White House apologizes to ousted black Department of Agriculture employee
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0
adaydream
Let me see here a dirty republican blogger set up FOXNews, like they didn't love this video, with an edited video. Fools in Washington fell hook, line and sinker for the story and made an ass of themselves. Vilsack has apologized, she'll get a promotion and FOXNews got a big laugh out of it all. < :-)
0
skipbeat
Why didn't the WH check out the facts before letting her go in the first place? Isn't the issue to check out all the facts then base on that take the correct measure?
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lostrune2
Because everybody is quick to condemn. Nobody has patience for investigations anymore. Happens all the time. Check out the next time someone famous gets in trouble.
The difference here is this one was a calculated move to get someone or some institution in trouble.
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MistWizard
Talk about missing the boat. This article should read "Andrew Breitbart Proven to be Scumbag". Yet, his name is not even mentioned!
Its hard to be too down on Vilsack, because YOU KNOW that if the racism charge stood he would have been criticized for acting too slow. Its terribly common to react incorrectly to bad information, especially when it seems extreme and it comes suddenly. Contrast that with the oodles of time we had to mull over Iraq.
What is not in the least excuseable is the behavior of Breitbart. He has shown himself to be a first rate A-hole and malicious deceiver. This woman totally opened up about a very difficult subject and her reward is Breitbart and his malignant editing. We won't see people opening up again for a while, and that will only set race relations back, and it may be have even been intentional of Breitbart to callously attack a black woman in this manner as well as race dialouge.
Yet, I expect the conservatives to tolerate Breitbart further and buy all his lame excuses for his actions. I do not expect an ounce of forthrighteousness or even humility. I expect we will see similar attacks in fact.
You know, at the very least I hope Breitbart gets sued back to the Stone Age. What an irresponsible evil little ijit. He nearly destroyed that woman's career with his heartless selfish tactics.
0
sailwind
Sure sucks when you tar somebody or a group 'racist' without getting your facts straight.
Lot's of blame to go around on this one. Play the race card and we all lose. NAACP for dealing the card in the first place, over-reaction from the conservatives who are sick and tired of being called racists and did some blow back on their own, and a Whitehouse that tossed out all principles of innocent until proven guilty by firing Ms. Sherrod in the first place.
Sad state of affairs for a country that elected its first President of African American descent. A reality that many thought, even those on the right would finally move us off race once as a real factor in our political discourse and debate and move us forward as a more united country instead of a more divided one then ever.
Boy how wrong we were on that one.
0
yabits
No. This was nothing more than a successful conservative disinformation campaign. Injected, as it was, into the tense atmosphere of the NAACP-Tea Party controversy, the act can be likened to yelling the "N-word" in a crowded theater.
Just as they tolerate the conservative posters who promoted Breitbart's lies and distortions here.
Yes, let's try to rationalize the intentional spreading of false information. Meanwhile, let's also forget about the ouster BY the national Tea Party of one of their regional groups (Tea Party Express). The right-wingers are tired of being called bigots (which the TPE certainly was) and so they react by purposely doctoring a story and then try to blame the victims who bought it.
The old adage is proving true that a conservative can't enjoy a meal absent the knowledge that someone else is going hungry.
0
MistWizard
The race card? Give it up Sailwind. The NAACP did not brand the Tea Party racist. The Tea Party did that themselves by over-reacting to the news that it was tolerating racists. And that goes back to Dale Robertson and his N-word sign etc.
http://newsone.com/nation/news-one-staff/n-word-sign-hurts-tea-party-leader/
Taken out of context, right? Maybe. But you got to admit, from the very founder of the Tea Party, it was damned stupid. You should be thanking the NAACP for merely suggesting the Tea Party were tolerating racists. You are not doing you or the party any favors by keeping up the denials that there might be some racists among the Tea Party. There are some in EVERY party.
And you really show your colors when you act like this malicious attack on an innocent woman is somehow justified by the NAACP's criticism. You wrote so much, but nothing against that unwarranted attack. Makes me wonder if you will also stand idly by while someone shouts the N-word right next to you.
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sailwind
Your definition of "successful" leaves a lot to be desired. I think it makes Breitbart look pretty darn foolish myself.
You can start by also intentionally spreading false information by calling the all Tea Party Express group bigots without offering one shred of proof to you accusations.
0
yabits
The Tea Party Express was led by a bigot. The national tea party threw the ENTIRE group out.
That there may be selected individuals within the Express that opposed being led by a bigot is irrelevant.
0
yabits
That should read IS lead by a bigot.
0
yabits
I'm torn between "saint" and "hero" as a description for Shirley Sherrod.
She's a remarkable and wonderful person.
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arrestpaul
Sherrod resigned this week as state director of rural development in Georgia. She said she quit under pressure from the White House.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the administration did not know all the facts when it acted.
The Obama administration DID NOT do its job before deciding to punishing Sherrod. Didn't they learn anything from the "beer summit", Professor Vs Police debacle? They "claim" that they don't make idiotic decisions based on bloggers and polls yet here is another case of a knee-jerk reaction to a known activist blogger's video to prevent a further decline in Obama's poll numbers.
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MistWizard
Can't say I remember that claim.
But don't act like this was some random video pulled out of the archives. This was getting to be big news. It was featured on the FOX newssite before she resigned. And if they reacted slower and the comments were not shown to be benign, we would hear tons about how the Obama admin moves too slow.
The WH pressuring still sucks though. But hey, its just what that scum Breitbart calculated. But you know and I know that you will be tolerating him and N-word Dale Robinson come tomorrow. Principles are not left under your pillow by the tooth fairy, that is for sure.
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MistWizard
Come on guys, say how you feel about Breitbart's malicious editing. I dare ya!
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yabits
When they said they would make better decisions than the previous administration's. Just have to fill in the blanks...
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arrestpaul
Sherrod does not work for Breitbart.
Sherrod WAS pressured by the Obama administration to resign.
Based on what exactly? Why was the Whitehouse in such a hurry to punish Sherrod? Why the rush to distance themselves from a government employee who reportedly has been doing a good job?
Shouldn't an employer at least make a minimun effort to uncover the facts BEFORE they act stupidly?
0
Molenir
I don't blame Breitbart. I think if anything it was a brilliant move exposing the stupidity of both the NAACP and the administration. The tapes were edited, but the gist of the speech was covered, meaning had they actually watched Breitbart's tapes, they would have seen there was more to the story then reported. All they heard, was this woman said she refused to help a white farmer. Admittedly, thats all most of us heard, but the rest of it was there.
Now as for making this woman out to be a Saint. I find it troubling, that in this speech, given just recently she talks about deciding that the farmer was poor, so she should help him, because its not so much about race as it is about class. She went on to say that she decided to help him by sending him to "one of his own kind." Meaning a white lawyer. Now that is a racist statement. Coming out in front of an approving NAACP audience. She was fired for stating she didn't help someone she should have helped, when in fact she did. But she also exposed a troubling racist attitude, even as she said "we need to rise above race."
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yabits
A morally bankrupt person would say that.
The two sentences constitute a moronic statement -- something totally devoid of an understanding of the realities of the time, the place and the situation.
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RomeoRamenII
Breitbart just posted a portion of a video. I've now seen that one and the entire thing. Anyone who's seen them both knows he didn't edit in anything. It was as it was.
Perhaps with the exception of C-SPAN, all news media -- newspapers, TV, radio, etc. -- do this daily. It's called "sound bites". Almost nothing is never shown in context. Breitbart is just another one of these people. If anyone knows of a news medium anywhere that does not do this, please name them.
I'm torn between "saint" and "hero" as a description for Andrew Breitbart.
Sherrod's views were not what the exposure was about: It was the reaction by those in attendance at the NAACP gathering to her tale that was the point. He proved beyond the shadow of doubt that the NAACP is a bigoted, racist organization.
RR
0
Molenir
What do you say when you read an article in the news that exposes some scandal or coverup? Do you say, a morally bankrupt person wrote this? Or only a morally bankrupt person would oppose its release? Because that is exactly the same thing. This exposes both the racism endemic in the NAACP, and the administrations incompetence and stupidity.
So you're defending racism now?
Exactly. Yabits, since you are so vigorous in your defense of the NAACP, go watch the video, watch as the audience, the NAACP members, cheer and applaud when she tells them she discriminated against a white man, because he was white, and then come back here and defend them. I suspect it more likely, you'll just come back attack the people who point out the reverse racism endemic in the NAACP.
0
MistWizard
Something I have noticed about many conservatives is that a lot of them will say thing to intentionally annoy you and no other reason. They generally seem enjoy sabatoging constructive debate. Its hard to say which of them is doing this or is actually so sick as to think Breitbart is justifiable, but either one points to the conservative broken moral compass.
Some of them actually seem to think its okay to mislead as long as you don't lie and nevermind the potential consequences to innocent people. They would edit a policeman's old story of a planted bomb, and start from where he relates the words of the bomber-- "I planted a bomb at the building at 235 W. Oak St." Then they would laugh as the bomb squad rushes to the site. And if a little girl were hit by the bomb squad on the way, they would shrug and say the bomb squad people can't drive or they should have somehow known the context.
And look at them now, trying to make this about racism in the NAACP still, rather than face the fact of the broken moral compass. Sick, sick and sad.
0
Molenir
I have to say I'm not surprised by the reaction here. The typical response to criticism by the left, particularly when it exposes some of their dirty laundry, is to attack the accusers, or those who defend the accuser. This attempt to change the story from one of racism and incompetence, and cast the blame back on those who revealed that racism and incompetence is quite telling. It truly is sad seeing them try to defend this racism.
Mist, you're better then this. Breitbart posted what he did, because of the NAACP's racism charge. He did it to expose the racism in the very group that was making the claim. The tape suggests that racism is endemic to the NAACP. Listening to this woman as she talks about not helping this man because he was white, and the crowds applause over this just sickens me. That this is the very organization that just days before was condemning the Tea Party for racism, when the Tea Party has absolutely nothing to do with race.
The truth is, that in the grand scheme of things, this story, really isn't that important. Racism in the NAACP has long been known. Bias in the media, also long been known. None of these stories are really big news. The White House signing into law sweeping new regulations on every single business in the country, now that is news, news that is hardly even being reported.
0
yabits
I have watched the entire, 40+ minute video. There is no scene that matches what you claim. None. Nada. Zero.
It is no surpise that bigots have so little regard for the truth.
0
yabits
Would that you could become sick over your own false remarks.
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MistWizard
The tape suggests that racism is endemic to the HUMAN RACE. We all have racist thoughts. This woman is just relaying the story of how an why she overcame the same racist thoughts we all have. It is extremely important dialouge to curb racism, a thing that can never be truly eliminated. Andrew Breitbart has sacrificed that vital dialouge in a failed attempt at political gain. He is the enemy of us all.
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yabits
A person would have to hate and fear black people to ascribe "racism" as the reason they laughed.
Especially after Sherrod related the tales of how her father was murdered in cold blood, another relative was lynched, and when a white mob burned a cross in the yard to terrorize her mother and sisters. We read of a white man "sickened" by nothing more than a black person's coming to the recognition that Sherrod came to that all white people can't be held responsible -- even after the white person in Sherrod's story took pains to remind her that he was superior to her.
This is a lot like when some Americans confront people speaking in a foreign language and laughing: "Are they talking about and laughing at me?" And so when a bigot encounters a group of black people laughing, it MUST be because the entire group are racist and hate whitey.
Fifty white bigots can't all be wrong.
0
yabits
Case in point: When someone like Mark Twain tells a story to a white audience about a time when he was younger and got the hankering to steal a watermelon, and the audience laughs, it can only be because they are all thieves! (That's the logic being employed by some here.)
No, it can't be because the audience recognizes the temptation to do something wrong as a universal feeling. Of course, in the topic above, we are talking about a black audience. And a lot of whites simply know that blacks do not have the "sophistication" to laugh in appreciation at the temptation to do something wrong (and the tensions that arise when trying to overcome that impulse). No, they must be laughing because they all racists who hate the white man -- blacks being "simple-minded folk."
0
MistWizard
Yabits, I am afraid you have not said anything about whats in it for the conservatives, so you lost them. They want angles, not empathy.
0
Molenir
I debated on how I should respond here. When I read these things, I see vitriol and hatred. I see accusations that prove that the posters know absolutely nothing. When I see someone call another a bigot like this, I think it proves more then anything, that they themselves are bigots. Attempting to accuse others of racism, when they point out racism is about as low as someone can go.
Did you actually watch the whole video? Considering some of the lies I've read here, I have a hard time believing that. Did you listen to Sherrods racist comments? Where she referred to sending this farmer to "one of his own kind?" Sherrod might see that its not about black and white, but poverty as well, but her racism is still there. As for the NAACP reaction, perhaps you're right, perhaps they were laughing because they felt the universal temptation to behave in a racist manner. I don't know. I do know that I would be offended if it was a white person up there talking about sending a black man to "one of his own kind". Or if the audience was yukking it up over claims of racist behavior. Perhaps this is another one of those situations where its ok for a black person to say it, but not a white person. I don't understand that. I doubt I ever will. I certainly don't find it acceptable to excuse this behavior in anyone, white or black.
But at least one certainly is. I think this gets back to the common theme that anyone conservative is a racist bigot. While anyone liberal simply cannot be. When the black panther was going around calling for the murder of white babies, he wasn't being racist because he is black. That unfortunately seems to be the understanding of these liberal white bigots.
0
MistWizard
It started with your side of the argument and you agree with it. Yabits has a very good point that the reason you continue to cry racism when someone has admitted and confronted and moved beyond their own racism (instigated by the racism of another no less) and the reason you interpret the laughter incorrectly is YOUR OWN BIGOTRY. If you don't like the accusation, then perhaps you should stay out of the racism/bigotry accusation vanguard next time!
I agree with you that there IS racism in the video Molenir. What you don't want to accept though is that it is racism RESOLVED, FINISHED, DONE, ENDED. The woman tells us how she moved on. Meanwhile, you are stuck in the past, riveted on the edit of Breitbart. Get a grip dude. Like I said, EVERTONE has racist/bigoted tendencies. We have to discuss them and think about them to surpress them, and you are NOT helping.
0
Molenir
I am offended by racist comments, regardless of who is making them, whatever the color of their skin. Listening to her remarks, and listening to the laughter, the chuckles, the agreement of the audience, I don't think I am misinterpreting things. However I wasn't there. I wasn't part of that crowd. I cannot say for certain. But that goes both ways Mist, neither can you. I can only judge by what I see and hear in the tape. And after watching it, the impression I got was that racism is endemic in the NAACP. Maybe I am subconsciously wanting to see reverse racism where none exists, but after watching the video, I can't imagine things any other way.
Mist, I'd like to agree with you here. Indeed, that was my initial impression after watching the full 43 minute video for the first time. It wasn't til I watched it a second time, and saw some of her more recent statements that I realized the actual truth. Despite the subject of her speech, she hasn't moved on. Look at what she has said since this story broke. However it wasn't her so much that I was focused on, but rather the audience that was listening. Have they moved on?
Maybe everyone does have racist/bigoted tendencies. I have a hard time excusing anyone for this. I will however try to step back and be a bit more accepting and forgiving of others flaws. Lord knows I have enough of my own.
0
sailwind
Molenir
Well said Sir.
Thank you for your post.
0
lostrune2
That woman done good. She was trying to show those NAACP attendees that 24 years ago she could've chosen the wrong way (despite the white poor farmer being rude to her, but that's no excuse) but later did the right thing by the white poor farmer, who now backs her in this whole controversy. That it's not about race white or black, but more about have and the have-nots. She was trying to get those NAACP attendees to understand that - some of whom may not had that mindset at the start, but she was trying to change their minds by the end. The blogger targeted a woman doing good, which made worse the controversy.
0
arrestpaul
Hehehehe... I'm shocked, SHOCKED to learn that there are political activists posting videos on the internet. How long has this been going on? (just kidding)
While many people, especially in the media, are blaming the messenger, Breitbart did not fire Sherrod. Breitbart did not demand that Sherrod be fired. Breitbart did NOT cause Sherrod to be fired. Breitbart added one more video to the millions (billions?) of videos on the internet and the Whitehouse overreacted.
What is their defense? Are we to believe that the Obama administration is too stupid to properly deal with internet videos? Too lazy, perhaps?
"Sherrod resigned this week as state director of rural development in Georgia. She said she quit under pressure from the White House."
"Vilsack insisted that it had been his decision to seek her resignation and said he takes full responsibility."
"White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the administration did not know all the facts when it acted."
Didn't the Obama administration learn anything from the Professor Vs Police that resulted in the bizarre "beer summit"?
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MistWizard
Tell it to Yabits dude. I already said there was racism there. I already said racism is endemic to the whole human race. But you are going after the least guilty people here on a vendetta. You accuse the antidote of being literally worse than the poison! You have to be a conservative to live in such an upside-down world.
I know you will make me say this again, so will pre-empt you. We ALL have racist thougts. You claim to be offended by racist comments, but I think Richard Pryor is funny.
If you are just offended, then you are far, far behind in the footrace of surpressing natural human racism. I am guessing the reason is because you tried to take a short-cut and just see it all as offensive. Shame on you for not taking the proper course to understanding this complex issue. Again, typically conservative.
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MistWizard
They already learned the most important lesson. And that is that when dealing with the American public, its better to make a hasty decision, because you will not be forgiven for taking the time to prove public opinion incorrect. Breitbart knows well the weakneses of the human mind. But instead of blaming him for exploiting those weaknesses and putting the administration between them and the fickle public, you blame the administration from not being omnipotent. This is akin to blaming Windows for being succeptable to the computer virus instead of the computer geek who engineered the virus.
0
MistWizard
Oh, and Sherrod has been rehired and apologized to so you can stop acting like she was executed now. The WH went into CYA mode, and no wonder given the attitude of the public. No permanent damage was done. Mind you, I don't like their reaction either, but its not like it could not be undone. Breitbart however cannot take back what he did.
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arrestpaul
We're not talking about volunteers staffing a marathon "fun run" or bake sale. How can you refuse to hold the Obama administration responsible for their decision making skills? If they were so easily fooled by the likes of a Breitbart, they must be like lambs to the slaughter for China, Russia and Iran.
If someone has been given the responsibility of making decisions, they should at least make an attempt to learn from their past mistakes and not repeat them over and over and over again.
0
lostrune2
Blogger Breitbart may not had those horrible things done onto Sherrod, but he did intend to make an example of her as a racist within the NAACP. Despite all the backtracking he later tried to do to cover his ass by changing the focus to the audience reactions instead, that was obviously his original intent, as a tit-for-tat for the NAACP claiming racist elements within the Tea Party. He should cut his losses and apologize, as too the rest of the others.
0
MistWizard
Who would they fire on account of China, Russia, or Iran??? Did you ever think that taking the time to make sure this one person was unfairly edited might take their time from more important decisions??? Probably not since you are here to score points, not be fair to the situation. You might want to take the time to realize that YOU are not the victim here. The victim is Shirley Sherrod. She does not sound angry at the WH. So why are you? Trying to score points, that's why.
What mistake has been repeated?
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yabits
By editing the video, Breitbart changed the story from a woman who essentially did a good thing (as attested to by the very farmer she helped) into a false report of a woman doing something wrong. Breitbart is the ONLY person in this event who clearly acted with malice aforethought.
0
arrestpaul
Trying to score points with who? I have no idea what you are referring to.
If someone has been given the responsibility of making decisions, they should at least make an attempt to learn from their past mistakes and not repeat them over and over and over again.
This is just like the "beer summit" Professor Vs Police incident. Obama admitted then that he DIDN'T KNOW THE FACTS but claimed that the police acted stupidly. In the Sherrod case, with millions of videos floating around the internet, the Obama administration responded to this particular one and forced Sherrod to resign WITHOUT KNOWING THE FACTS.
That's not a sign of "good" leadership. Obama's people panicked because they thought a 60 day old edited video of an event that occured 20+ years ago would be the topic of the Beck show. If the Obama Whitehouse can be so easily manipulated by one internet activist, what chance do they have of dealing with career politiicians and negotiators from China, Iran, Russia or even Togo?????
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