Another Democrat’s racially insensitive remark met with ‘kid gloves’ once again
Democrat Joe Biden, in an interview announcing his presidential candidacy, referred to Barack Obama as follows:
“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy”Where is the outrage? The hand-wringing? Imagine, if you will, this had been said by a Republican, say Trent Lott, George Allen, or Frank Hargorve.
Sure, he called Obama to apologize, and Obama shrugged it off with a form of “He didn’t mean it,” but Biden went even further to say that presumably inarticulate, dirty African-American presidential candidates Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Carol Mosley Braun and perhaps Alan Keys, should know what he meant too.
Once again, a Dem gets a pass for behavior that, if committed by an R, would have caused their crucifixion. Lest we forget former Klansman Sen. Byrd dropping of the n-bomb …
NY Times puff piece can be found here.
Sheesh! I hate Demorcat hypocrisy! It makes their supposed outrage seem that much more insincere!
posted by Randy @ 2/01/2007 09:09:00 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Perhaps the reason there hasn't been as much of an outcry as in the cases you mention--although I think Sen. Biden has been pilloried fairly extensively for his mistake--is that his comments were intended to be a *compliment* to Sen. Obama. Granted what he said was insensitive and could be taken as racially offensive. When considered in the context of the rest of his statement, though, it is obvious he wasn't trying to disparage Obama and/or black people in general. Which is not the case with Senators Lott, Allen, et al.
I agree, Randy. It's pretty ridiculous isn't it? I personally am blown away by his apparent latent racial prejudices.
But, part of why he hasn't been "crucified" (as you chose to say, so insensitively -- how do you think that makes the Christians feel?) may be Biden's voting record (pro-minority and pro-civil rights, pro-minimum wage, pro-affirmative action) and his consituent base, which is more heavily representative of the African-American community than, say, Trent Lott...
He get a free pass in part because he's earned it, perhaps, compared to his R. counterparts.
First, I take issue with the idea that he's gotten a "pass". Its been frontline news for days, and not positive frontline news. Even Jon Stewart got in on it and roughed him up on the Daily Show.
Second, as Sean noted, folks might look upon him more kindly and be more forgiving of insensitive comments because of a record of pro-minority actions (unlike the Rs you mention). When you work FOR minority rights, instead of against them, minorities tend to treat you better when you mess up. This is especially true when you don't have a history of using race-baiting code phrases (as I've diatribed on before) to court certain Southern constituencies, all the while claiming neutrality. There's no "Aha! Now you're saying what you really mean!" moment to be had here. If you spend 40 years acting in a manner that breeds distrust, surprise, you're not trusted.
Third, if this had been an R, your posting would have been a diatribe about how the R in question was being sandbagged and treated unfairly by the liberal media and African-Americans looking to be offended and twisting innocent comments into something racial. "After all, what's wrong with saying a guy is articulate, bright, clean, and nice-looking?"
Talk about hypocrisy!
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