Axelrod wouldn’t have written about this in his book or emphasized it in this interview the way he did if he didn’t feel that racism among Obama’s critics was was substantial and pervasive. Otherwise why write about it in the first place if it’s a fringe thing?
And he is ‘sure’ Obama feels the same way too:
The example Axelrod game was ridiculous. Joe Wilson yelled ‘you lie’ after Obama lied in the SOTU. It wasn’t because Wilson is racist. It was because Obama lied.
And the birther thing…well, I don’t believe that was founded in racism either. Obama started this crap by not allowing so much about himself to be revealed in 2008. And the media is to blame as well for giving him a pass on it too.
Just like most Democrats over the years, Axelrod is just trying to say criticism of Obama is unfair and illegitimate. What a putz.