Don't Trip, The GOP Is Still Ignoring Black Folks!
Spending an unconventional week on the campaign trail, starting with memories of a rebellious youth and capped by an appearance Friday before an understandably hostile African-American crowd gathered in Memphis to remember Martin Luther King Jr., John McCain's got some esplainin' to do!
You don't vote against making King's birthday a national holiday, decline visits to speak before Black civil rights groups, pretend that there's no such thing as Black Republicans who may have actually voted for your old ass, and then pimp King's assassination anniversary for political expediency. Senator, that dog don't hunt!!!
Trying to connect with the brothers after speaking at the Lorraine Hotel, the site where the slaying of the civil-rights icon occurred 40 years ago, candidates usually try to cast their lives in a glossy sheen, and set their speeches before friendly audiences.
But the Arizona senator and presumptive Republican nominee to beome the 44th president of the United States spent the past few days frequently doing the opposite.
He was barely audible at the King event, over a driving rain and murmuring crowd. His speaking style was staid compared with the other speakers, giving his appearance an awkward quality.
"Martin Luther King Jr. was not a man to flinch from harsh truth, and the same is required of all who come here to see where he was in the last hours of his life,"
Sen. McCain said, standing beneath the balcony at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was shot 40 years ago Friday. "We look up to that balcony, we remember that night, and we are still left with a feeling of loss."
As he left the stage, there was a mixture of applause, booing and shouts of "End the war now!" and "No justice, no peace!"
"His words didn't carry the tone and passion that we're accustomed to hearing," said Earl McKinney, 51 years old, an architect born and raised in Memphis. Still, he said, he appreciated the appearance of Sen. McCain, who has said he will compete for African-American votes, normally unfriendly terrain for Republicans. "That shows interest," Mr. McKinney said. "You have to give him something for that."
• Discuss: Which presidential hopeful has the most interesting history?
• Complete Coverage: Campaign 2008
In his telling, a misspent youth and a twisted sense of honor later gave way to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of both honor and his place in the world. The turning point was an oft-told story -- his time as prisoner of war in Vietnam. That, he said in Jacksonville, Fla., where he lived before and after Vietnam, was when he learned the true meaning of honor as he endured beatings and declined an offer for early release.
Sen. McCain largely ignored controversial episodes from his life from more recent years, though on Friday he mentioned his opposition to creating a federal holiday for Dr. King in 1983, his first term in Congress. "I was wrong and eventually realized that," he said to boos from the crowd.
Several times, he tried to tie lessons of his past to the nation's future, as when he pivoted from his enrollment in the Naval Academy to call on Americans to service.
In a question-and-answer session at his former high school, Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., junior Katelyn Halldorson said that students had been told the visit was "not a political event" and yet, she said, it appeared obvious that it was. "So what exactly is your purpose in being here?" she asked. "Not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, but I'd just like some clarification."
Sen. McCain stammered through a reply but never fully answered her question. And that is endemic of the party in general. Ironically, Next Gingrich of late seems to be the only White guy in the GOP leadership hierarchy you gets it. Who's have thunk it??? [Wall Street Journal]
Spending an unconventional week on the campaign trail, starting with memories of a rebellious youth and capped by an appearance Friday before an understandably hostile African-American crowd gathered in Memphis to remember Martin Luther King Jr., John McCain's got some esplainin' to do!
You don't vote against making King's birthday a national holiday, decline visits to speak before Black civil rights groups, pretend that there's no such thing as Black Republicans who may have actually voted for your old ass, and then pimp King's assassination anniversary for political expediency. Senator, that dog don't hunt!!!
Trying to connect with the brothers after speaking at the Lorraine Hotel, the site where the slaying of the civil-rights icon occurred 40 years ago, candidates usually try to cast their lives in a glossy sheen, and set their speeches before friendly audiences.
But the Arizona senator and presumptive Republican nominee to beome the 44th president of the United States spent the past few days frequently doing the opposite.
He was barely audible at the King event, over a driving rain and murmuring crowd. His speaking style was staid compared with the other speakers, giving his appearance an awkward quality.
"Martin Luther King Jr. was not a man to flinch from harsh truth, and the same is required of all who come here to see where he was in the last hours of his life,"
Sen. McCain said, standing beneath the balcony at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was shot 40 years ago Friday. "We look up to that balcony, we remember that night, and we are still left with a feeling of loss."
As he left the stage, there was a mixture of applause, booing and shouts of "End the war now!" and "No justice, no peace!"
"His words didn't carry the tone and passion that we're accustomed to hearing," said Earl McKinney, 51 years old, an architect born and raised in Memphis. Still, he said, he appreciated the appearance of Sen. McCain, who has said he will compete for African-American votes, normally unfriendly terrain for Republicans. "That shows interest," Mr. McKinney said. "You have to give him something for that."
• Discuss: Which presidential hopeful has the most interesting history?
• Complete Coverage: Campaign 2008
In his telling, a misspent youth and a twisted sense of honor later gave way to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of both honor and his place in the world. The turning point was an oft-told story -- his time as prisoner of war in Vietnam. That, he said in Jacksonville, Fla., where he lived before and after Vietnam, was when he learned the true meaning of honor as he endured beatings and declined an offer for early release.
Sen. McCain largely ignored controversial episodes from his life from more recent years, though on Friday he mentioned his opposition to creating a federal holiday for Dr. King in 1983, his first term in Congress. "I was wrong and eventually realized that," he said to boos from the crowd.
Several times, he tried to tie lessons of his past to the nation's future, as when he pivoted from his enrollment in the Naval Academy to call on Americans to service.
In a question-and-answer session at his former high school, Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., junior Katelyn Halldorson said that students had been told the visit was "not a political event" and yet, she said, it appeared obvious that it was. "So what exactly is your purpose in being here?" she asked. "Not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, but I'd just like some clarification."
Sen. McCain stammered through a reply but never fully answered her question. And that is endemic of the party in general. Ironically, Next Gingrich of late seems to be the only White guy in the GOP leadership hierarchy you gets it. Who's have thunk it??? [Wall Street Journal]