Good piece Jay. And for the most part I agree with you, even though you got the cheap shots in disguised as things you would not do. hehe. I like it. Now as for the racist quibble, since we have already discussed it on In Search Of, I will just say again, I dont think Bush is a racist, but I do think he can be insensitive. The NAACP convention rebuke was one, and there are other examples as well. But the one that gets my knickers in a twist is the idea of trotting out Don King as some kind of proof of a broader tent in the RNC, what is kind suppossed to represent, the ex-con, buffoon, robber of punch drunk boxer vote? LOL! Even you would have to admit, if the Kerry campaign gave Don King the kind of exposure the RNC has, you guys would have a field day with it.
Bush did go to the Urban League, though. And as long as Bond is the head of the NAACP and is saying those kinds of things, Bush has absolutely NO obligation to go.
No, he does not. But I personally think the President should attend such events even if he knows they do not agree, why… Becuase the membership is NOT the chairman. Are you saying that Bush should only attend events that will make good photo ops? Also, you did not answer my question about Don King? Comeon, tell me, what would the conservative reaction be to someone like Don King being being given a showcase?
You guy’s have Michael Moore and Al Sharpton, we’ve got Don King. I say we give them all to Nader and be done with him. I will keep an eye out for King in New York.
Well you know how I feel about Sharpton’s past, but I would say he has come a lot further in turning the corner on credibility than King, and he nor Moore are convicts. I guess the reason I have a wild hair over King is what he did to Ali.
Jay TeaAugust 1, 2004
David, I’m sorry. I just can’t bring myself to discuss Don King. He makes my head want to explode.
J.
But about the NAACP… on the one hand, it’s unfair to judge a group based on the actions of a single member. But when that member is the wildly-popular LEADER, it’s more than fair to extrapolate the opinions of the group.
A presidential address is a sign of respect, and a privilege. An organization that not only tolerates it’s leader speaking thusly, but encourages it, has forfeited it’s right to expect a visit.
Good piece Jay. And for the most part I agree with you, even though you got the cheap shots in disguised as things you would not do. hehe. I like it. Now as for the racist quibble, since we have already discussed it on In Search Of, I will just say again, I dont think Bush is a racist, but I do think he can be insensitive. The NAACP convention rebuke was one, and there are other examples as well. But the one that gets my knickers in a twist is the idea of trotting out Don King as some kind of proof of a broader tent in the RNC, what is kind suppossed to represent, the ex-con, buffoon, robber of punch drunk boxer vote? LOL! Even you would have to admit, if the Kerry campaign gave Don King the kind of exposure the RNC has, you guys would have a field day with it.
David, I just Googled “NAACP Chairman Bush” because I couldn’t remember if it was Julian Bond or Kwesi Mfume. The first three links that came up were titled “NAACP chairman calls for Bush’s ouster,” “NAACP Chairman Compares Republicans to Terrorists,” and “NAACP chairman condemns Bush”. Why in HELL would Bush go address an organization whose HEAD has repeatedly denounced him in such vitriolic terms?
Bush did go to the Urban League, though. And as long as Bond is the head of the NAACP and is saying those kinds of things, Bush has absolutely NO obligation to go.
J.
No, he does not. But I personally think the President should attend such events even if he knows they do not agree, why… Becuase the membership is NOT the chairman. Are you saying that Bush should only attend events that will make good photo ops? Also, you did not answer my question about Don King? Comeon, tell me, what would the conservative reaction be to someone like Don King being being given a showcase?
You guy’s have Michael Moore and Al Sharpton, we’ve got Don King. I say we give them all to Nader and be done with him. I will keep an eye out for King in New York.
Well you know how I feel about Sharpton’s past, but I would say he has come a lot further in turning the corner on credibility than King, and he nor Moore are convicts. I guess the reason I have a wild hair over King is what he did to Ali.
David, I’m sorry. I just can’t bring myself to discuss Don King. He makes my head want to explode.
J.
But about the NAACP… on the one hand, it’s unfair to judge a group based on the actions of a single member. But when that member is the wildly-popular LEADER, it’s more than fair to extrapolate the opinions of the group.
A presidential address is a sign of respect, and a privilege. An organization that not only tolerates it’s leader speaking thusly, but encourages it, has forfeited it’s right to expect a visit.
J.