Was Harry Reid being Racist?

The recent uproar over a quote by Harry Reid in the book, Game Change, where he is quotes as saying that Obama could become president because he is “light-skinned with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one” reveals the predicament that we are in as a nation. It reveals our lack of maturity due to bigotry by the left and it shows the damage done to our society by these liberals.

We as conservatives have long realized that the charge of racism by liberals was and always will be a tactic to discredit and ridicule their political opponents. We have always found it amusing while at the same time saddened, that the Democrat party, which was the party of segregation and Jim Crow, have the audacity to work tirelessly to make it seem that the Dixie-crat (from Democrat) was rather the Dixie-can (from Republican). What we never considered was the effect this bigotry would have on our society. In the words of Jeremiah Wright, the chickens have come home to roost.

Due to bigotry and political correctness, the American people have become too ignorant to know the difference between comments that are racial from those that are racist or for fear of reflecting a hint of racism, they have deemed every comment with the tinge of race as racist without even taking the time to think about it.

Therefore, I will try to return some clarity and sanity by defining the two. A racist comment is one that deals with the hatred, the dislike, the disgust and prejudice for a certain races based on certain beliefs. Whereas, a racial comment deals with issues pertaining to, reflective of, and characteristic of a certain race. It is not mean-spirited, it is not degrading, it is simply a reflection of an obvious aspect of a certain race. Harry Reid’s comments were racial not racist. So-called Uncle Tom’s like Collin Powell and Pres. Barack Obama have always gotten an edge. Reid’s comment, from a black person’s perspective only reflected the obvious.

I often hear black liberals complain and demand that we need to have a discussion on race. The fact of the matter is, we have been talking excessively about race but we have said absolutely nothing. This is because black liberals have joined with white leftists in condemning and ridiculing conservatives who makes statements that are racial, as being racist for the expressed purpose of wrecking their political and public careers. These liberals have repeatedly distorted every racial comment made by conservatives as racist, and have worked relentlessly for that purpose. As a result, the American people don’t know the difference between a racist or a racial comment and they shun all public discourse on the matter. How are we supposed to have a conversation about race when those that a conversation benefits, African-Americans, are eager to condemned? As an individual, I accept racial comments and statements as part of the debate because only when we are able to differentiate between the two and accept the differenced will this country ever be able to have a meaningful discussion on race.

We as Americans must reject the racial bigots who are responsible for preventing this country from having a substantive discussion on race. They obviously put their liberalism and leftist tactics to silence and discredit their opponents before their race and could care less if this country’s racial wounds are healed. The only thing they care about is making disparaging statements against their political opponents. More importantly, when we are led astray by this bigotry we ignore legitimate racism. In fact, because everything is deemed racist, the charge loses its impact when real racism emerges. We cannot continue this way. If it wasn’t for the distortion of what is and isn’t racist merely for political advantage, we as Americans would know the difference between the two. Unfortunately, we don’t.

From an intellectual perspective, there is nothing racist about what Harry Reid said but because liberals have set this ridiculous standard, I can see why republicans believe it is more easier to hold democrats accountable to their own standard rather than inform and change the thinking of the American people.

Regarding Harry Reid, it is flawed and short-sighted thinking for Republicans to demand his resignation. Why would Republicans want him to resign when we know that with the inability of the American public to differentiate between a racial comment and racist comment they will consider this a racist comment and will vote him out of office? Harry should stay put and face the fire. Not for his comments, but for his record.