We have seen another inappropriate
outburst from the liberal left of the Democratic Party come and go without a
word of outrage from Democratic leadership. US Representative Corrine
Brown (D-FL) issued an incredibly racist statement in anger during a
closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill between administration officials and
members of Congress regarding the Haitian crisis. This outburst so stunned
those at the meeting that condemnation of Brown’s statement has been
streaming into the public forum. Curiously, but unsurprisingly, the
Democratic Party leadership and leadership from the activist liberal left
has been deafeningly silent.
Rep. Brown, obviously unprepared for the meeting to which she was invited
and delinquent in her level of familiarity with those with which she would
be meeting, exploded into a tirade accusing the Bush Administration of being
racist for its approach to the Haitian crisis. Brown took exception with the
fact the Bush Administration did not immediately deploy a security force to
Haiti and that he refused refugee status for those who chose to participate
in a mass exodus from Haiti to the United States amidst their social
upheaval. She went on to deprecate the Bush administration for sending "a
bunch of white men" as representatives to the meeting. This came as quite
the statement to Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega,
himself of Mexican ancestry, who rebuked Brown, "As a Mexican-American, I
deeply resent being called a racist and branded a white man."
At this moment anyone with an iota of political savvy would have apologized
and backtracked from the anger avenue in an effort to at least salvage some
credibility with those whom they were meeting. This is even more important
when one needs the cooperation of those with whom one is meeting in order to
accomplish one’s goals. But this was not to be the case with Rep. Brown.
Brown, a Clinton Democrat who arrived on the Washington scene representing
the 3rd District of Florida in 1992 and who is currently unopposed in her
re-election bid this year, responded to Asst. Sec. Noriega’s comments by
saying, "You all look alike to me."
To say the very least, this was a blatantly racist remark and those from
Brown’s office who understand the game of politics immediately set out to
issue an apology/clarification statement that would quell the firestorm this
statement should have created. But the apology was neither sufficient nor
apologetic and the outrage came only from those who were targeted by Brown’s
statement.
Unquestionable racism from the liberal left was allowed to rear its ugly
head and the outrage from within the "party of tolerance” was non-existent,
there wasn’t even a dropped jaw. While the League of United Latin American
Citizens deplored the comment the Congressional Black Caucus was nowhere to
be found. While the National Council of La Raza condemned Brown’s outburst
and demanded that she apologize "formally to the Latino community," the
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund refused to reprimand
Brown any further than offering a simple clarification, "We would disagree
with her assessment that Latinos are white," said spokeswoman J.C.
Flores. "We consider Latinos a distinct ethnic and racial group."
Not too long ago Senator Trent Lott was forced to step down
from his leadership role due to charges of racism by the Congressional Black
Caucus, the Democrats and the liberal left in Washington that stemmed from a
statement that "could have been” misconstrued as being racist. To this day
there is still a contingent loyal to the senator that contend all he was
trying to do was make an old man feel good on his birthday. To be certain,
Lott’s comments were made quite unofficially at a social function yet his
comment, off the cuff and made in humor, proved to be devastating to his
position in the Senate courtesy of the liberal left.
Now comes Rep. Brown who issues what can only be considered a racist
statement as she participated in her official capacity as a US
Representative in an official government policy meeting yet there is no
outrage from her peers, not a peep. The same people who condemned Sen. Lott
for an off the cuff statement issued forth in jest are sickeningly silent in
response to Brown’s outrageously racist statement. The hypocrisy is
astonishing.
Increasingly we are witness to the "party of tolerance”, the Democratic
Party and the liberal left in general, becoming more intolerant and prone to
using the tools of divisiveness, hate and racism among them, in their quest
for political superiority. While they are quick to point out the flaws of
all but themselves they refuse to be held accountable to the standards they
have set for everyone else, they refuse to accept the consequences or take
action when they violate their own established standards. It is the
quintessential "do as I say not as I do” mentality and the liberals of this
country have embraced it with a grizzly bear sized hug.
The liberal left’s refusal to subject themselves to the same scrutiny to
which they subject everyone else can only lead to the conclusion that they
believe they are better than everyone else, elitism I believe they call it.
Liberals, too, believe they should not be subject to the reprimands and
punishments they extract from others when they themselves fall prey to
unacceptable behavior. Bill Clinton lied under oath and to the
nation and yet they contended he didn’t violate his oath of office or
destroy his integrity because he lied about an issue that shouldn’t have
been of concern to the nation. But President Bush reacts to
flawed intelligence delivered in good faith to him and every member of the
Legislative Branch by our intelligence community and they call for his
impeachment… ”Do as I say, not as I do.”
Not only should Rep. Brown be rebuked and censured by her counterparts in
the House and condemned by the liberal left as a whole, I believe the good
people of Florida’s 3rd District should be outraged enough as to remove her
from office come this November. Perhaps they could afford the situation a
bit of irony by selecting a Latino Republican to take her place, instant
Election Day Karma as if where.
If racism is not to be tolerated in our society then we should not reward
those who employ flippant remarks of racism. Further, our process of
government should cleanse itself of those who embrace hatred of any kind.
Corrine Brown has proved that deep down she embraces not only hate but
racism as well. With those who practice racism being beneath contempt, Brown
is exposed as being the worst kind of racist, one who condemns it in
everyone else while using the color of her own skin to justify her own
racism.
Frank Salvato is a
political media consultant and the managing editor for The New Media Journal.us. He is a
contributing writer for The Washington Dispatch, GOPUSA, OpinionEditorials,
Men’s News Daily, Canada Free Press & AmericanDaily. His pieces are
regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared as a guest on The
O’Reilly Factor, The Kevin Matthews Radio Show (Chicago) and The Brad Messer
Radio Show (San Antonio). His pieces have been recognized by the Japan
Center for Conflict Prevention and are occasionally featured in The
Washington Times and The London Morning Paper as well as other national and
international publications.
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