Shirley Sherrod Becomes Obama Political Problem

NPR ^ | July 21, 2010 | Frank James

[maggief]

As soon as much of the available evidence suggested that Shirley Sherrod had become the victim of a rush to judgment by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, it became clear President Barack Obama had a mushrooming political problem on his hands.

Sherrod went from being the villain of the piece to a figure drawing great empathy from millions, not the least of which was conservative talk show host Glen Beck.

And among those who were most closely watching the president’s handling of affair were important members of the president’s base, people he could ill afford to alienate: African Americans and liberals.

While Obama remains popular, his poll numbers are significantly lower than they were earlier in the year. His support among independents who helped propel him to the presidency has steadily eroded.

That was worrisome enough for Democrats during a mid-term election year.

But then the Sherrod affair threatened to hurt the president with some of the most members of the Democratic base.

[MustKnowHistory]

I think the real story now has moved beyond Shirley Sherrod to the reactions of the press and the Administration (White House and Secretary Vilsack) and the NAACP.

Andrew Breitbart posts a video on his site, and look how everyone is acting and reacting.

I have never seen anything like this.....

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

The big story was the way the NAACP cheered when they heard how a white farmer might get the shaft. That’s the big story all along as I understand it:

The NAACP: Becoming Mel Gibson, Applauding Shirley Sherrod
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2555693/posts

Rush is pointing that out exactly while I’m typing.

I admit I took the report at face value, but it wasn’t up to me to decide whether to give her the boot. Hah! I hereby formally apologize to Shirley Sherrod for the brief misunderstanding, partly due to the fact that I can’t load youtubes personally from home.

Now, I don’t know what excuse the White House has. Did it interfere with a party, banquet, sporting event, or fundraiser? I do want to know.

[newheart]

And among those who were most closely watching the president’s handling of affair were important members of the president’s base, people he could ill afford to alienate: African Americans and liberals.

Yeah, like that group is going to start voting Republican in droves.

What? Me worry?

[jimbo123]

Obama will blame Vilsack and Vilsack will throw himself under the Kenyan’s bus before the evening news starts in a few hours. Whitey must be sacrificed, even if it’s a liberal democrat.

[kitkat]

***But then the Sherrod affair threatened to hurt the president with some of the most members of the Democratic base.***

>>>Hmm. NPR isn’t getting enough taxpayer money to edit their programs now? >>>

I agree with you totally. But, at least it’s not as bad as writers who say, “one of the only people who, etc.” What does “only” mean? One, ten, a thousand, ten thousand people?

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Obama doesn’t like black people.

[Palladin]

Ole Tom’s days are numbered.

[jimbo123]

[CodeToad]

Shirley Sherrod is a racist. Only a racist would even come close to thinking in the terms that she does. No racist should ever be in government employment.

[Palladin]

The Hussein Express!!!

[MustKnowHistory]

It is amazing to watch this.

[jimbo123]

God bless Andrew Breitbart!

[Palladin]

I listened to her whole 43 minute speech. It was wall-to-wall racism.

It was also agony to listen to—the woman is totally incomprehensible, has numerous speech impediments, cannot follow a simple line of reasoning, rambles all over the place, and laughs at her own jokes.

And she is resigning from a $125,000 a year government job! With benefits!!!

Any one of the millions of unemployed out there could do a better job.

[jimbo123]

I fully expect slavery reparations and a wrongful termination multi-million dollar cash settlement are due to Ms. Sherrod due Vilsack’s racist rush-to-judgement.

[ChocChipCookie]

From the article: During the presidential campaign, for instance, he was forced by the explosive utterances of his former preacher Rev. Jeremiah Wright's to confront the subject head on in a speech in Philadelphia called "A More Perfect Union." The speech may have saved his campaign.

Then there was the famous beer summit he hosted between police Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates after the scholar's arrest sparked a national debate on race relations.

"explosive utterances"??? Wow. Talk about trying to put lipstick on a pig. His rants were vile, anti-American, racist to the highest degree, and NPR just acknowledges that they were explosive. To anyone who didn't hear them, it would just seem like he was another loud preacher. Also, Obama CHOSE to attend and support that church for 20 years. NPR manages to make him sound almost like a victim.

Then NPR manages to ignore how the whole beer summit came about with Obama dismissing the competency and judgment of the police before even hearing the facts of the story. He knee-jerked right into his own personal racism.

[CodeToad]

Yep. She’s an idiot, but she was the right skin color to get the job.

[BamaDi]

I called the local newspaper’s SoundOff this morning and that’s exactly what I said - it wasn’t so much her comments as the fact that the NAACP laughed and applauded her comments.....that’s what the most offensive....

[TribalPrincess2U]

Another hit piece for talk radio.

Blaming the wrong people.

She said what she said...SHE the one that needs to apologize.

[TribalPrincess2U]

She was the victim of an Obama lynching.

Would that be the white part or the black part?

[HereInTheHeartland]

That’s a very good question. But charges should be brought no matter what.