, but I still haven’t quite forgiven her for siccing Tom Arnold on the American public. When she had Oprah-level power herself, she held ABC’s feet to the fire, insisting they give that unfunny loaf a series of his own and position it right after her own. Even with her show as a lead-in, Tom lost more and more of the huge audience her show handed him each succeeding week. When she wised up herself, she couldn’t drop the ‘Arnold’ from her name fast enough. From the amount of success she’s had since, something tells me networks have long memories about such strong-arm tactics.
faghag
her site is back on.
RC
Black lesbian minister Irene Monroe accused Obama of playing the race card last fall by using gospel homophobe Donnie McClurkin to court the black vote in South Carolina. And don’t forget it was Oprah who introduced Obama to McClurkin.
Bitch Republic
Obama is naive, inexperienced and insincere. He’s good at giving speeches, but it’s all empty rhetoric with no facts, figures or experience to back them up.
Haven’t we learned our lesson from the last person we elected who didn’t have enough experience to lead our country? By the way, Bush Jr. had more experience going in than Obama does now.
GO HILLARY!
http://www.BitchRepublic.net
ProfessorVP
Roseanne is right on the money this time. I have, on occasion, asked some people who support Obama what his positions are, and the answer is always the same. “Uh, well… change things.”
And that’s as deep as it goes.
chris
obama’s speeches are already getting old. it truly is blah blah blah. yesterday there was some striking photos of him and john kerry. blue banners from a pillared building and blue posters in the crowd. the whole scene was very nazi germany, but in blue not red.
Bob
We need more women like Roseanne. Women who have the balls to say what they think, not what they think people want to hear.
I’m pretty tired of hearing about all the change that Obama keeps harping about. What change? It’s time to drop the rhetoric and say something-anything-concrete.
Tom Terranova
I can’t believe they removed this. I agree with Roseanne 100% and I am extremely impressed with how lucid and insightful her second email about class was. Posting this was extremely brave, but honesty is one of the things that has given Roseanne enduring appeal.
I don’t think Roseanne contradicts herself at all across these two emails. But even if she did, I would still support her current opinion because — in truth — we ALL contradict ourselves, all the time. Opinions are (or *should* be) something fluid and subject to change over time.
Thanks for being yourself, Roseanne. That’s what we should all be doing, instead of treating Obama with kid gloves because we are afraid we’ll be accused of racism. The kind of magical thinking that Barak Obama’s campaign is encouraging has no place in the White House.
lowdowndog
Rosanne’s site crashed. Here is the full diatribe from Raw Story: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/FULL_POST_Roseanne_Barr_launches_tirade_0111.html
barak obama
is an empty suit selling “hope” in lieu of Truth. Oprah Winfrey helped to elect Arnold Swartzenegger. I have no doubt that she voted her purse by doing this, as she is a large land owner in California, and that ilk fears Dems because they do not want to pay their “fair share” of Cali tax. Oprah has given us Swartzenegger and Dr. Phil. If that was not offensive enough to decent thinking people, now she brings us Obama. He has no ideas, no plan and nothing to add other than the cynical pacification of the masses with bedtime stories about hope, while calling Unions “special interest groups” that need to be done away with.
Obama votes with Bush constantly funding this terrible endless war. Oprah, you play the race card and the gender card too.
You are a closeted republican and chose Barak Obama because you do not like other women who actually stand for something to working American Women besides glamour, angels, hollywood and dieting!
When Americans find out that Obama backs right wing corporate racist anti worker bullshit, they will not vote for him, and the victory will go to the most racist right wing republican ever…. Mccain, who is a fascist! That the culinary service workers in vegas have promised barak their vote,( he is anti union in his votes) over edwards, who is a pro-union man, just proves how stupid americans are and how they can be tricked so easily by the color of a person’s skin…exactly what MLK hated!
Obama doesn’t even back reproductive rights for any woman! It is historical that Oprah Winfrey, beloved of women, chooses a flashy man with small credentials over a seasoned woman politician with 35 years of experience…and sells that to the female demographic who look to her for inspiration!
truth13
Check out this website about the Secret Truth about Oprah and Obama:
http://www.newspiritualbible.com/index1
oneway
“Suspended”? Freedom of speech?
Looks more like Roseanne went way over her allotted traffic when Drudge linked directly to her site. Her ISP probably took it down.
seitan-on-a-stick
Even the Gay Press won’t mention that Gays overwhelmingly support Hillary Clinton (the better step-sister to our Cinderella Gay Marriage cause) than the uncertainty of Barack Obama especially since he got in the money bed with the gay-hating conservative black church and the dangerous monster, Donnie Maclurkin and his Ex-gay Ministry of psychological destruction of our gay brothers and sisters. We’ve had 7-8 years of faith-based queer smears from the Bush Crusades already. Let’s fix New Orleans and inner-cities, cure AIDS, work toward the realistic goal of “civil ceremonies of unity” and get Gay and Lesbian America good jobs! I can’t afford the “sniff-the-winds of change” Latte Gays. We need Hillary to whoop their “vast right-wing” ass or we are all toast, even the limousine liberals who can afford to put race before poverty. Roseanne and Hillary are Scorpio’s and there’s nothing worse than a scorned woman (Scorpio rules my work house). With any luck, Hillary will add the less experienced Barack to her Presidential ticket but not if the transnational corporate media have a say and they do “control what you think” even if you are not thinking that!
Mikey
I think it’s ridiculous that her blog got suspended. I don’t think what she says is very offensive, it’s just political opinions. Everyone has the right to vent about politics. Also, I think some of what she says could be accurate, but I still like Barack Obama.
That being said, my über-republican grandpa is planning on voting for Barack Obama. I do think Barack appeals to old-time Republicans who are fed up with the crazy turn the Republican party has made with Bush (all that fiscal irresponsibility and the use of religion to get votes, it’s really actually quite unrepublican historically). But I’m not a republican and I think Barack is very Democratic. I think he appeals to a wide range, though, whereas Hillary appeals to a less wide range. That being said, I don’t find any reason to hate Hillary or even dislike her, I’m sure she’d make a really good president as well. Politicians are politicians, you have to remember that.
SeaFlood
What a fucking idiot. Great way to try to make yourself relevant! Emphasis on try.
andthenthereismaude
WORD to Rosanne, sing it sister!
Oprah is the saddest excuse for a female role model and I don’t give a flying fig how fabu her hair is everyday. She proliferates the consumer culture that creates stupid, overwhelmed americans who only have time to think about all the toys they have. She regularly works with Walmart on her show, and one of the biggest violators of women’s rights and worker abuse. Rather than being a confident woman to admire she unfortunately deluges us with her insecure struggles with weight and past abuse. How is that being a role model to the average american woman who is already constantly comparing themselves to other women.
And honestly the materialistic gay men don’t make it any easier on us women to accept ourselves.
And while I am ranting Bill Clinton is more black than Barack, 2 snaps.
Angela Johnson
Roseanne is trailer trash, you can get money but you can not get class. Look at Britney. She doesn’t know what the hell she is talking about.
OBAMA 2008!!!!!!
seitan-on-a-stick
The Queen of the Midwest, I mean Oprah endorsed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who cut $11 million dollars from AIDS services in California. She just cares about Republican issues and is using Barack to legislate tax cuts for her. Hillary has the blue collar gays supporting her but Barack’s popularity is more grounded in those who may not even bother to vote. I switched from Barack to Hillary because of the Oprah endorsement because I was disgusted that she votes Republican for her own greedy self-interests. Her hairdresser Reggie may be her only gay friend left before they yank her tired show off the air.
Bill Perdue
The supporters of Clinton, Obama and Edwards who ridicule one another’s candidates all have one thing in common – they’re right. What’s bizarre is that they see fit to deny the similarities of these Democrat (sic) union busting, gay bashing chickenhawk warhawks and their cousins in the Republican Party.
As queer provocateur, essayist and novelist Gore Vidal says “there is only one party in the United States, the Property Party…and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt — until recently… and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties.”
City Girl
As far as I am concerned everyone has a right to believe what they want. I am not particularly a Roseanne fan… but she has a right to her beliefs. As far as her site getting shut down, as a hosting provider this only happens when a client has an account that has a quota. Clearly she was not prepared for such an overwhelming response or number of hits to her site. When you talk about Oprah that will happen… because she has an overwhelming following. I hope she gets an upgraded account to handle the traffic her site is getting because of her current views. What I do find to be interesting however is that a person who clearly had been out of the public eye due to a lagging career can make an instant comeback or resurgence in popularity because she made comments about Oprah. While I do think some of her points are valid… I also believe her disgust for Oprah (hence the support of Obama) is also Class and Race related.
Jamara
Rosanne has no idea what she’s talking about. Obama has the most liberal voting record of anyone running for president according to the National Journal. And the fact that Oprah’s supporting him makes me like him more. It was Oprah who popularized the tabloid talk show genre in the 80s that a Yale study claimed did more to make gays mainstream and socially acceptable than any other development of the 20th century. It was Oprah who played the therapist on Ellen DeGenres’s landmark coming out show in the 90s. It was Oprah who sent a platoon of helicopters to search for Nate Berkus’s gay lover when he was lost in the tsuanami, and it’s Oprah who just made Berkus the first openly gay male host of a reality TV show.
Jamara
And Oprah never endorsed Schwarznegger. She had him on her show for ratings just like Jay Leno and Howard Stern did. It was a huge story in the entertainment business.
Jamara
If Oprah were a closet republican she would be supporting Hillary because Hillary’s voting record is to the right of Obama especially on foreign policy issues. Certainly the Clinton administration was fairly conservative. Oprah’s campaign contribution have not only been 95% Democrat, but she contributes to fairly liberal Democrats. Also she’s a huge Michael Moore fan; he begged her to run for president so if anything she might be a closet Nader fan.
Nate
roseanne is brilliant.