Let’s Play “Democrat or Republican”: The Racial Politics Round

In this game, contestants, please select whether a Democrat did it or a Republican did it.

Round 1: Racial Politics

1: Which party has a candidate appearing now on the cover of a major magazine beside the headline, “Can A White Man Still Be Elected President?” (h/t Jack and Jill Politics)

2: Which party had one of its candidates’ wives talking to white people in Georgia saying, “You know _____, reminds me a lot of Jesse Helms”?

3: Which party had one of its’ candidates’ wives complain to a media outlet that “We can’t make ____ black, we can’t make him a woman?”

4: Which party had one of its’ candidates’ caught talking to an all-white crowd in Iowa when the media weren’t around making comments like, “It’s not just a question of whose vision you are impressed with…I think it’s just a reality that I can campaign any place in America *wink wink*”?

Bonus round (Gender Politics):

5: Which party had one of its’ candidates’ wives say of another female candidate, “Sometimes you have to act like a man and not talk about women’s issues”?

Answers

I feel like Miss Sophia from The Color Purple–”All my life I had to fight. I knew I’d have to fight the Republicans. I knew I’d have to fight the media. But I never know’d that I’d have to fight in my own house!”

Actually it’s not that surprising that a Democrat would have these things coming out of their campaign. I was so busy looking for it to come first from the Republicans though, that I forgot that it might first come from a Democrat. If arguing with the likes of Ann Coulter and then trying to raise money off it weren’t pathetic enough, Edwards doesn’t mind playing the race/gender card.

Now, the fact is, strategically John Edwards can get away with doing all these things. He’s not really going to pick up the black vote because Obama or Clinton will. It’s only right–they have stronger records on issues of particular interest to African Americans.

The thing that really shows the character of John Edwards though is that when presented with the option to capitalize on and have these divisive comments coming out of his campaign, he actually chooses to do so.

Unfortunately, to make a hubbub about this would actually work in Edwards’ favor because he would benefit politically from the divisiveness.

Lest any white males feel empowered by the Edwards campaign’s remarks, just know that if someone will throw race and gender progress under the bus just to capitalize for themselves, at the appointed hour they will throw you under the bus too. Actually, throwing race and gender progress under the bus is throwing you under the bus too, but I’ll have to explain that one to you later.

My fellow Americans, let’s face it. It’s not “image” or “the forces of history” that are holding John Edwards back. It’s the fact that he has the weakest legislative record of any Democratic nominee. It’s the fact that he co-sponsored the legislation that sent troops into Iraq and also supported the Patriot Act. It’s the fact that he’s already been on a Presidential ticket already and didn’t even win his hometown. It’s the fact that he’s only served 6 years in public office, the shortest amount of time of any Democratic nominee. I mean, what exactly has John Edwards actually done?

He can’t debate Clinton or Obama on their records, so he has to resort to these superficial debates.

All I can say is that we as Americans can do better than this and we will do better than this.