Senatorial slip-up
Carly Wolfrom
Issue date: 1/20/10 Section: Opinion
Verbal missteps are no stranger to politics. Every utterance is a potential sound bite for a breaking news story. Harry Reid sits with his foot in his mouth at the center of yet another quote quagmire as the American media and public feeding frenzy begins.
Discovered among the pages of the new book "Game Change" by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid describes Barack Obama as a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." These traits led Reid to believe Obama was a good candidate for president.
The comments have caused a tremendous backlash from Republicans who are calling for Reid to step down from his position. Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee Chairman and Senator John Cornyn from Texas, the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, both urged for Reid's resignation from the Senate.
"There is this standard where the Democrats feel that they can say these things and they can apologize when it comes from the mouths of their own," remarked Steele. "But if it comes from anyone else, it's racism."
Race has been a controversial issue in this country for centuries. A history entrenched in the inhumane institution slavery continues to mar the United States despite the gains that have been made towards ending discrimination and prejudice. Tiny comments like the ones made by Reid have the power to bring the topic of racism back to a boiling point.
However, even with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month approaching, Reid's comments have not been as persecuted as was to be expected. An opportunity to begin a serious and much needed discussion about race in America could have sprung from this controversy but the story has been quickly swept under the rug.
"I've apologized to the president, I've apologized to everyone that within the sound of my voice that I could have used a better choice of words," was Reid's statement after apologizing to Obama over the phone.
Discovered among the pages of the new book "Game Change" by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid describes Barack Obama as a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." These traits led Reid to believe Obama was a good candidate for president.
The comments have caused a tremendous backlash from Republicans who are calling for Reid to step down from his position. Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee Chairman and Senator John Cornyn from Texas, the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, both urged for Reid's resignation from the Senate.
"There is this standard where the Democrats feel that they can say these things and they can apologize when it comes from the mouths of their own," remarked Steele. "But if it comes from anyone else, it's racism."
Race has been a controversial issue in this country for centuries. A history entrenched in the inhumane institution slavery continues to mar the United States despite the gains that have been made towards ending discrimination and prejudice. Tiny comments like the ones made by Reid have the power to bring the topic of racism back to a boiling point.
However, even with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month approaching, Reid's comments have not been as persecuted as was to be expected. An opportunity to begin a serious and much needed discussion about race in America could have sprung from this controversy but the story has been quickly swept under the rug.
"I've apologized to the president, I've apologized to everyone that within the sound of my voice that I could have used a better choice of words," was Reid's statement after apologizing to Obama over the phone.
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