Congressman John Lewis exposes Palin-McCain Camp

Senator and Presidential candidate Barack Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTIAAZZXyrc&feature=related

Congressman John Lewis of Georgia accused 2008 Presidential Candidate and Senator John McCain and Sarah Palin of bringing back the days of the late former Alabama Governor George Wallace. Mental pictures of police night sticks, German shephard dogs, firemen hoses, homes and churches bombed, horses trampling Alambama's African-Americans, and John Lewis himself carried unconscious from the Edmund Petus Bridge to a local Selma church, are all freshly burned into the minds of us all.

Evil rears its' ugly head in Sarah Palin audiences with screams of 'terrorists', 'kill him', 'Obama's a Muslim', 'traitor', and 'off with his head'. All these comments referring to Senator Barack Obama. Palin continues unabatedly, stirring crowds up with additional Lee Atwater http://www.boogiemanfilm.com/ pre-planned wittisisms. I have heard from African-American broadcast colleagues of mine covering the Presidential campaign, that they refuse to go to a Palin rally though the rally is in the same community of their radio station. See for yourself what folks say at Palin rallies. Here, at is a Palin rally in Ohio, people share their thoughts about Barack Obama in this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqcfqiXCX0

With all of this non-sense going on McCain has nerve to call out Congressman John Lewis at a Nationally televised debate knowing that Lewis is in the State of Georgia where racism still thrives. Seeing and hearing about all of this negative campaigning going on by the Palin-McCain Republican ticket, John Lewis was concerned about his friend and the man he is now supporting for President Senator Barack Obama. John released the following statement.

The John Lewis Statement

The Congressman from Georgia John Lewis said that he was "deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign" and that the Republican running mates are "playing with fire". Rep. John Lewis stated: "What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse," Lewis (pictured left) said in a statement. "During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama," wrote the Democrat. McCain said Saturday that Lewis' statement was "shocking and beyond the pale."


"The notion that legitimate criticism of Sen. Obama's record and positions could be compared to Gov. George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this campaign. "I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character and the character of the thousands of hard-working Americans who come to our events to cheer for the kind of reform that will put America on the right track."

While Sen. McCain is perceived as taking the "high road" -- or should I say "opportunity" -- in his response to Congressman John Lewis' comments, by his attempts to make Obama publically repudiate Congressman John Lewis statements. In writing, the Obama campaign publically repudiated Lewis' comments shortly after Lewis made them. Senator Obama should not (nor did not) have to further verbally repudiate Lewis' comment -- in a national Presidential debate forum -- just to satisfy Palin-McCain and their supporters.

The repudiation tactic is nothing new to celebrity African-Americans. Prominent dignitaries and their representative groups have a history of putting successful African-Americans on blast. You saw Hilary and Bill do this to Senator Obama during the Primaries requesting that Obama answer "her" on behalf of "all Americans" with the Rev. Wright scenario. If a prominent African-American makes a seemingly anti-semitic comment then that African-American will surely be asked to cow down and apologize publically.

Senator Obama refusing to repudiate Congressman John Lewis' comments on national television somewhat flustered McCain to the point where McCain could not keep still. McCains' eyelids fluttered uncontrollably like humming birds wings. Frankly Senator Obama -- nor any other successful African-American -- should have to repudiate anything for McCain and his supporters in their chosen forum. Obama mentioned to McCain several times prior to the debate and at the debate that the Obama campaign released a statement of repudiation already. If that is not enough you McCain, or Hilary, or Bill...TOUGH!

It is time for Senator McCain to repudiate the 100% attack advertisements with obvious falsities against Obama. It is time for Sarah Palin to verbally and in writing repudiate her mannerisms at rallies, plus Palins' refusal to demand that audience members stop shouting hateful slurs direct to Senator Obama. It is time for both Bill and Hilary Clinton to finally repudiate verbally and in writing for making racial statements, disrespecting dead African-American leaders' civil rights leaders during the 2008 Democratic Primaries. The only mud that Palin-McCain Republican ticket can sling at Senator Barack Obama are actions of other people. The repudiator-seekers should go to the source and asked them to repudiate.

Senator Obama's refusal to verbally repudiate John Lewis statements in a nationally televised debate is a lesson to both the repudiater and to African-Americans. Successful African-American too often are placed in a defensive position to self-righteous superiors. It is time to stand up against known repudiaters and slap them in the face with pride and dignity. I am sure Obama knew that McCain civil rights record annually is an "F", and that the Arizona Senator did not sign on to the Martin Luther King holiday. But I am most certain that Obama would have been treated quite differently if he ever brought this up, and/or Obama has too much class to be a repudiater.

Unforturnately, McCain's campaign has tainted the political atmosphere nationally with an all-out blitz of character attacks against Obama. McCain's followers have heard the call from the Palin-McCain ticket. We have seen the public disrespect and racial slurs against Obama during these few short weeks, on CNN shouting out their racial and religious epitheds. Right-Wing editorial radio talk shows and journals have joined in on the parade against Senator Barack 'Hussein' Obama.

Blogs, print publications, and posted readers' comments wishfully request a return to the way things were when segregation was legal and Blacks were legally subservient. Oprah Winfrey cannot freely support Senator Obama because of her factual stance not to interview any Political Candidate, including Sarah Palin. The Republican Party and Republican women associates asked Oprah to have Sarah Palin on. Winfrey expressed her rule of not having Politicians running for office on her show. But unfortunately Oprah's rule means nothing and again we see the repudiaters demanding that Oprah do what they tell her to do and bring Palin on the show. Oprah, like Obama, refused to repudiate. The mostly right-wing of the Republican Party refuse to understand nor respect these rules of engagement by Oprah and many have boycotted her show. Oprah now fears for her life. Recently Winfrey did not allow press into a Barack Obama fund-raiser rally while she spoke at the National Women's Leadership Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago. Joe Biden, Michele Obama, and Oprah Winfrey all spoke at the event.

Republican women associations refuse to allow Oprah freedom to support Obama in any form or fashion. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote an article about Oprah speaking at the NWLC's Obama fund-raiser, and dozens of readers' responses have been deemed waaaay too abusive. The responses have had to be removed http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/1214803,oprah-101108.article?plckCurrentPage=3&sid=sitelife.suntimes.com.


Endorsements


Despite the challenges that Senator Obama faces, the world's most famous politically based newspaper the Washington Post has endorsed Obama http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html . For the first time in its' history the Chicago Tribune, a Republican-leaning newspaper endorsed Senator Obama http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-chicago-tribune-endorsement,0,1371034.story. The most popular newspapers of the west, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, both endorse Obama. Hundreds of other periodicals have come on board. Polls have give Obama leading in most of the swing States. But none of theses endorsements, nor favorable poll numbers are the actual vote. And I have never been polled, so they ain't talking about me.

It is up to us all to vote, and also inspire others to vote. Do not listen to repudiaters, pollsters, or big time endorsers. We too often have others think for us and even successfully image made-up behaviors and sterotypes. Your vote is cast by you and you alone, and African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and Women voting is a right that was earned with the blood of past generations. https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/promisevideo?match_campaign_id=16&source=20081017_MO_ND_X