Political Elephants in Black and White

As my household prepares to vote tomorrow in the NC primary, I’ll make note here of Frank Rich’s enlightening op-ed in the New York Times Sunday, The All-White Elephant in the Room.

Rich takes a refreshingly detached look at the current situation in the Presidential candidate fields on both sides of the party divide, that stupid game I like to call “Dueling Religious Bigots.” In particular, Rich dares to take on John McCain’s coveted endorsement by the right-wing religious ‘base’ wannabe spokesperson, the Reverend John Hagee. Who stars in the amazing (and highly disgusting) video below, that everyone who reads this should watch – if for no other reason than to remind you WHY Democrats very much need to win big this November…

Now, we’ve all heard over and over again ad nauseum all about the strange racial ideas of Barack Obama’s favorite black clergyman, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Obama has reluctantly had to distance himself and even denounce his old friend after Wright went on the warpath to destroy his parishoner’s chances at the White House to the best of his abilities. Who knows why a black preacher would want to prevent the chance that we might elect our first black president? I expect hubris is right up there with the money for that odd situation.

But who besides Rich has bothered to take a real look at Hagee’s crazy views? Why is the mainstream media harping on Wright and giving Hagee a pass? Pertinent observation from Rich…

None of this is to say that two wacky white preachers make a Wright right. It is entirely fair for any voter to weigh Mr. Obama’s long relationship with his pastor in assessing his fitness for office. It is also fair to weigh Mr. Obama’s judgment in handling this personal and political crisis as it has repeatedly boiled over. But whatever that verdict, it is disingenuous to pretend that there isn’t a double standard operating here. If we’re to judge black candidates on their most controversial associates — and how quickly, sternly and completely they disown them — we must judge white politicians by the same yardstick.

To which I say, Amen.

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Filed under Campaigns, Hate Speech, Hypocrisy, Party Primaries, Politics of Hate, Presidential Candidates, Racism, Religion | Comment (0)