This Sherrod / NAACP / TeaParty thing?
mrmatthew
1,575 Posts
this unfolded quite quickly and i am not quite sure i know what happened, but as far as I can tell, here is what went down;
Right wing blogger releases an edited vesrion of a speech Sherrod, a high level FDA official, gave at an NAACP meeting. This heavily edited version makes it look like she was telling a very receptive NAACP audience that she refused to help white farmers who were trying to not loose thier farm.
This clip blows up on the Web and everyone overreacts and she gets canned.
The slowly the turth comes out that she did actually try to help the white family and that the clip was heavily edited by someone with an agenda. That agenda being that the NAACP recently called out the Tea Party on some of thier more fringe (re:racist) elements and how they refused to denounce them. So in retaliation for that, some right wing blogger edits this video to make it look like the NAACP is racist as well? and this lady just gets caught up in the middle of it?
WTF?
This is a very weird story that i think will, eventually, be looked back on as a water-shed moment for the news-journo-internet dynamic.
Everyone (right and left and media) looks bad in this.
any thoughts?
Right wing blogger releases an edited vesrion of a speech Sherrod, a high level FDA official, gave at an NAACP meeting. This heavily edited version makes it look like she was telling a very receptive NAACP audience that she refused to help white farmers who were trying to not loose thier farm.
This clip blows up on the Web and everyone overreacts and she gets canned.
The slowly the turth comes out that she did actually try to help the white family and that the clip was heavily edited by someone with an agenda. That agenda being that the NAACP recently called out the Tea Party on some of thier more fringe (re:racist) elements and how they refused to denounce them. So in retaliation for that, some right wing blogger edits this video to make it look like the NAACP is racist as well? and this lady just gets caught up in the middle of it?
WTF?
This is a very weird story that i think will, eventually, be looked back on as a water-shed moment for the news-journo-internet dynamic.
Everyone (right and left and media) looks bad in this.
any thoughts?
Comments
Last week there was this from the tea party:
"You're dealing with people who are professional race-baiters, who make a very good living off this kind of thing. They make more money off of race than any slave trader ever. It's time groups like the NAACP went to the trash heap of history where they belong with all the other vile racist groups that emerged in our history,"
Mark Williams, a national spokesman for the Tea Party Express.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128505089
I'm not even going to speak on Breitbert and Fox. We know what that about.
but if I were her i'd tell them to go f*ck themselves.
I don't know if you got to see Mark Williams' "Letter from Ben Jealous (NAACP head) to Abraham Lincoln" before even Mark Williams was like "damn, that's some racist-ass shit" and pulled it off his site, but damn, was it some racist-ass shit.
Why anybody gives Andy Breitbart even the tiniest bit of credibility is beyond me. His ACORN shit was a lie, now his NAACP shit is a lie. Here's a hint, media 'tards: Andy Breitbart is a liar.
I didnt realize that this was the same guy behind the ACORN thing and the getting-busted-posing as-a-phone-repairman-to-break-into-congresswomens-office-and-plant-bugs thing.
How/why did major media not scrtuinize this more carefully given dudes track record?
even faced with evidence of his "mistake", breitbart is unrepentant as is fox news who is blaming the white house and the naacp.
Because they want to believe it
Just so we all are clear.
I guess it IS pretty easy to post things as fact without all the facts ;)
FIXED
21st Century Health Care Caucus (2006(?)???)
30 Something Working Group
4-H Caucus (2006(?)???)
9/11 Commission Caucus (2006(?)???)
Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus (2004???)
Afterschool Caucuses (2005-)
Alzheimer's Disease Congressional Task Force (1999???)
Americans Abroad Caucus (2007???)
Anti-Value Added Tax Caucus, The (Anti-VAT Caucus) (2006(?)???)
Appalachian Caucus (2006(?)???)
Armenian Caucus (1991-)
Army Corps Reform Caucus (2006(?)???)
Bike Caucus AKA Bicycle Caucus
Biomedical Research Caucus
Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus (2006(?)???)
Bipartisan Working Group on Disaster Recovery and Response, The (2006(?)???)
Blue Dog Coalition (1994???)
Congressional Bourbon Caucus (2009-present), founded by Brett Guthrie and John Yarmuth[1]
Building a Better America Caucus (BABC) (2006(?)???)
California Democratic Congressional Delegation (2006(?)???)
Caribbean Caucus (2003???)
Center Aisle Caucus (2006(?)???)
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force (2006(?)???)
Children's Environmental Health Caucus (2006(?)???)
Coalition on Autism Research and Education (2006(?)???)
Community College Caucus (2006(?)???)
Community Solutions and Initiatives Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus (January 2007-present), founded by Sue Myrick, Bud Cramer, Kay Granger, and Ben Chandler[2]
Congressional Arts Caucus (January 1981-present)[3]
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (May 1994-present)
Congressional Automotive Caucus (1985-present) (formerly Auto Industry Task Force)
Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Battlefield Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Bike Caucus (CBC) (2006(?)???)
Congressional Biotechnology Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Bipartisan Cerebral Palsy Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Black Caucus (1969???)
Congressional Boating Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Border Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Brain Injury Task Force (2001???), founded by Bill Pascrell
Congressional Brazil Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus for Bosnia (2005 -)
Congressional Caucus on Central America (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus on Global Road Saftey (2004???)
Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus on the Judicial Branch (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus on Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Americans (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans (March 2001)
Congressional Caucus on Uganda (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues (1977???) Note: this was formed as the Congresswomen's Caucus, before changing its name in 1981.
Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports (2006(?)???)
Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine (2006(?)???)
Congressional Children's Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional China Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Climate Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Coal Caucus (2010-)
Congressional Coalition on Adoption (2006(?)???)
Congressional Coastal Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Complementary and Alternative Medicine Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Constitution Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Correctional Officers Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Croatian Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Czech Caucus (2008???)
Congressional Diabetes Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional E-911 Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Farmer Cooperative Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Fire Services Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Fitness Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Food Safety Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Forest Task Force (2006(?)???)
Congressional Former Mayors Caucus (2006-) - cofounded by Mike Capuano and Mike Turner[4]
Congressional Fraternal Caucus (summer 2002-)[5]
Congressional French Caucus (October 2003???present)[6]
Congressional Friends of Denmark (CFD) (2006(?)???)
Congressional Gaming Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Gulf of Mexico Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Hispanic Caucus (1976???)
Congressional Hispanic Conference (2003???)
Congressional HUBZone Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Horse Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Human Rights Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Humanities Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus (1999???)
Congressional Insurance Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Intelligent Transportation Systems Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Internet Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Iraqi Women's Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Kidney Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Life Science Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Management Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Manufacturing Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Manufacturing Task Force (2006(?)???)
Congressional Medical Professionals Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Men's Health Caucus (2007-)
Congressional Mental Health Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Mentoring Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Mine Warfare Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Mining Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Morocco Caucus (July 2003) (formed as Morocco FTA Congressional Caucus)[7]
Congressional Nursing Caucus (2003-present)[8] - founded by Louis Capps
Congressional Organic Caucus (2003-present)[9]
Congressional Pakistan Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Port Security Caucus (2003???present) - founded by Chris Bell[10]
Im sure out there in the world exists snippets of a speech by elie wiesel that talks about the horrors of the holocaust that could be edited to sound like it supported the Nazis.
So would we better off if no one spoke about personal experince for fear of having thier statements "re-purposed" by someone to further thier own cause even if its completely counter to your original intent?
Sounds kind of Orwellian or Huxleyian or some "..ian" to me.
Congressional Pro-Trade Caucus (2009-)
Congressional Real Estate Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Rural Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Rural Housing Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Scouting Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Second Amendment Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Serbian Caucus (2003???)
Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Ski and Snowboard Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Singapore Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Steel Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Stop DUI Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Submarine Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Taiwan Caucus (2002???)
Congressional Taskforce on International HIV/AIDS (2006(?)???)
Congressional Tourism and Travel Caucus (CTTC) (2006(?)???)
Congressional TRIO Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (1997???)
Congressional United Kingdom Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Waterways Caucus (2006(?)???)
Congressional Western Caucus (1992???)
Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus (2006-)
Congressional Working Group on Parkinson's Disease (2006(?)???)
Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus (2006(?)???)
Consumer Justice Caucus (2008-) - founded by Keith Ellison[11]
Delaware River Basin Task Force (1999-present)[12]
Diversity and Innovation Caucus (2007-present)[13]
Democratic Israel Working Group
Duma-Congress Study Group (1997-present), originally established as interparliamentary Russian-U.S. group on energy[14]
E-Waste Working Group (2005-present), formed by Louise Slaughter, Mike Thompson, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, and Mary Bono[15]
House Economic Competitiveness Caucus (2005-present)[16]
Senate Economic Competitiveness Caucus (2006-present)[17]
Electronic Warfare Working Group (1999???)
Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus (2005???present)[18]
Flat Tax Caucus[19]
Friends of Norway Caucus (1999???present)[20]
House Friends of Scotland Caucus (2006???present)[21]
Senate Friends of Scotland Caucus (2009???present)[22][23]
Friends of Switzerland Caucus (2003???present)[24]
Future of American Media Caucus (2005???present)[25]
Global AIDS Emergency Task Force (May 2003-present)[26]
House Great Lakes Task Force, Senate Great Lakes Task Force (mid-1980s)[27]
Historic Preservation Caucus (2003-present)[28]
House Aerospace Caucus[29]
House Afterschool Caucus (2005-present)
House Agriculture Energy Users Caucus
House Army Caucus[30]
House Baltic Caucus (1999-present)[31]
House Beef Caucus
House Biofuels Caucus
House Democratic Caucus (1948???present)
House Military Depot and Industrial Facilities Caucus
House Oceans Caucus (1999-present)[32]
House Reading Caucus
House Recycling Caucus (March 1998???present), founded by Anne Meagher Northup[33]
House Republican Israel Caucus
House Rural Health Care Coalition
House Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Caucus
House Trade Working Group
House Trails Caucus
Hudson River Caucus (2004-present)[34]
Hungarian American Caucus (June 4, 2003-present)[35]
India Caucus (2004???)
Indonesia Caucus (2004???)
International Conservation Caucus (2006(?)???)
International Workers Rights Caucus (2006(?)???)
Interstate 69 Caucus (2006(?)???)
Kenya Caucus (2006(?)???)
LGBT Equality Caucus (2008-)
Law Enforcement Caucus (1994???)
Minor League Baseball Caucus
Multiple Sclerosis Caucus (2007-)
National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus (2006(?)???)
National Landscape Conservation System Caucus (2006(?)???)
National Service Congressional Caucus (2006(?)???)
Navy-Marine Corps Caucus (2006(?)???)
New Democrat Coalition (1997???)
North America???s Supercorridor Caucus (2006(?)???)
Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition (2006(?)???)
Northern Border Caucus (2006(?)???)
Nuclear Issues Caucus (2006(?)???)
Out of Iraq Caucus (2006-)
Passenger Rail Caucus (2006(?)???)
Patriot Act Reform Caucus (2006(?)???)
Pell Grant Caucus, The (2006(?)???)
Physics Caucus, The (2006(?)???)
Public Broadcasting Caucus (2006(?)???)
Public Service Caucus (2007-)
Qatari-American Economic Strategic Defense, Cultural, and Educational Partnership Caucus (2006(?)???)
Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus (RASCC) (2004???)
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus (1996???)
Republican Study Committee (1973???)
Research and Development Caucus (2006(?)???)
River of Trade Corridor Congressional Caucus (2006(?)???)
Sex and Violence in the Media Caucus (2003???)
Saudi Arabia Study Group, The (2006(?)???)
Senate Afterschool Caucus (2005-)
Senate Taiwan Caucus (2003-)
Sexual Assault Violence Elimination (SAVE) Taskforce (2006(?)???)
Shellfish Caucus (2005???)
Silk Road Caucus (2001)???)
Special Operations Forces Caucus (2006(?)???)
State Maritime Academy Caucus (2006(?)???)
Sudan Caucus (2006(?)???)
Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare (2006(?)???)
TEX-21 Congressional Caucus (2006(?)???)
Unexploded Ordnance Caucus (2005???)
Upper Mississippi River Basin Task Force (1997???)
U.S.-Afghan Caucus (2006(?)???)
U.S.-China Working Group (2006(?)???)
U.S.-Mongolia Friendship Caucus (2006(?)???)
U.S.-New Zealand Congressional Caucus (2006(?)???)
Victim's Rights Caucus (2007-)
Victory in Iraq Caucus (2006(?)???)
Youth Challenge Caucus (2006(?)???)
Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus (2006(?)???)
In any case, except for Sherrod, this whole affair was a colossal disaster for everyone concerned.
No. It has ended up a plus for Obama, or at least it will if Sherrod takes the job offer.
Meanwhile Willie Nelson wrote this editorial about her:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/willie-nelson/shirley-sherrod-a-family_b_654824.html
I think that's overstating it. He doesn't come off looking good in this (and I disagree with PD's assertion that Obama gets a boost if Sherrod accepts her job back) but he's far from the most tarnished.
The White House was responsible for her firing...not Breitbart,not NAACP,not FOX and not Vilsack....
it's not helping Obama that Shirley is a RockStar now, on every news show asking for a personal apology from The President
Neither Fox nor Breitbart has apologized, yet they are asking for Obama to do just that.
This was a huge fuck up on the administration's part and honestly one that left me far more disillusioned than a number of other, more consequential fuck ups.
The administration is so scared of the right wing media machine. And so freaked out that they might be labeled as Teh Reverse Racist!!!11!! that it should cause anyone to question where there hearts, or - perhaps more importantly - their nuts, are at.
It's worth noting how incredibly USEFUL Sherrod was. How perfect for the post she was. To many poor Southern whites, no less. This is, to me, very much a "stand for something or you fall for nothing" moment.
Exactly
And basically saying Obama doesn't understand what its like because he isn't black enough. I like her, not necessarily because of that, but because I like her story she has principles.
I think the mistake the left made was that they were so eager to go after Breitbart that they looked at the pictures without reading the actual post. The "money paragraph" in Breitbart's piece was "Sherrod???s racist tale is received by the NAACP audience with nodding approval and murmurs of recognition and agreement. Hardly the behavior of the group now holding itself up as the supreme judge of another groups??? racial tolerance."
He wasn't going after her so much as he was going after the organization.
i saw this ....dude fucked up major......his most loyal supporters are black women and now a black woman, who is gaining poularity by the second is taking shots at him in front of every camera she can find...........I think the New Black Panther Party bullshit was starting to get to him and this was an embarassing overreaction..........When you have a reputation for being soft, the last thing you want to do is get a woman fired and not even own up to it.
Whether it's the 'right" attacking Ms. Sherrod and the NAACP or the "left" conspiring to call Fred Barnes a racist, both are done, imorrally imo, to acheive a political end regardless whether there is a shred of truth behind it. The means justifies the goal even if the means is fabricated from lies and half truths.
And most Americans simply pick a side like it's a sporting event and root for their side to "win" when in reality the end result is as a country, we all lose. We don't demand honesty and inegrity from our politicians, only that they "fight" for some some ill-perceived "party" that we align ourselves with like a MMA fighter that we want to win by any means possible. If some people get bloodied along the way, even better, it's modern day entertainment to set people up and knock them down.
The ONLY way we will make any strives forward is when we all realize that the problem isn't with the poiticians on the right or the poiticians on the left, the problem is with politicians.....period. The same thing can be said about the media at this point because it has become nothing more than a manipulating tool of said politicians.