Republican Hypocrisy Part 157,340,311
According to a new book about the 2008 election, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid once said that Barack Obama could be successful as a black Presidential candidate because he was “light-skinned” and didn’t speak with a “Negro dialect”.
Senator Reid was one of the first people to encourage Obama to run for President, and while his remarks might rightfully seem racist to some, they were intended as an honest evaluation of how race might affect voters.
Nevertheless, Senator Reid has apologized several times for the remarks, realizing they could easily be construed as offensive. President Obama, along with numerous prominent African-American officials, including NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and Attorney General Eric Holder, have stood by Reid, recognizing his words were not the result of prejudice or ignorance.
The fact remains that Senator Reid could have stated his observation in a far less offensive way, or better yet, not said anything at all. But his intentions – and enthusiasm for Obama as a candidate – were sincere.
Of course, the Republicans are having a field day with it. In what has to be one of the most ludicrous political denouncements in recent history, Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele has called for Reid to step down. “Racism and racist conversations have no place today in America,” he stated just days after using the phrase “honest Injun” on FOX news, a phrase that is considered highly inflammatory by some. Evidently, Republicans only object to “racist” terms if opponents use them.
To make matters worse, Republicans are comparing Senator Reid to Senator Trent Lott in a bizarre gambit that is certain to blow up in their faces. Senator Reid was encouraged that a black Presidential candidate could actually be a possibility. Senator Lott, on the other hand, praised the call for nationwide segregation, saying that “if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over the years, either.”
Not exactly a great comparison. And it just recalls all the times Republicans have actively worked against racial civil rights. It’s hard to believe they’re indignant over the use of “Negro” when it’s easy to imagine the kind of words they normally use to describe black people.
It’s not unexpected. History has taught us that politicians from all parties live to disparage each other. But it would be nice if, just once, Republicans would rise from the gutters and act like civilized human beings that actually cared about others.
But then again, I guess that’s like waiting to see elephants fly.
