Erika Smith at Indy Star: ‘I Really Don’t Care’ About Truth of Andre Carson’s Comment
On Wednesday (at NewsBusters ; at BizzyBlog ), quoting Indiana Congressman Andre Carson's inexcusable, hateful comment at a Congressional Black Caucus event on August 22 (key sentence: “Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree”), I observed that “Carson was obviously accusing some of his congressional colleagues, whom he gutlessly would not name, of actually wanting (not metaphorically wishing) to see himself and his black colleagues lynched.” I should also note that in an earlier segment of the quote originally cited by Matthew Balan at NewsBusters , Carson said, of Tea Party sympathizers wishes, “And this is beyond symbolic change.” This is why I also wrote that “The meaning of the words Carson used is not arguable.” With a disregard for the truth and gutlessness similar to Carson's, Indianapolis Star columnist Erika D. Smith wrote today that the congressman “had the guts to stand up and say what we've all seen over the last three years,” while also asserting that “I really don't care” if any congressmen actually want to lynch anyone. Here's more; brace yourself (bolds and numbered tags are mine): Smith: Carson had the guts to say what some feel In recent days, I've tried to explain to many of my white friends and colleagues exactly why I support what Rep. Andre Carson said. And why I hope that he never takes it back. My reasons, I've discovered through some friendly debates, aren't entirely logical. They're emotional. [1] When I opened my Web browser Wednesday morning and read the headline “Rep. Carson: Tea party wants blacks 'hanging on a tree' ” on IndyStar.com, my first thought was: “Yup! That's about right.” My second thought was: “It's about time somebody said it.” That was before I even opened the article. … I admit that the details of what he said didn't concern me. Are there members of Congress who literally want to lynch black people? I don't know. And to be honest, I really don't care. [2] Because that's not the point. The point is that the essence of what Carson said is true. There is racism in Washington and a lot of it is coming from an extreme faction of the tea party — a faction that mainstream Republicans have chosen to indulge and no one, until now, has bothered to check. The GOP would rather pretend that faction doesn't exist and silence anyone who dares to point out the obvious by calling him a “racist.” Talk about doublespeak. [3] … (Many who disagree with me) think the personal attacks on Obama are just the lumps that come with being president of the United States. That because people called President George W. Bush “Hitler” and “stupid,” it's the same as Obama being called an ape. [4] … When Obama is criticized, and veiled — or not so veiled — threats of racism
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on September 4, 2011. Filed under