It's All about Politics, Not Principle
Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010
by Terry Mitchell
http://commenterry.blogs.com
There has recently been a major debate over Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's 2008 comments about then-Sen. Barack Obama. During the early stages of the 2008 presidential campaign, Reid remarked that Obama stood a better chance of winning than most black people because he was "light-skinned" and didn't speak with a "Negro accent." His words were disclosed in the new book, Game Change, by authors John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. This revelation ignited a firestorm in the U.S. media.
While it is true that Reid's comments are an example of awkward wording and unintentional insensitivity rather than a malicious attack, Democrats certainly would have been less tolerant had those words been spoken by someone who wasn't in such lockstep with their political agenda. They need Harry Reid right now. They cannot afford to lose him or offend him in any way. They do not stand a snowball's chance in you-know-where without Reid giving a 110% effort. Therefore, for the Democrats, forgiveness in this case is easy.
Of course, for their part, the Republicans are intentionally blowing this whole thing out of proportion. They know it doesn't really compare to the gaffe made by then-Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott in 2002 during a 100th birthday party for Strom Thurmond. At that party, Lott insinuated that the U.S. would have been better off had Thurmond been elected in 1948 when he ran for President as a third-party segregationist candidate. The fallout from this incident eventually forced Lott to give up his position as Minority Leader. He later resigned from the U.S. Senate.
Still, though, I never viewed Lott's statement as malevolent enough as to merit such drastic consequences. But Republicans couldn't care less whether it was or it wasn't. They just want to use it, along with the consequences it created, as an excuse to boot Sen. Reid. They want to derail healthcare legislation and are willing to go all out to accomplish that goal, even if it requires a little bit of intellectual dishonesty along the way. As far as they're concerned, their goal is so noble that the end justifies the means. But for both sides, you can be sure that it's not at all about principle, it's about politics.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Exactly correct, principle has nothing to do with the (latest) charades up in Washington, it is politics. As usual. Some change. Well-stated, sir.Michael, thanks for reading and commenting. I'm glad you liked it.
Good article Terry and I agree it is all about politics.Linda, thanks for reading and commenting. I'm glad you agree.
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