Speaking to assembled minority journalists in Washington, Kerry criticized Bill Cosby’s recent comments on black responsibility and stressed the role of government.
John F. Kerry today said entertainer Bill Cosby’s recent admonition that black Americans need to take greater personal responsibility for poor education and high crime was “excessively exclusive” and ignored the government’s role in helping minorities.
I understand exactly where Bill is coming from in his comment,” Kerry said, measuring his words carefully as he spoke to a convention for minority journalists in Washington. “It may be excessively exclusive in the breadth of it, in the sense that it sort of targets just the responsibility side, but that’s an important side.”
In addition, Kerry promised “to fund federal programs targeting every group from Native Americans to veterans from the Philippines,” and “[h]e even promised to fight to increase the number of minorities in prominent media jobs, which government has no control over.” (I noted this earlier today, here.)
Finally, Kerry claimed that “[t]he harsh fact now is that in the last election more than 1 million African-Americans were disenfranchised in one of the most tainted elections in history.” He pledged that in future elections “every black vote would count.”
Why not simply pledge that every vote will count? Pledging that “every black vote would count” almost implies that it would be no great tragedy of a few white or Asian or Hispanic or Hmong votes fell through the cracks.
Kerry managed to both pander and patronize his audience in one speech and not one of the “black” journalists objected. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me 10,000 times shame on me.
“Kerry Criticizes Cosby”
-yet Kerry says “I understand exactly where Bill is coming from in his comment”
“Pledging that “every black vote would count” almost implies that it would be no great tragedy of a few white or Asian or Hispanic or Hmong votes fell through the cracks.”
No it doesn’t
I wonder if Kerry actually pledged that “every black vote would count.” Those are the reporter’s words and I don’t see them in the text of Kerry’s speech, though it’s possible he strayed from what was written or he made the statement during the Q&A session.
Kerry complains that Cosby’s comments might be exclusive because they just targeted the responsibility side.
But responsibility was the subject of Cosby’s comments. That was the substance of what he had to say. To talk about government’s responsibility to “help” minorities would have directly contradicted his comments, which urged the black community to pull its own socks up and not sit around and wait for somebody else to do it.
Did Kerry just not get it? Or is it too much for him to imagine people improving their lots without the government doing it for them?
hencke – So, Kerry both disagreed with Cosby … and agreed with him. This sounds familiar.
“hencke – So, Kerry both disagreed with Cosby … and agreed with him. This sounds familiar.”
Ya. The spinmeisters have taken over.
Where is the source of this absolutism in America coming from? All of a sudden, there is no nuance? If Attilla the Hun rose from the grave and claimed that the Earth revolved around the Sun, I would AGREE with him, because to the best scientific evidence we have today, it’s true. The fact that I would DISAGREE with Attilla the Hun on sacking villages, raping, pillaging,and barbarism doesn’t make me a “flip-flopper.” I believe Thomas Jefferson was one of the greatest statesmen this nation has produced, however he was also a slave owner, one of the most satanic titles ever held in America.
I’m an outspoken African-American liberal editorial cartoonist who probably wouldn’t vote republican with a gun to my head, but I’m intellectually honest enough to admit that sometimes, republicans are right on certain issues.
–Cobra
Cobra,
Interesting comment. If I understand correctly, you argue that an argument should stand on its own merits and not on the merits of the person doing the arguing. I agree wholeheartedly.
Unfortunately, many don’t.
Take, for example, Thomas Jefferson. Despite the fact that he wrote one of the most magnificent declarations on the rights of man, he is panned now in academia as a “dead white male.”
It would do well for the vast majority of liberals to take your stance, which right now they most certainly do not.
Cobra, you said “I’m an outspoken African-American liberal editorial cartoonist who probably wouldn’t vote republican with a gun to my head, but I’m intellectually honest enough to admit that sometimes, republicans are right on certain issues.”
So as I read this, you are saying that, even if you will credit that republicans are right on certain issues, you will vote against them just because they are republicans? And you consider that ‘intellectually honest’?
Sheesh. No wonder we’re so far apart. It’s not skin color that divides us; I can’t even begin to comprehend your position that seems to say that ideas are right or wrong, depending on who espouses them. That kind of situational ethic why I left the democratic party a long time ago. By the way, I am also not a republican. I vote for the individual, or I vote AGAINST someone, based on their personal and political merits.
By the way, do you genuinely see every little slight and discourtesy toward you personally as being caused by racism because of your skin color? If so, I really feel sorry for you – it must be a really miserable existence. They do have medications that can help people with that kind of paranoia, you know.
Claire, I don’t believe that Cobra said that he considers Republicans to be right on certain issues more often than Democrats, or that those issues on which he finds Republicans to be right are more important to him than the ones on which he considers Democrats to be right.
From reading the other thread in which he wrote about Rehnquist I’m not sure that Cobra practices what he preaches in regards to separating the messenger from the message, but then none of us are perfect.
Kerry is a pompous ass every time he opens his mouth. Cosby is ten times the man Kerry will ever be. No doubt Kerry will try to smooth this over with Cosby in private, but he continues to pander to a population that is tired of being patronized.
Nels,
You’re a rational person. I can tell that by your posts. And you are fair. You can also understand that there are judgements made by Rehnquist that I may agree with, as the human condition is nuanced. Taken on the whole, however, I have no use for a racist like Rehnquist, anymore than I have use for Strom Thurmond, Matthew Hale, Charles Murray or David Duke. You can understand that, because you don’t personalize the discussion, and can see things from a different perspective.
Claire,
I said I “probably” wouldn’t vote for a Republican if I had a gun to my head. I have voted for a republican before. I voted for Tom Keane, when he ran for Governor of NJ because I liked his ideas. If I had said I would NEVER vote for a republican, then you would have a better reason to blast me. In fact, if you could find me a pro-choice, pro-labor, pro-peace, pro-affirmative action, pro-gay rights, anti-corporate Republican, I’d put his or her sticker on my bumper right now.
I’m not a paranoid type, Claire, but I’m not unconscious, either. I know that it’s extremely rare for people to express their true feelings on race when I’m in their presence. That’s one of the advantages of the internet–the abillity to remain anonymous while speaking your mind.
If I get pulled over by a cop, I don’t AUTOMATICALLY assume it’s because I’m black. I give the officer a chance, and remain calm. There are situations where I’m sure it was, but I can only judge that by the total accumulation of facts via hindsight.
When I go to rent an apartment posted in the newspaper, and find out in person it’s not available after being told on the phone it was (I can speak without ethnic colloquialisms) that red light in my head goes off. I don’t call that paranoia.
I’ve found that when people have to deal with each other, one on one, judgements are made the way they should be most of time.
–Cobra