A little setup…
In his book The Family of Secrets, Russ Baker makes a very compelling argument that Dan Rather was set up by the Bush Administration. Rather’s story about Bush’s questionable service in the Texas National Guard was later dismissed since Rather’s source wasn’t reliable.
Baker’s point is that the Rather’s story about Bush’s record is true, but having it reported and then having the chief source discredited. The story will now be tarnish and the reputation of the person running with the story.
Also, reporters will not want to research the story themselves. They will either believe it has no legs, or don’t want to suffer the same fate as Dan Rather.
I attended a couple of Anti-Bush/Anti-War rallies when Bush was still in office. I do lean conservative on many issues, but I feel these wars are wrong. I also had many problems with the Bush Administration. The passing of the “War Commissions Act” spurred me on to start this podcast.
While attending these rallies, I noticed many signs that painted President Bush in a bad light. Pictures of Bush wearing the infamous Hitler moustache. Signs proclaiming Bush as a fascist. As many problems I had with Bush, there were a few signs that were below the belt. (Funny, but below the belt.)
However, members on the right called those who opposed these wars and/or Bush as being “Unpatriotic.” I don’t consider those I met at these events or myself as “Unpatriotic.” I consider them as “Patriots.”
On November 22, 2008, Ragman and I attended the “End the Fed” rally in Houston, Texas. Remember, Obama had just been elected President but has not been sworn in yet.
At this rally, I notice signs were more Anti-Pelosi than Obama. I seem to recall two signs that even mentioned Obama. However, this rally grew from two sources: Ron Paul’s campaign (He spoke at this event) and the “Banker Bailout” bill that just passed.
I have argued against the liberal claim that the Tea Party movement is strictly an “Anti-Obama” movement. There is no doubt that President Obama’s polices have poured a lot of gasoline on the flame. However, I feel history will show that it was the “Banker Bailout Bill” was the original match. (A bill that both Obama and McCain supported)
Since Obama has taken office, Ragman and I have attended various Tea Party events . Yes, we have seen many signs that do not place President Obama in a good light. Not much unlike, the many signs I noticed at the Anti-Bush rallies mentioned earlier.
Some liberals have claimed the Obama as the infamous Joker picture was racist. However, these same liberals had no issue with a picture of President Bush in the Joker makeup on a national magazine cover. Could the better explanation be that these artists are not racists and thought that these Presidents are just clowns?
Again, the same liberals claiming the Obama signs portraying him as either a socialist or fascist are also racist. Yet again, they had no issues with similar signs of Bush at their rallies.
As someone who has attended Tea Party events, I don’t consider these people (or myself) as racist. I consider them Patriots.
Now for the heart of the story…
Recently, the NAACP chastised the Tea Parties for the “racist elements” within their fold. The Tea Party has fired back saying they should get their own house in order. Also, why hasn’t the NAACP condemn the actions of the Black Panthers in Philadelphia back on election day of 2008? Or how the Obama Administration is handling the case?
Whites don’t have a monopoly on racism. If you have a group of any size, you will have racists in their group. I don’t care what race is the majority of the crowd.
The news has been a buzz ever since the edited version of Shirley Sherrod’s speech hit the conservative blogger’s website. What was seen was part of the speech appeared very racist. This coming right after the NAACP’s bashing of the Tea Parties. So of course, conservatives went nuts. (The timing here is very interesting.)
We have learned since that the speech had been edited. What was posted was taken out of context and her whole speech was about her mistake and reconciling her actions. However, the White House and Dept. of Commerce quickly pulled the trigger on Ms. Sherrod without investigating the incident themselves.
Now both conservatives and liberals have egg on their faces.
As FDR once said, “There are no coincidents in politics.” I think we have been “Dan Rathered” by someone. There are some questions here that needs to be asked and I don’t see the national media are asking.
1) How did this conservative blog get this speech? Not like conservative bloggers were hanging out at NAACP’s speeches from twenty years ago?
2) Who edited the speech? The bloggers or the “person” who gave them the video?
3) Why was the White House and Dept. of Commerce so quickly to fire Ms. Sherrod without doing a full investigation or asking her about the speech?
The true nature of the speech now has been reveal and justly, the liberals are upset.
So you have this one “racial” event so closely after the NAACP’s attack on the Tea Party. The conservatives go bananas followed up by the liberals. The racial tension in the country raises… Operation Successful!
I saw today on my Facebook; a widget with a picture of Sherrod asking me to “like” something: President Obama needs to say “NO” to Fox News. I think this illustrates my point.
While we as individuals and the media are bickering amongst ourselves, Congress is pushing a very awful banking reform bill that will only benefit the major bankers. It does nothing about the economic problems that started in 2008: Fannie and Freddie, derivatives, and the Federal Reserve. It actually gives the Federal Reserve more power. The Texas Bankers Association blasted the bill stating it only consolidates power among the largest banks while hurting state and local banks.
Also, this even pushes the BP story back. How well is the cap really working? Funny how Lindsey Lohan’s jailing manages to seep up to the top of the media stories.
If the national media isn’t going to be asking the necessary questions, then it comes to us. The bloggers/podcasters need to make sure the proper questions are asked and things are brought into context. We can’t make the mistake as that conservative blogger website did regardless of who is at fault in this Sherrod story.
This whole event again is dividing us instead of bringing us together. Recently, Ron Paul and Barney Frank appeared on CNN together pushing a bill they agree on. This is what the establish fears: the left and right finding issues we agree on and doing something about it.
Again, we need to avoid these traps that will only divide us.
We can’t let Lady Liberty down…
Loading ...
3 Comments
“Also, why hasn’t the NAACP condemn the actions of the Black Panthers in Philadelphia back on election day of 2008? Or how the Obama Administration is handling the case?”
It was the Bush DOJ that dropped the case, and there were only like, two or three of them, in a district that was going to go to Obama anyway. In other words, it’s a non-controversy.
“2) Who edited the speech? The bloggers or the “person” who gave them the video?”
Occam’s Razor: Breitbart claims he’d been “sitting on the video,” and “only asked for the relevant parts.” Breitbart eitehr edited it himself, or his friend did.
Also, was it really wise to defend the Tea Party as not racist after one of it’s most prominent leaders got forced out for his “Letter to President Lincoln?”
This was a Right Wing smear job that Obama, forgetting that bipartisansip is supposed to be a means to an end, not an end unto itself, fell for, just like with ACORN. Not that this will stop the Right from acting like he never listens to Republican ideas; a flat out lie, just look at how many Rs there are next to amendments in the Health Care bill, or the Secretary of Transportation, or Secretary of Defense, or telling supporters in the 2008 campaign not to boo McCain.
Bump
Arkle, Arkle, Arkle,
I have to admit you amaze me. After being banned from posting in the Fence threads at Farpoint Forums, you still have this need to post anyway. You also ignored my reply to you to your last post on this website informing you that you are banned here as well.
I did delete your post, but then I recovered it because I felt your post really illustrated my point.
First, a few comments about your post…
You are INCORRECT about Bush dropping the case:
“The Bush Justice Department brought the first case against three members of the group, accusing them in a civil complaint of violating the Voter Rights Act. The Obama administration initially pursued the case, winning a default judgment in federal court in April 2009 when the Black Panther members did not appear in court. But then the administration moved to dismiss the charges the following month after getting one of the New Black Panther members to agree to not carry a “deadly weapon” near a polling place until 2012. The department boasted that justice had been served.
But Adams, the former administration lawyer, accused the Justice Department of not continuing the case for political and racial reasons.
Adams called the case “a slam dunk,” telling Fox News that “nobody thought there was any doubt that this was the clearest case of voter intimidation that I’ve seen since I’ve been practicing law.”
Before you scream Fox News or Conservative bias…. Here is a comment from a Democrat who is a poll watcher:
“But Bartle Bull, who was a poll watcher in Philadelphia in 2008, doesn’t buy the Justice Department denials.
“I find it deeply offensive,” Bull said. “I know people who died over these issues, like Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. If we can’t defend their legacy, it’s shameful to us and this administration.”
Bull is a prominent New York Democrat and longtime political adviser. He was Robert F. Kennedy’s New York campaign manager, went to the south in the 1960s to protect the voting rights of black voters and just came back from Afghanistan where he traveled with the troops.
He says the administration’s actions amount to protecting the New Black Panthers.
“If Americans can’t vote honestly, and the government doesn’t protect their right to vote, we don’t live in a democracy. Last year Obama complained when the government in Afghanistan did not run the election properly. What about Pennsylvania?” he said, claiming the president “violated his oath of office.”
NEXT POINT
You noted that Breitbart was “sitting on the video.” For how long? 20 years? I don’t think so. I don’t deny that he could have been the one to edit, but we still don’t know how much of the actual speech he received. This also doesn’t let the Administration off the hook for sacking Sherrod so fast without giving her a chance to explain herself.
NEXT POINT
You are falling into the same trap as many on the left does in trying to explain the Tea Party. Mark Williams is NOT a prominent member of the Tea Party. He was a leader in the Tea Party Express. There is a big difference if you actually take the time and research the Tea Party.
I will give you the quick 101. Back in 1980, Reagan was elected president. He received support from all three wings of the Republican Party: the Social Conservatives, Neo-Cons and the Libertarian wings. (I use the word “Libertarian” loosely here… Libertarian Leaning might be a better term.)
Also during the 1980 election, a marriage between the Social Conservatives and Neo-Cons happened. They gradually over time started forcing the Libertarian wing out.
This union was disrupted in 2008. Ron Paul’s campaign woke up the Libertarian wing of the Republican Party. I will concede they are not a majority, but they started to get better organized.
The Tea Party’s greatest strength is also it’s biggest weakness. They are very localized group with many factions. The Tea Party Express was an attempt by the establishment Republicans (Mostly Social Conservatives and Neo-Cons) to gain control of the movement. However, the other camp of the Tea Party is the more Libertarian leaning supporters of Ron Paul.
There is a faction that follows Sarah Palin and a faction that follows Ron Paul. These factions actually disagree on many things, but they do agree that the country needs to take a more Fiscal Conservative approach than the big government spending that happened both under Bush and now Obama.
Interesting stat… 1 out of 5 Tea Party members actually voted for Obama. There is projection that Tea Party Members have only been going after Democrats. This isn’t true. They have also went after Republicans as well.. I know they booed off stage Gov. Rick Perry, Senator Cornyn and Senator Graham.
There mood is also being reflected in Democratic Primaries… If you are perceived as an “establishment” candidate then you are in a rough go during this election.
NEXT POINT
Since this post about taking things in context, lets take another point you made. You said, “like he never listens to Republican ideas; a flat out lie, just look at how many Rs there are next to amendments in the Health Care bill”
Well, here is what Politifact had to say on the subject–
FIRST they quoted Don Stewart:
“Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, said 132 of the 159 were for “technical amendments” and that it was a misnomer to call them proof of bipartisanship.
None of the Republicans’ priorities have gotten any traction, he said: Tort reform, equalizing the tax code, reducing the proposed cuts to Medicare spending, and scrapping the proposed “public option.”
In fact, he said, only one big-picture Republican issue seems to have gotten the attention of the Democratic majority: creating incentives for wellness, such as cutting insurance costs for people who exercise or don’t smoke. ”
SECOND, Politifact’s conclusion:
“When Obama said the health plan incorporated ideas from Democrats and Republicans, we think he grossly overstated the bipartisanship of the process to date. Both sides claim the other party is to blame for that, an issue that we will not wade into here. However, we note that none of the plans that have graduated from congressional committees have received a single Republican vote. Yes, Congress adopted dozens of the amendments proposed by Republicans, but we couldn’t find any that dramatically altered the plan. Still, to the extent there were at least some, we give Obama’s statement a Barely True. ”
NEXT POINT
Arkle,
I really do appreciate your passion. I do feel that more Americans need to get passionate. However, I do feel you have let your blind you. I’m sure that the when the Neo-Cons drank the Bush Kool-Aid that drove you nuts. (It did me as well)
However in doing so, you have become what you most despised. Someone who is so rigid in their views that they can’t see the whole picture. You are a Neo-Lib. I will admit there is a lot to bash within the right wing, but also within the left wing. However, you don’t see that.
I will give you one piece of advice which I doubt you will follow. Study the history of banking…
FINALLY,
With support of the owner of Farpoint Forums, I banned you from posting in the Fence Threads there. I told you in my last comment to you that you were banned from here as well. Going on record… More comments from you here will be deleted.