By Rick Krug
GCC/Staff
Jan. 11, 2010 

Harry Reid, the Senator from Nevada is in a boat load of trouble. In the recently released “tell-all” book titled, Game Change by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Senator Reid is quoted as making the comment, Barack Obama should seek — and could win — the White House because Obama was a “light skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” Oops, someone actually printed that!

To be fair, these pseudo-history-books-cum-tabloid kind of publications act more like fireworks than a long-life light bulb; they go up fast and with a huge bang, are gone even faster.

But at times – remember, All the President’s Men? – they actually go deep and make a mark. This one just might. But not because of Harry.

Let me warn you right now; if you are waiting for me to unload on Reid and castigate him for being a closet racist and level both barrels square between his eyes, then be prepared for a bit of a disappointment.

To be sure, Harry Reid is in trouble, but his slide into history should not, I repeat, not, be marked by this comment. Want more shock? I do not believe Reid is a racist; closet or outed. He is achromatic and maybe a bit addled. But racist? Nope.

Born in 1939, Reid grew up during the rapidly changing era of “what term is politically correct today?” American culture. When he entered his political career in 1966, the Civil Rights movement was but a babe and the Summer of Love was 3 years away.

Still, The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was brewing, race tensions were boiling over, gay rights were not far off, and the United States had just realized that in fact, we really did enter a war a couple of years earlier and were not just sending over “consultants” to the South Vietnamese.

A great case can be made for the 1960’s being the worst and best decade in America’s young history.

To the point – with an effort to be as neutral as I know how – humans who do not have ancestors in Europe, but do in the continent of Africa; and who tend to have more melanin in their skin than most other ethnic groups; and have lived in the United States have self-identified in the following “accepted” ways: Negro, Colored People, Black, African American, Black American, Afro-American, and People of Color. Fair enough; anyone should be able to call themselves what they want.

Further, no other ethnic group in America has experienced the amazing oppression these folks have since the day they were forced to live here.

Senator Reid came of age when the term “Negro” was not only acceptable but desired. The United Negro College fund was established in 1944 and the identifier meant nothing more than just what it said.

While out of date and clearly a poor choice of words, there was nothing in his speech reflecting an underlying sense of racial superiority.

I will point out there exist today both that organization and one with the initials NAACP. Remember what the “C” stands for? Again, I don’t care what anyone wants to be called, but imagine if Sarah Palin said, “The colored people…”

Here is what I heard Senator Reid say in just the words: “Barack Obama is a good candidate.

His looks will be acceptable to most voters, and he does not talk as if he is either uneducated or identifies too much with a very narrow segment of Americans; unless he is trying to relate to them.”

\The same contra positive conversation could be said for any candidate who, for example, carried excessive weight and had a deeply strong Boston accent.

Again, to his credit, President Obama was gracious and maintains his posture of not using race as an issue. Then again, it was Reid who called the former President of the United States “A Loser.”

Oddly, most media outlets agree with conservative me and are not all that concerned with this misstep in verbiage. They too, are willing to give him a pass. But for a different reason. Obviously if Reid had been a Republican, his tail would be hanging from the Capitol flag pole.

Had Harry been conservative, the next political cartoon would having him wearing a sheet and burning a cross. But, come on, we all know a liberal democrat can’t be racist, right?

I gave him a pass because I don’t really think this old man intended to express a racism; the media gave him a pass because he is one of them.

As I said, Reid is in deep trouble, but not because of using words from the ‘60’s, but from using an agenda from the far-left; an agenda most Americans have come to reject.

It has been difficult to grasp where Senator Reid gets his inspiration. Seemingly very insular, unaccountable for his words, and with a clear hatred of all that even edges on conservative values, Reid has run rough shod over all who oppose his bizarre trajectory. With unlimited resources – ala’, the American Tax Payer’s Pocketbooks – Reid went door to door and gained every vote worth buying to prop up his health care bill; even going as far as granting a Senator from Nebraska a little goodie which will ultimately become illegal.

Next November, unless he can pull out a Clintonesque re-birth, Reid will be “retired” by the voters of Nevada; and none too soon if you ask me. I, for one, am personally tired of the hatred and vitriol which has embodied the likes of Reid.

Oh, I know, there are plenty of Republicans guilty of out of bounds talk as well. But Senator Reid has been the leader of the Senate.

Yes, Trent Lott and Tom Delay were removed for their own hyperbole (don’t tell anyone, but I agreed with those “retirements” as well), but Reid’s slimy wording will not be missed.

So, in November, if the Democrats hold on to the Senate Majority, or if the Republicans gain it, I am begging both parties to not allow the Breed of Reid to reproduce….please?

 

Source: Rick Krug

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com