Monday, April 28, 2008

Lou Dobbs, "In Denial" about Racism

What if Rev. Wright had been white? What if he had preached the "levels of sin" as Rev. Haggee did, whereby some catastrophe strikes this country and it is all because God Damns America for its sins. According to Pat Robertson, God damns any city that stands against "Creation Science/Intelligent Design," or school board or state. Pat Robertson also had God damning America that brought the Al Qaeda terrorist threat to our shores. So, why aren't we hearing more about flaky and truly scary preachers from Lou Dobbs, besides Rev. Wright, of course. In fact, I recall some prior talk and opinion shows of his that even featured the flaky and dangerous pastors above mentioned. Oh, excuse me, they aren't "black" like Rev. Wright, and therefore we have a greater comfort zone around truly radical types like Falwell. Actually, we don't all do so. If a Falwell, Haggee, Robertson, etc. were to back a candidate and tell their general congregations to vote for so and so, I won't. Because to be quite honest, there is only one reason why such people would vote for candidate so and so in the first place, to have their special agendas passed as law in Congress, or the state legislature, or upheld by the judiciary. There is, after all a separation of church and state that should be honored. And what makes Robertson and etc. really scary is that they aren't prepared to honor the U.S. Constitution. Now when it comes to Rev. Wright, the Constitutional rights shouldn't be there for him, and if he exercises them, then he literally threatens presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama. And Haggee doesn't equally threaten Senator McCain?

Unless Robert Zimmerman came out and said it, that McCain literally pursued Haggee's endorsement, I highly doubt that Dobbs would have been willing to mention it. For all the mournful head wagging and finger pointing at the pastor in order to use him as a bull whip against Senator Obama, Wright is hardly the only not quite in the mainstream pastor. There are plenty of fringe radicals among "white" churches too. For anyone not Christian, certainly to include myself, there is no comfort zone for a person who "looks like me" but who definitely doesn't "think like me" and I will go to hell for not being 100% in agreement with that individual. So, what was that again about how "scary" Wright happens to be whereby a second look has to be taken at a member of his "black" church? How about this, a member of Falwell's church runs for president; shouldn't we give that candidate the same sort of vetting? Or simply cuddling up to Falwell on a desire for a future run for the White House. Senator McCain did that, and hasn't suffered for having done so. Oh, that's right, because McCain is white and Falwell was white.

Ed Rollins made a quite honest assessment about Obama, well, "the scary black man." A fellow who mentions rural Pennsylvanians as "bitter" and "clinging to guns and religion;" is surely that scary black guy who can look down on people from his high office as president. We already had 8 years of a white fellow doing just that! GW may push the guns and religion business, but on all other fronts, he is so scared of the American voter that he will actually spy on Americans in the name of the "War on Terror." He is so fearful of facing displeasure that he surrounds himself with people who will curry his very fragile ego. He gets an easy heartburn over anything disagreeable, that he must be effectively shielded from it. GW is a far scarier white man than Rev. Wright will ever be. Rev. Wright has yet to threaten our constitutional freedoms, GW does it all the time.

Too bad that Dobbs didn't choose to have former Governor Bill Richardson on his show. This Obama supporter informed Wolf Blitzer that Wright wasn't on the ballot and running for office. But then, the same man who claims to have once been "sold" on Obama, had since done an about face and packed his panel with anyone who will shriek as he does about Obama and his pastor. And read only letters that denigrate the Senator.

The question I now have is this, why is a woman presidential candidate less "scary" who seeks an opportunity to not only wear the pants but also to give the orders from on high? Wow, as long as she and the news media can keep that controversial question from swirling around her she has an easy pass to the White House? Dobbs complained again that Senator Clinton was facing plenty of news media bias. Really? She has faced some truly valid criticism of her behavior on the campaign trail and that becomes a "media bias" against her. Yet, the CNN news team describes her as "tough" and "a fighter." At this point, my argument to Dobbs would be this, she wants the job, she is running for president, she should definitely receive the levels of flack that speak to the issues of how she talks one way, and yet, has a past track record of being in the opposition to her campaign stump speeches. And if she is so "tough" and a "fighter," then she should have no trouble facing "media biases" and addressing them directly. Yet, Dobbs, you act like you have to "protect" her from all of that. That's not affirming what Clinton as candidate ought to be. And in truth, it is undermining the whole concept of her being tough and a fighter.

Dobbs, it has been you and the news media that gave Rev. Wright the national stage. It is you who are fearful of the sort of change this country needs to have any sort of future. Are you sure that "pro-amnesty" McCain would deliver for the voters with half-loaf measures? Is it really apropos to attack a self-made man which is what Obama truly is and speak far more gently of those who truly did have it made, such as Senator Clinton? You want a government that responds to the American people, about the only fellow who might do that, Obama, and you can't handle the possibility of his being president because of his pastor. So, I guess you don't want a "government that works" after all. Just because of who might head it. Just because the presidential candidate happens to be African-American. Yes, it is about race. And it is you and not Obama who said of the Pennsylvanians that they were "red necks" and "utter fools." A better man would neither exaggerate nor put words in another person's mouth. Dobbs, you are not now a better man.