NEWS JUNKIE POST
Jan 11, 2010 at 12:24 amIgnoring the Elephant in the Room: Dems Give Reid a Pass
The elephant is still in the middle of the room. Only this time, the Democrats are walking on peanut shells to avoid it. The elephant, of course is race, and it’s snarling again thanks to a year old comment credited to Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid.
In their forthcoming gossipy book about the 2008 election, Game Change Mark Halperin and John Heilemann offer a slew of gotcha political moments. The one that so far has fetched the most attention is Reid’s comment assessing then Senator Obama’s chances at scoring the top spot. “Americans are ready for a Black president, especially one so light skinned who doesn’t talk with a Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one.”
The beleaguered Nevada senator–who’s reelection bid is already akin to walking up Mt.Everest in high heels–issued a statement calling his remarks “improper,” and apologizing to all Americans, particularly, “African Americans.” And Obama swiftly accepted, saying, “the book is closed.”
Not so fast. While the President and most Democrats gave Reid an unconditional pass, many Republicans were busy making political hay on the Sunday talk circuit. On Meet the Press GOP Chair Michael Steele called Democrats hypocrites. ” There has to be a consequence for anachronistic language that hearkens back to the 1950′s and 1960′s,”, he said. “If Mitch McConnell said it, they’d be calling for his head.” Steele also noted that in 2002 former Majority Leader Trent Lott was forced to step down after he made remarks praising Strom Thurmond’s segregationist presidential run decades earlier.
Democratic Party Chair Tim Kaine rejected the comparison, claiming that Reid was advocating an Obama run, even if his choice of words was “improper” and “unfortunate.”
On ABC’s This Week, Liz Cheney played fast and loose with Martin Luther King’s “content of character” speech, while her conservative cohort George Will offered Reid a back door defense, asking, “Was there anything he said that wasn’t true?” This lead to the briefest of conversations on race relations in the country.
Here’s the question no one seems to be asking: are Democrats giving Reid a pass simply because he’s a Democrat? And if so, isn’t Michael Steele right? If McConnell had said it, Dems would be all over him. Come on, you know we would.
Political expediency enables Obama to give Reid the easy pass. He needs Reid to put the wraps on so-called health reform. But why are there no other Democrats or even liberal commentators crying foul? Joan Walsh in her Salon blog bobbed and weaved around the topic. She acknowledged the gaff, but almost excused it because , after all, Harry Reid is 70 years old. Sounds like ageism, Joan.
I’m not saying the comment is bad enough to warrant Reid’s ouster, but it deserves attention. Ignoring or dismissing it does a disservice to all Americans. What this stale comment affords us is another opportunity to continue the delicate discussion of race President Obama awkwardly attempted to initiate during his infamous “beer summit” with Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley last summer.
Obama’s election was a proud moment for the nation; it proved we could transcend our old racist thinking. But it didn’t eradicate all racism. On the contrary, for some, it only exacerbated a festering racist anger that has fueled the wing nut ‘Birther’ and ‘Tea Party’ movements. I’m not suggesting everyone who disagrees with Obama is a racist, but all you have to do is watch some footage from these rallies to witness a dangerous vitriol that uses racially charged images and language to deride President Obama.
Former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder –who made history twenty years ago as the first elected Black governor in the country–said on CNN’s State of the Union, “Senator Reid’s apology should be to all the American people because we’re not where he thought we were a year ago.” Wilder, a Democrat, fell short of calling for Reid’s resignation. “He has enough problems just getting reelected,” he demurred with a congenial laugh.
Still, WIlder thinks the comment, “illustrates our need for a deep discussion on race.”
We need that tough and honest dialogue on our national albatross. Without it, race will continue to haunt us, the ghost of our fore fathers’ sins.
And while we’re being honest with ourselves, we too, should acknowledge inappropriate, offensive and outrageous rhetoric without regard to whether the person has a D or and R next to his/her name. We’re all human–Republican, Democrat, Independent, Socialist, what have you–and prone to say some stupid things. Some of us more than others. And for those in the public arena, the gaffs are more visible. But there’s often room for infinite chances. But when you utter a whopper you should take the heat. Except maybe the Socialists. They get to redistribute the blame and share the consequences.
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The reason that society is incapable of addressing the racial issue is because we view it from a perspective which is not conducive to real analysis. We talk all around the fundamental, underlying reasons for racism, and make it an emotional issue. How does one expect to cure the cancer without focusing on the cancerous cells and the biological reasons for cancer? Focusing on the symptoms is an ineffective mechanism to employ. Racism serves a far more complex pragmatic function than we are generally willing to acknowledge.
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Excellent article! It’s a pleasure to read your comments on current events.
I especially enjoyed the comment about his re-election bid is “akin to walking up Mt. Everest in high heels.” You certainly have a way with words.
Looking forward to more of your articles.