Let me start by saying – People have lost their minds!
Politics is a funny business, you speak what you know to be true and the next thing you know you are releasing an unreserved apology to the President of the United States.
As controversial as it seems, Mr Harry Reid could not better describe the reason why out of the blue, a (half) black man with the Muslim name Barack Obama suddenly became a viable candidate in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Yes times were changing. America’s new emerging, forward thinking generation (which was the backbone of Obama’s presidential campaign) saw racial discrimination as an embarrassing artifact of their countries complicated history – a history which had seen darker skinned men with Christians names such as Martin and Malcolm gunned down along with any hope of real racial progress. So yes…Obama represented racial progress because he was light skinned and drew little comparison to the bombastic characteristics (especially hair styles) of celebrity quasi- Reverends or your run of the mill, shot 49 times, has 8 baby mamas, hip-hop ‘star’. Obama was and is what we call in black circles, a “Bounty” (there I go with that Negro dialect of mine) – and there was/is nothing wrong with that.
I mean for goodness sake, what was wrong with what Reid said? As a black man I wasn’t at all offended with his astute analysis on why America wasn’t revolting at the (half) black-man that would be king (Tea Bags anybody?). Heck, I’m more offended by his apology?
“I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words”- Harry Reid.
I want to meet anyone who has lived through the first year of Obama’s Presidency to say to me that race for America still isn’t a big deal. Google Image “Obama” and go through the images listed and please tell me that race isn’t a big deal. If McCain or Hillary was President today do you believe they would be accused of being terrorists, terrorist sympathiser or Muslim? How is it that a Senator born in Hawaii is not as American as a Senator that was born in…erm lets see…Panama?
So I find the fact that this story is even that, a story, laughable. And I found Reid’s apology predictable of the times we live in as well as disappointing.
*sigh*
What America did in November of 2008 awe inspiring and historic (though not anymore historic than Britain electing a party with a female leader), but B Hussein O’s election and time in office is only an opportunity for America. It’s an opportunity for her to learn from her past, an opportunity to right the wrongs of her past and ultimately an opportunity to move on from the crutches of racial politics.
But it’s only an opportunity. A chance that seems to be wasting away by the ultra-sensitive from both sides of the political aisle and the liberal side is represented by those offended by Reid’s comments.
UPDATE: GOP Chief Michael Steele says Reid should resign as Majority Leader due to this comment:
The Republican Party chairman says Sen. Harry Reid should step down as the Senate Democratic leader over racial remarks Reid made about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
GOP Chairman Michael Steele says if a Republican had made such remarks, Democrats would be calling for that Republican’s head.
In a private conversation reported in a new book, Reid described Obama as a “light-skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”
Reid has apologized to Obama, and the president said he considers the episode closed.
Democratic Party chairman Tim Kaine says the remarks should not affect Reid’s leadership position.
Steele and Kaine spoke on “Fox News Sunday.”
