Posted on 05/26/2008 4:57:32 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Barbara A. McKinzie, Alpha Kappa Alpha's international president, expressed indignation and outrage over the Tennessee Republican Party running a smear campaign against Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. McKinzie denounced the transparent mindset that triggered the decision by the Tennessee GOP to design such an ad. She said it is the basis of an ugly underpinning that is being echoed in established racist Internet chat rooms, within the right-leaning blogosphere and among some conservative pundits. To make Michelle Obama a target of a potentially hate-inspired offensive is something that she -- and the 200,000 primarily African-American female members she leads -- will not tolerate.
"The impulse to take a statement of hers out of context and make it a focus of an unpatriotic ad is to trivialize her and to attempt to devalue her," said McKinzie. "This is unacceptable!"
She said the ad appeals to the subconscious racial fears of a sliver of Americans who remain unaware of progress. "This intransigent posture," said McKinzie, "defies the American ideal of democracy and fairness, the bedrock of the Constitution."
McKinzie said at a time when the economy should be the issue around which Americans should unite, using a fringe element to stoke racial fears is a temporary distraction.
Emphasizing that point, McKinzie said, "The fragile state of America's economic psyche threatens the viability of this nation. Alpha Kappa Alpha has made economics a major focus through the ESP program that is the theme of this administration. Putting America's psyche on a strong financial global footing needs to be front and center on everyone's mind -- not polarizing messages that fan the flames of historical racial prejudice. We must snuff out the embers of racial fear that the ad attempts to ignite," declared McKinzie.
In lambasting the ad, McKinzie took a cue from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who acknowledged that the United States still has trouble dealing with race because of a national "birth defect" that denied black Americans the opportunities given to whites at the country's very founding. "This ad," stressed McKinzie, "is nothing less than a very public display of America's 'birth defect.'"
"Given the historical challenges facing American women, the resolve should be to improve the stature of American women rather than to denigrate them," declared McKinzie.
She challenged all fair-thinking citizens -- including President George W. Bush, Senator Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State Rice -- to join Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in denouncing the ad and the climate of intolerance that prompted its creation.
She said she would galvanize members and wage a counteroffensive by speaking out, writing letters, issuing statements and signaling that these types of acts will trigger a solidarity that will combat offensive messages.
McKinzie said she also sees a dangerous trend emerging if this type of offensive behavior is not checked.
"The very real possibility of having an African-American woman as First Lady of this nation underscores progress that a small number of America's citizens continue to ignore. Yet, they have a voice that should be heard when it is tempered with truth, not transmitted through offensive sound bytes."
Continued McKinzie, "Having a party organization use Michelle Obama as a target appeals to a bygone era that blemished America's reputation and global stature. This type of ad could pose a real threat to the safety of the candidate's wife given America's historic behavior. It demands action from the president on down."
Declared McKinzie, "As the head of one of the leading organizations for African-American women, I am compelled to speak out when injustice is so blatant. During our Centennial Convention from July 11-18, we will address this matter. Clearly this ad -- and the ugliness that is bubbling under the surface of it -- mandate action and we are poised to respond."
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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is America's first Greek-letter organization founded in 1908 by, and for, African-American college women. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, it is one of the world's leading service organizations. The Sorority's members have made a commitment "to serve all mankind" through a nucleus of more than 200,000 women in over 975 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Korea, Japan and in the continent of Africa. Barbara A. McKinzie is the 27th International President. Because her term coincides with the 100-year anniversary, she is being hailed as the "Centennial National President." McKinzie's administration is marked by the theme: ESP, which stands for Economics, Service and Partnerships. For more information, log on to www.aka1908.com. For an archive of press releases, visit the online pressroom at http://aka1908.com/site/pressroom/
Well get used to it now Shelly O because once you are in the White House it will get much much worse! Just ask George and Laura!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Political promotion, at that.
This lady needs a good stiff drink, a cigar, and a clue.
She looks like a cream-puff crossing of Albright and Rice.
Liberals probably consider this to be "deep thinking" when in fact it is just laughable gobbledy-gook.
The “smear” is simply running a videotape of Michelle Obama talking at an Obama rally.
here’s the Ad....pass it on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmWEaqxkGtU
Anyone who criticizes B.O. or his wife (She.O.) will be immediately branded a racist. It doesn’t matter what you criticize.
I just skimmed it - but does it ever tell us what the ad says or why exactly it’s “racist”?
Based on current Democratic charges, this ad might simply just disagree with the Obamas....
Is this the campaign? Say anything against the Obambi and his dope, er doe, and get called a racist?
Oh yeah. That’s a winning plan. Go for it.
*low whistle* - Now, that shows that she can thrash about in the rank undergrowth of the English language as well as anyone, but it actually says nothing at all.
I'm impressed.
Let me get this straight.
A black-female-only-sorority (that refuses membership to whites) is offended that the GOP produced an ad using Mrs. Obama’s direct quote?
“AKA is hailed as “America’s premiere Greek-lettered organization for Black women.”
Racists throwing down the race card, IMHO.
Could you imagine any university in the country tolerating an all white fraternity or sorority these days? Would not happen. How do they get away with it?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/126919/the_oldest_black_sorority_alpha_kappa.html
Why the heck is she so concerned about an ad making fun of Michelle Obama when she should be worried about the economy.
“McKinzie said, “The fragile state of America’s economic psyche threatens the viability of this nation”
I don’t know about you, but my economic psyche is pissed at paying 4.04 a gal for gas. And its Obambi and his lib pals fault.
To Michelle and company -- You have now entered the political arena -- if you can't take the heat then stfu.
Where was this outraged, liberal bimbo when her comrades in the liberal “media” were spewing their garbage at Sec. of State Rice.
BLAH BLAH BLAH..... she said the words, we ALL know what she meant. She is a hardcore racialist leftist, I’ve been around tons of people like her (most of them white) in my undergrad and grad school days at very liberal schools. We all know she meant exactly what those words said.
There are different kinds of gaffes - there are gaffes that reveal more than the politician meant to say or reveal it to a wider audience (due to modern media) when the pol meant to say it only to a narrow select audience of true believers. That is the kind of gaffe Michelle Obama tend to make, revealing her true thoughts that turn out to be embarrassing to the campaign on a national stage.
Then there are the gaffes that reveal just how ignorant the pol really is..... those are the kind Barack Obama tends to make, over and over again.
Then there are the ordinary harmless gaffes that any human being makes, mis-speaking, making a trivial mistake such as an ‘e’ on potato, getting “tongue-tied” etc. Of course, when a Republican makes the latter kind of innocent unimportant gaffe they get scorched in the MSM until they are crispy charred.
Liberals, OTOH, make the first two kinds of far more significant gaffes all the time, and they (for the most part) get away with it due to media bias.
Bite me.
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