Is Shirley Sherrod A Black Eye For The Obama Administration?

Forums: Shirley Sherrod, Politics, Racism, Media, Journalism
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Or are conservatives and Breitbart to blame?

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http://biggovernment.com/abreitbart/2010/07/19/video-proof-the-naacp-awards-racism2010/

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Type: Discussion • Score: 14 • Views: 10,527 • Replies: 142

[+7] - ebrown p - 07/22/2010All of the above. They both handled this badly. The fact that the Obama administration runs scared at conservative lies has been a problem for a while. They ran away from the smear campaign...
[+6] - engineer - 07/22/2010I think it is a black eye to the administration. It shows they are hyper sensitive to the radical right media and confirms that there is significant power out on the fringes. As for the...
[+5] - panzade - 07/22/2010That's what worries me engineer. I thought Obama could navigate the radical right media salvos and stem the growing power of the radicalized Right. To me this episode was a setback
[+4] - ebrown p - 07/25/2010Gee Pheonix, I didn't know you were such a big fan of the cowboy never apologize, never admit wrongdoing demeanor. I hated this in George Bush, and I surely don't want to see this in Obama. I voted...
[+3] - Butrflynet - 07/22/2010I think it is a black eye for the United States that after all these years we're still going through all this and that we're so susceptible to fear mongering about race from anyone.
[+3] - hawkeye10 - 07/22/2010this is bad for Obama. First it is more hyper sensitive to race, which people are increasingly sick of.Second, people around Obama getting it wrong and also lacking balls reminds us that this is...
[+3] - Butrflynet - 07/22/2010I admire him for having called her. He didn't have to do it, but did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. It is more than what anyone at any news media outlet has done, and more...
[+3] - Cycloptichorn - 07/22/2010[quote]nice thought, except that almost no one agrees with you.[/quote] Unproven assertion. What you mean to say is that YOU don't agree. But you are wrong. [quote]Obama can think of it as...
[+3] - failures art - 07/22/2010I think engineer had it right. The truth of this matter gets drowned out. It matters less that Fox and BB were liars, because their audience simply doesn't give a ****. This wasn't embarrassing...
[+3] - engineer - 07/23/2010Plus, what is she going to say? Was that her on the tape? Yes. The video wasn't falsified nor was it spliced or otherwise modified. Since when is taking something out of context libel?...

I think Breitbart looks like a major jackass in this and his stock took a hit. The Obama admin is sufficiently removed from the problem as to mostly skate on this one, but they hardly come out clean either - should have waited to see more of the details before jumping to conclusions.

But let's not kid ourselves - the race-baiting mission of Breitbart and Fox News was fully accomplished. Instead of the day's news being about the historic Financial Reform bill being signed by Obama, it was about the stupid 'Blacks are racist towards whites!' which is a deep-seated and important part of the Conservative ethos.

Maddow gives a good breakdown about how stuff like this came directly from the playbook of Lee Atwater, and is still used by modern Racists in the Republican party to drum up anti-Democrat and anti-Black fears:

Cycloptichorn

2 Replies

@panzade,

All of the above. They both handled this badly.

The fact that the Obama administration runs scared at conservative lies has been a problem for a while. They ran away from the smear campaign against Van Jones. They ran away from the smear campaign against Acorn.

That being said, conservatives are lying jerks.

1 Reply

I think it is a black eye to the administration. It shows they are hyper sensitive to the radical right media and confirms that there is significant power out on the fringes. As for the conservative press, I don't think they take any hits because their audience doesn't care if their hyperbole occasionally goes over the edge.

1 Reply

@engineer,

That's what worries me engineer. I thought Obama could navigate the radical right media salvos and stem the growing power of the radicalized Right.

To me this episode was a setback

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@ebrown p,

Good points

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@Cycloptichorn,

Shame it overshadowed Finance Reform Cyclo.

0 Replies

Quote:

On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack claimed sole responsibility for the decision, saying there was no White House involvement, and gave Sherrod "a personal and profound apology."

Sounds like Vilsack is taking a hit for the team. It's hard to believe he didn't check with the White House first. Or is it?

1 Reply

@panzade,

I don't think it is hard to believe. I hope that Obama's secretaries are willing to take administrative actions without looking to the White House to approve every decision. Plus it provides "plausible deniability."

0 Replies

I think it is a black eye for the United States that after all these years we're still going through all this and that we're so susceptible to fear mongering about race from anyone.

0 Replies

Quote:

(White House Press Secretary)Gibbs, too, has insisted the decision was made at the Agriculture Department. He told reporters that Obama spoke with Vilsack on Wednesday night, but he wouldn't discuss the substance of the conversation. Gibbs said he doesn't see any reason for Vilsack to resign.

I wonder what they talked about last night.

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this is bad for Obama. First it is more hyper sensitive to race, which people are increasingly sick of.Second, people around Obama getting it wrong and also lacking balls reminds us that this is what we think of Obama as well. For that reason alone the right comes off ahead. also, they get their jollies out of making trouble for Obama....they had a good couple of days.

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

Quote:

WASHINGTON – Flooded with apologies from everywhere, Shirley Sherrod got the biggest "I'm sorry" of all Thursday — from a contrite President Barack Obama, who personally appealed to the ousted worker to come back.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100722/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_usda_racism_resignation
this is bad,bad,bad....I certainly don't want to see any more of the apologizer in chief, of our girly man president

3 Replies

@hawkeye10,

Quote:

this is bad,bad,bad....I certainly don't want to see any more of the apologizer in chief, of our girly man president

I have little doubt that he would kick your ass, Hawk. It's usually the fat slobs who run around calling people 'girly men.'

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@Cycloptichorn,

Quote:

It's usually the fat slobs who run around calling people 'girly men.'

I always think of Schwarzenegger, but near as I can tell he has been bullied into giving it up.

0 Replies

@hawkeye10,

I admire him for having called her. He didn't have to do it, but did it anyway because it was the right thing to do.

It is more than what anyone at any news media outlet has done, and more than what anyone at the NAACP has done. They all blame their knee-jerk reaction on Fox rather than taking responsibility for having fallen for yet another dirty trick by Breitbart and acting without first verifying/validating the video and accusations.

There are a lot of folks sporting black-eyes this week.

1 Reply

@Butrflynet,

Quote:

He didn't have to do it, but did it anyway because it was the right thing to do.

I hope that he at least got some warm fuzzies out of it, because it hurt him, and he did not need to do it. He has used up his quota of "I'm sorry" for at least the whole first term, he needs to cut it out.

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

How did it hurt him? Please be specific.

Quote:

He has used up his quota of "I'm sorry" for at least the whole first term, he needs to cut it out.

Apologizing isn't a sign of weakness, but one of strength.

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@Cycloptichorn,

Quote:

Apologizing isn't a sign of weakness, but one of strength.

nice thought, except that almost no one agrees with you. Obama can think of it as a strength all he wants, but is is perceived as a weakness, it emboldens attack. It is another sign that Obama is not the master politician that we took him for, as this is a failure to understand politics 101.

2 Replies

@hawkeye10,

It wasn't about politics. It was about being human.

I'll vote for the human over the politician every time.

1 Reply

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