Will: Not a ‘Scintilla of Racism’ in Reid Race Remarks

“not a scintilla of racism”.. just an inherent mindset of the impact of the color of ones skin and how skin color affects ones manner of speech.

Republicans never have anything substantial to attack so this is what they jump on, it’s all they got. I think when you evaluate comments like Reid made you need to look at the INTENT. Obviously it was meant to be a positive comment on Obama’s electability in him being able to attract a larger electorate rather than just one group. It was really comment on logistics, the electorate and electability, and not at all meant to be racist, obviously. Why would Reid who is trying to get Obama elected ta that point say something racist about him? don’t drink the Koolaid the Republicans are peddling, let’s stay focused on what this country needs to do to get out of the huge gaping financial debt hole Bush and the Republicans dug for us all.

Mr. Will defends Harry Reid’s comments? Is George Will actually saying that Harry Reid’s comments were APPROPRIATE and therefore should rallied around and even repeated? I put it to you that they were actually indefensible.
Seriously, it is always interesting (and sometimes shocking) to read of politicians speaking their minds and then watch and listen when they find out it has been reported, which inevitably leads to a backtracking statement to avoid political suicide. Mr. Reid’s retraction indicates the kind of cynical belief that breaches the publicly-presented-facade every once in a while. This, of course, is something that happens with both major parties (witness Trent Lott and others), but it is doubly pointed in this case as Mr. Obama is a member of Mr. Reids own party…….nice.
It wasn’t a “poor choice of words” if that is what he really believes. I don’t think that describing Barack Obama during the presidential election as a “black candidate who would benefit from his “light-skinned” appearance and speaking patterns “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one” could be spoken with ANY words that could be considered “well chosen”.
As to “improper”, does he mean “improper” in that it became public and was obviously seen as glaringly improper, or, improper because it reflects a massive character flaw in Mr. Reid that he would describe a very well spoken (much more so than Harry Reid in my opinion) African American man as being without a “Negro dialect” (is this guy in the same century as the rest of the country?).
All of this begs an important question. When he says, “I was a proud and enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama during the campaign and have worked as hard as I can to advance President Obama’s legislative agenda, “ was it because he considered Barak Obama to be “a black candidate who would benefit from his “light-skinned” appearance and speaking patterns “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one”?
In the words of…oh yeah…,Mr. Reid, following the Trent Lott racial comments debacle (another pathetic display of racist comments on the Republican side), “You play how you practice. If you tell ethnic jokes in the backroom, it’s that much easier to say ethnic things publicly. I’ve always practiced how I play.” In spite of his poor attempt at the “potomac two step”, and the sad and obviously hypocritical defense of his racially derogatory comments by Mr. Will, Al Sharpton and others (which we are all too used to and fed up with no matter where you stand politically), Mr. Reid IS correct…..he DOES practice what he played all along.

Liz Cheney is far too skilled a propagandist to be compatible with the format of This Week. So skilled that when George Stephanopolis counterer her screed about President Obama’s reation to Yeman with two December bombings and numerous drove attacks in Pakistan she simply said “true” in a muted tone and continued on with her partisan attack.
If such a voice is going to be a regular on This Week I would hope and expect the new moderator to serve up an apprpopriate follow-up to such a artful dodge.

I love this show, but don’t know why you bring Liz Cheney back. She doesn’t provoke or stimulate useful thinking; doesn’t enrich my point of view; doesn’t persuade me toward a new point of view. She lowers the standards of the show considerably.

Few people care what Liz Cheney OR her father thinks. What a dysfunctional family the Cheney’s spawned.

We must peer into Reid’s heart for meaning and listen to what comes out of his mouth. He’s a Democrat, so we must overlook “poor word choices”. Can you say double standard?

I don’t think there was anything wrong with what Reid said. I don’t know why he apologized for saying it.
I do have a problem with the double standards that Democrats seemed to live by, such as then Senator Obamas coments about Trent Lotts comments on Strom Thurman. I also have problems with squeemish Republicans who ran Lott out of his leadership role, even though I thought Lott was a “female feline”.
I guess you can say I just don’t like hypocrites.

Thank you Mr. Reich for telling Ms.Cheney how it is.
I don’t understand why is it always considered inappropriate for a white person to discuss the color of another person’s skin or other racial distinctions. The audience was not privy to the complete context of Mr. Reid’s comment or his intent. However, from what I can tell he seemed to be analyzing possible factors that led to Mr. Obama’s huge success with white voters.
Our nation has become so sensitive to political correctiveness that we can’t even have a healthy discussion about race, gender, sexuality, or religion without getting mired in how correct it is to talk about these things. How are we ever to get past racism, sexism, etc. if it is not considered o.k. to talk about our differences? How can we become comfortable with our differences if we are considered bad people because we notice those distinctions and we want to talk about them?

Just keep dancing around the truth.
It’s OK if a Democrat is racist.
But, if a Republican had said it..oh my.
But we are in the double standard era.
Geraldine Ferraro was roasted alive for her comment on the campaign trail..she opposed Obama.
As long as you are Obama’s side you can say whatever you like.
Keep trying to explain how ‘negro dialect’ isn’t racist.
Keep dancing around the truth.

We are dismayed with the parting of George Stephanopoulos from This Week. He has been a great host, always knowing just the right questions, and a master at keeping the roundtable on track and the discussions interesting and engaging. We hope the new host will be as adept. We wish Mr. Stephanopoulos the best and will watch him at his new shows.
A word for the producers of This Week. Your show is an excellent show, too good a show for the likes of Liz Cheney to be on, except as an occasional guest (if she can keep from mindlessly spouting radical propoganda.) Not as a panelist.

Liz is correct and is a breath of fresh air on this show. Will on the other hand is pretty out of his mind if he does not think the remarks do not have racial overtones.

Please, George, I beg of you: No more Liz Cheney. I have to leave the room every time she’s on. he ruins the rest of my day and takes up the Main on Huffington Post, to boot. Please, please, please just put the Cheney dog on next time.

Since when did being the child of a politician—least of all the offspring of crazy Cheney—qualify you to be the spokesman for important policy issues such as national security, etc.
Will Richard Simmons be invited on next, to share his fitness tips for Al Qaeda?

in what way, exactly, is liz cheney qualified to appear on the program?
her appearance on any show serves to me as a red flag that the show is of suspect credibility.

Does Liz Cheney have pictures of the
CEO of ABC in a compromising situation that
daddy Cheney gave her in order to get this job?
She is grasping for straws at the very least.

What a comment. He only speaks jive when he wants to. Reid’s comment speaks volumes. I guess he has a problem with black people and the way they speak in general. Silly negroes! This is on par with Bill Clinton’s past comments about Obama saying “A few years ago this guy would have been getting us our coffee.”

It’s not often I agree with George Will, but this time is one of them. The notion put foward by Liz Cheney (of all people, a suspect voice from the Right) that REAL tolerant (white) people NEVER EVER make racist references is completely unacceptable smacks both of political haymaking and–dare I say it–political correctness. The fact that an American politician acknowledged that a Black candidate would benefit from not being too Black is nothing more than admitting the obvious. Ms Cheney’s remark is contemptibly hypocritical and opportunistic (any typically Republican). The fact that otherwise astute white journalists at the table were so cravenly culpable speaks for itself.

Harry Reid’s comments were not racist. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that see and ears that hear. His statement about the racial situation in our country was one of true facts. Now, these facts are not GOOD things – that’s what the crux of this controversy ought to be focusing on. Good or not, it remains a fact. Facts are not always good, but they are facts nonetheless. Ironically, the furor over the comment reinforces what I am saying here – that the racial situation is definitely not good. As far as Liz Cheney goes, her comments were standard partisan political garbage, and need not be considered except as being just that. Again, so obvious – she at least ought to learn some subtlety. She’s so full of it, her blond hair is rapidly turning a deep brown. One more thing, and this is such a shame to me, and distresses me more than anything else. We have made such remarkable racial progress in this country. One has to be plain blind or totally disingenuous to deny it. Again, so obvious. Yet so many thrive on calling people racists for no reason at all, as if they somehow enjoy stoking the fires of race hatred. No solution, people. No solution at all will be found in that approach. We are not at the end yet, but we will be in a few more generations. I personnally witnessed legal segregation in Virginia in 1957, as a boy of 8. In 2008 Virginia voted for Barack Obama. No progress?? Puh-leez!! We should one and all stand up and applaud the strides we have made. Nothing short of miraculous, a tribute indeed to our country’s greatness, a reflection of what America really stands for.

I wonder what percentage of network
journalists and talking heads have secretly kept moral principles and disguise their actual disgust of the system that has such transparent and weak double standards?
I’m betting their once sincere, humanistic, professional ideals have all been traded one by one for status, power and money.

Liz Cheney is a very grating mouthpiece for her father – good for George Will to stand up to her. She adds nothing valuable to the show.

I will be an ex viewer of This Week if Liz Cheney continues to be a guest. She adds nothing but a thoughtless partisan view of the issues. Her comments on any issue are totally predictable. She is an insult to the values of the program and the contributions of the other guests. Why do you book her? She isn’t even controversial…she is thoughtless.

Thank you, George for being what you always are…honest. There is no difference in Harry Reid saying this about President Obama and him hypothetically saying 20 years ago about Bill Clinton, “Well, I know he’s from Arkansas, but he’s a Rhodes Scholar and he doesn’t even sound like a farmer unless he needs to; he’s incredible.” I have PLENTY of problems with Sen. Reid, but this is not one of them.
It is disingenuous and just as unfair for Republicans to cry racism at a remark like this, just because we have been falsely painted with that brush and would love to throw the paint back from whence it came.

So if its obvious to say, its not racist? I do agree that if this was a GOPer that said these things they would be forced to resign. Reid id safe for another 10 months since he is the main guy in charge of bribes, Chicago style politics and payoffs.

This so funny. This is why no is hardly watching this bias liberal shows any more. There raitings are falling more ever year and will soon will have to ask for bailouts from their liberal friends just to pay the bills.

rac⋅ism
  /ˈreɪsɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA
Use racist in a Sentence
See web results for racist
See images of racist
–noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
Now, which definition applies to Reid’s comment? None of them, in my opinion. He made a factual political observation as to how Obama’s race might be perceived in the context of the election. Race has been very much in the open since Obama began his candidacy and has only escalated since he took office. The notion that we shouldn’t talk about it (as if it’s not really there and we really are a post-racial society now) is juvenile and not helpful.

George who?

Liz Cheney is nuts thinking Reid’s comment was some racist comment which nobody is her circle would ever say. What Reid said is exactly what many were saying. He did say anything about if he should be or was capable of being president. Most people expected that there would be reluctance among the general public in electing the first black president and having the right “image” would make it easier. It’s the same reason that candidates spruce up their hair, clothes, way they speak – trying to find the right image. It’s the same reason why people thought John Edwards had a edge on others early on – being a relatively young, good-looking energetic man.

Liz Cheney is a representation of most Americans?
Uh Oh!

Liz Cheney certainly got it right. Why do liberals defend other liberals when they are clearly in the wrong? Harry Reid can say what he wants like anyone else, but that doesn’t mean that what he says is not borne of racism, just because he’s liberal. To comment on skin color, in this case, remarking on the benefit of being “light-skinned” (as opposed to-?) is offputting and tactless.

Steven K: “bailouts from their liberal friends”…..it was by the Permission of the right to get “rich” and damn Americans…..where have you been for 9 years? Oh, you Republicans still think you can throw Rocks and hide your hands. Not Working!!!

where have you been for 9 years? Oh, you Republicans still think you can throw Rocks and hide your hands. Not Working!!! >>>> No we THROW OUT people that we deem not fit to serve. We DONT circle the wagons and pretend it didnt happen like the democrats do which make your party the party who stands for NOTHING.

The GOP spinmeisters work night and day to dominate the News with their trivia!!!The Far Reich Nut cases like Cheney and her Fascist father, continue their barrage of attack against anything said by the Dems– They are mean spirited and superficial and would have fit in quite well with Josef Goebbell’s and the Nazi propaganda machine– Its no wonder only 19% will even call themselves Republican anymore!!!

good4thegander wrote: “Mr. Will defends Harry Reid’s comments? Is George Will actually saying that Harry Reid’s comments were APPROPRIATE and therefore should rallied around and even repeated?”
Appropriate? For what occasion? He said the comments IN PRIVATE. And again, did he get it wrong? There’s absolutely no doubt that light skin and a White accent improved Obama’s ability to get White votes.
Liz Cheney was exposed for what she is: a bag of wind.

pt: No, similar to the reason we went to Iraq….”my daddy”.

Liz Cheney should give us all a break. The Republican party ,her party, is synonymous with racism.

During the presidential campaign, many of my “black” neighbors made the same comments about Obama, that he spoke like the well educated man he is, and not “gansta-ghetto”. Being light skinned/ bi-racial was considered a plus, as they know too well that very dark skinned “blacks” do not become popular with “whites”. they went on to mane all the light-skinned “blacks” and how popular they are in our culture, as compared to really dark skinned “blacks.”
If a “black” person made these comments, would they be labeled “racist”? Would Obama have gotten elected if he spoke/dressed/acted like a rapper? NOT!
stating FACTS does not make one racist.

all of us can have our own opinion about the statement, but one fact is true – if a republican had said it(the same exact statement), democrats, liberals, Al Sharpton, and the media would be going crazy with it. You can’t deny that fact.
That is racism.
I hate racism!

George Will got it right. It is comparable to a Republican saying that W. was an eastern-educated preppy type who didn’t talk Texan unless he wanted to. Is that anti-Texan?

A special Poem for Senator Reid tonight as he reflects on all the politicians before him that he has tarred and feathered for doing what he has done:
Ode to Mr Reid
How does it feel, Mr Reid,
To be labeled a Democrat racist,
The tables have turned, Mr Reid,
Now Harry is mired in disgraces,
The hypocracy’s clear, Mr Reid,
Trent Lott won’t console your fear,
So how does it feel, Mr Reid,
You’ll be walking the streets in a year

Anyone else notice that besides the racistness of Reids comments, it also pointed out how dishonest and manipulative Obama is. No Negro dialect unless Obama wants to fakes one.

Just so you know where I stand – I am a loyal Democrat with an open mind to good Republican thoughts, I voted for Obama and think he’s an amazing president, and I think Harry Reid is competent but boring, is not a racist and shouldn’t be the majority leader. What Reid said was true, but something that one should not say publicly. Think about it. Would Obama have been elected if he was dark-skinned black man or spoke with a “negro dialect?” Be honest when you answer.

Well done, George Will. Liz C. is a horrible panelist. She is so far right that she spends all her time spouting talking points. (Most likely prepared by Daddy.) If Obama cured cancer she would complain because the oncologists wouldn’t make enough money. Is this really the best they can do for guests? From now on when she’s on, I will DVR the show and fast foward through her negative, divisive, and right wing-nut comments.

Please spare us from more of Liz Cheney. She’s acting more and more like her mother and dad every fricin’ day!

George is an excellent conservative commentator. If the party listened to people like him and David Brooks, we’d be in much better shape. Liz Cheney is not only a partisan hack, but she doesn’t seem knowledgeable. She sticks to talking points. I don’t understand why she’s on this show. She reduces the roundtable every time she is on. Please stick with people who represent a philosophical, theoretical or practical viewpoint rather than a political one.

Everyoneis basing their comments on what is said in this book! You all do know that there are many non quotes (what the authors refer to as “paraphrased statements”) supposedly said by and about MANY politicians. When an author doesn’t use exact quotes, in context, and name the person who supposedly said the paraphrased remark, I can’t believe a word of any of it — whether it’s something Obama said, Palin said, Clinton (either one) said, or anyone else. I wonder if any of Cheney’s (father) comments are in this book? Hmmm . . . In any case, I call foul and shame on all the news media for bringing attention to this book which I consider to be a total lie in the first place.

This shows the double standard . If a Democrat like Reid makes a racist comment it’s OK. But if a Republican made the same comments they would be forced to resign.

PLEASE dont reelect this man!

If Reid said nothing wrong then why is he falling all over himself apologizing. Then he says he worded it wrong, oh but the thought is the same it is just a problem with wording. He made racist comments that Senator Byrd wished he had said. Democrats are hypocrites. So did George Will and others come to the defense of President Clinton in his comments about Obama winning the South Carolina primary as did Jesse Jackson ???

Reid/Pelosi the intellectual Double Standard Democratic savants – Dumb and Dumber authors.
Got to love George Stephanopoulos making it quiet clear the the remark appearing in Reid’s book was a private statement. Idiot.

Can you imagine Sarah Palin saying the same thing? OMG, the moon would fall upon her head!!

What would you liberal hypocrites say if George Bush made a similar comment?
Pathetic left wing drivel.

Apparently, the producers of This Week don’t read these comments. Scores of requests to drop Liz Chenney from the Roundtable appear each time she’s on. Yet, she keeps coming back like a bent coin. It would only be worse if they got Sarah Palin or Micheal Steele on the Roundtable. Memo to ABC: Fox News viewers do not watch This Week. You don’t need a token Right Wingnut on the Roundtable.

…and some commented during the last campaign that the Republican candidates for President were ALL “old, white guys!” This included an entertaining sketch on SNL. Was this “fact” a sign of bias or a statement of fact? Take your time.

What Reid said was 100% accurate. The President grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood raised by white grandparents. What does Reid expect him to sound like?
The only thing I find interesting is how quick the Democrats are to defend Reid’s statement. If a Republican had said the same thing in the most complimentary way possible, the Democrats would be asking for his head. Once again the double standard the Democrats are becoming infamous for.
Of course we all know that George Stephanoloulus who is Bill Clinton’s former advisor, would never report anything in a bias manner. …. Please forgive the note of sarcasm.

If Harry didn’t have racism in his heart why did he even utter such a statement?
Why did George will feel it his position to defend Reid?
Questions, questions, please resign Harry!

Please do me a favor – don’t let ABC This Week become another Fox News by having Liz Cheney as a panelist. She can paint the white as black and twist her own or his dad’s imagination as truth. And she did.

During the campaign Fox News actually did a article about President’s Obama’s skin color changing. Sarah Palin immediately called and got John McCain involved with a woman who said she was raped by a black man who cut Obama on her forehead. People brought monkeys with ropes on their necks to Palin’s speeches. Harry Reids comments were a left handed compliment. I think he was more or less evaluating President Obama’s chances of pulling off the election. Crude.. maybe, but definitely not racist.

I am confused. Reid discussed how racist the American public was, and how clever Obama was for speaking differently in front of different groups. How is this racist? JUST because the president is darker than previous presidents???

liberals won’t live up to what they expect from others
Zel | Jan 11, 2010 12:42:01 AM
The documented fact is that there is currently not one, single black Republican office holder in Congress. There are over 3 dozen black Democrats elected to Congress.
With over 200 people in the Republican caucus, and about 13% of the US population being black, it is almost statistically impossible that there are no black Republican office holders by random chance.
I’m not sure about liberals, but the documented reality indicates Democrats certainly are living up to the ideal of electing people with out concern for their skin color, and therefore have ended up with a caucus that reflects the make up of America (pretty closely, of course with a sample of only about 300 there is noise). The current Republican party is at perhaps the most extreme right lean in its history and elects only whites to Congress.
But that’s just documented fact. (Interesting trivia: Hispanics are also too brown for modern Republicans to elect to Congress; again Democrats have over a dozen, about as you’d expect for their population percentage.)

George – wake-up. Riad just accused all Americans of being racists against candidate Obama.
===================
LESSON LEARNED:
We can all refer to our president as the light skinned negro with no negro dialect except when he needs it.
That language is OK.
===================
and, by the way, why was Brit Hume thrashed for uttering “Jesus Christ” while Reid is given a pass for being racist? Liberal ethics – upside down and bass ackwards.

===================================
George,
You are SO wrong with your statement that Harry reid’s comment did not have a ‘scintilla of racism.’ Reid accused Americans of being rasists but that they would vote for Obama because he doesn’t look nor sound black. You need to apologize for finding this acceptable and not having a ‘scintilla of racism.’

Of course what Reid said was unpleasant to blacks, but, it was also true. Why can’t a far better and more intelligent and principled man like Alan Keyes get any traction? (I would have voted for Keyes over any of the other R candidates.) Because he looks like what white people fear. Obama on the other hand is a good looking, articulate man (as Biden got in trouble for saying) who does not use the mf word three times in every sentance and does not speak in eubonics. If he looked and talked like he was selling crack on the corner, he would never have gotten elected. That is what Reid was saying and it was correct. All that not-with-standing, there is a totally different standard for Republicans and Democrats. Ann Coulter missed her chance on Geraldo on this issue by failing to bring up Byrd. Byrd used the N word on the Senate floor and got a pass. Come on folks! Reid should not be punished for saying the absolute truth. But, we do have a double standard because it is a lie to say the reaction would have been different if a Republican had said this. (PS I want Reid to go down in flames (figure of speach) in the next election. I just believe we should be able to say the truth, even when it is painful.)

Liberal hypocrites! How do you live with your hypocritical selves? How many of you accused Wilson of RACISM for his “you lie” comment…TWO WORDS, no reference to RACE at all, and all hell breaks loose, calling him a racist! even after Wilson apologized he gets disciplined and hate mail. And Reid makes a blatantly racist comment with “negro” (you know that word has been removed from many texts because it is racist?) and you want to let it slide? Hypocrites! the dems have confirmed it is the racist party, formed by KKK members, and a former Klan leader as a ranking Dem senior member.

Hurrah for George Will. This has got to be one of his finest moments! I say one because it is not the first occasion when his reason and honesty have shown forth. I appreciate his candor even though I do not agree with many of his conservative views. This segment of the program was great.

Liz is correct and is a breath of fresh air on this show. Will on the other hand is pretty out of his mind if he does not think the remarks do not have racial overtones.

I seem to recall that Biden said the same thing and was forced from the presidential race for it.
You can’t get much whiter than Harry Reid, unless you were say….George Will. Why not just say Obama is a credit to his race?
This is a distraction, nothing more. Democrats will never hold their own to the same PC standard they impose on others.

Newsflash to Will: The only difference between Trent Lott and Harry Reid is two words:
Double. Standard.

I’d like to echo GT’s comments above. They reflect my thoughts on Ms Cheney exactly. We know what she’ll say before she opens her odious maw. Her sole motivation is to distract our attention from the war crimes her father committed in office. Do us all a favor and send her packing, never to return. We deserve better.

I agree with many of the commenters: Why IS Liz Cheney given a platform? What are her credentials, besides being the daughter of a discredited former vice president? And for once, hooray for George Will. (Now, if he’d just quit writing columns about global warming …)

Ms. Cheney, another “One of the things that makes the American people frustrated” is when they see time and time again conservatives excusing torture conducted by other conservatives. Yet there you are, week after week, defending the misguided (indeed, evil) policies of the previous administration. So why exactly should we take seriously your “outrage”?

Thank you Will! How in the world does the show put on someone like Liz Cheney and let her speak with only far right views? Even Will looks and reports on both sides of an issue, as evidenced by his questioning of Liz’s statements. Liz is like her father, a real curmudgeon who blabbers the same old radical propoganda not really knowing anything about what she professes.
At best, an occassional guest, not a regular for the Roundtable.

There are dozens of liberal misspeaks which are well documented. Nothing has ever come of them when they misspeak. It seems every time a conservative misspeaks all hell breaks loose. This is a double standard and has been going on for some time. As a person well versed in history, it is the democratic party which supported slavery, not the republican party. Liberals have done more of a disservice to minorities than any other group in this country. It is time the media(left wing) got its head out of its tailpipe and told the truth about these matters. I cannot think of a single case where liberals have misspoke and had hell to pay. Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, John Carey, Janet Napolitano, all of the slezy rappers, and now Harry Reid and we look at it as no big thing.
Wake up America and stop this double standard.

By having Liz Cheney on this show is offically a joke! She is a partisan hack. Maybe George S. will start fact checking or know what the hell is going on in this world to challange the statements that are said on his show.

Why all the HubBub?
Obama is actually more White than Black when you consider his upbringing.
Maybe we should all stop calling him a “Black” President.
I’d prefer calling him a White President with a DNA lifetime tan.
: o )

As an American expatriate living in Atlanta, I have observed the shade of skin color to be a dynamic in black politics since the 70′s and a source of resentment since Thomas Jefferson’s time, if the histories are to be believed. Reid’s comments would provoke an emotional response if delivered in the community, but to Ms. Cheney’s point, would only be reverberated throughout the media with demands for resignation if the source was a Republican or conservative. After all, they have the black hearts. Mr. Will was, as usual, technically correct in the sense that Reid meant not to suggest innate superiority or inferiority among a category of people who differ by skin color. But, we know the standard shifts with the source

Why on earth is Liz Cheney allowed to appear on this program? Ever since it was conceived by Mr. Brinkley, the roundtable element of the show has brought together people of divergent views who have sustained a certain level of civility along with a willingness to stay on topic as opposed to using a given topic as a jumping off point for partisan flame throwing. Ms. Cheney is both unwilling to and incapable of playing by such rules. Why do she get such a pass?

Okay Bev I’m going to need you not to group Lott and Reid together.. doesn’t even make sense that you tried to compare the two totally different statements.

Harry Reid’s comments were racially charged period. Obama is an accomplished orator who happens to be black. Harry Reid’s comment on Obama ‘…not speaking with a Negro dialect unless he wants to…’ is another way to say Obama is articulate for a black man – which is a common stereotype. Also skin tone or “color” is an attribute blacks are discriminated on. People unfortunately do judge others by how dark or light their skin is. It is sad that so many posts here support the idea that Harry Reid’s comment was not racist. This reiterates to me that most non-minorities do not have a clue.

One needs to wonder why all the fuss about Senator Reid’s comments after a year plus has passed:
a) Republicans don’t have better things to do.
b) This is a sell the damn book strategy.
c) Distract the american public so they don’t question what important issues are being resolved by our government.
d) Our politicians are so engaged in petty nonsense.
or all of the above.

Having a pragmatic conversation over race does not qualify as a “racist conversation”. What is worse? An off-handed, unfavorable, albeit true, comment from Reid, or the Republican Senator calling the President of the United States a liar from the Senate Chambers before a global audience. And support for Strom Thurman says: 1. Stand up Rosa Parks, Go home MLK, down with Brown vs. Board of Education, and “long live George Wallace”. Really, are they even remotely comparable? God help this country.

Ditto, GT. What we got from Liz Cheney was Obama bashing, liberal bashing and father defending – totally predictable. She needs to join Sarah Palin on Fox so they can join in presenting unfair and unbalanced views to their world.

Let me get this straight, there was no racism in Ried’s comments? So What?
If we are to have a consistent standard than democrats must be crucified for every comment that could possible be perceived as racist just as republicans are. To make it fair, we really have to start out assuming they are racist, and after all, the democrats are the party of slavery and segregation. A generation of lies has not changed that.

Liz, like just about everyone on the right, is in the black/white world where you’re with us or against us..you’re totally racist or you’re not at all racist.
How can she be so ignorant of the inherent ‘grey’ area of a half-white, half-black President, much less of light-skinned college-educated black people vs. dark-skinned dialect-speaking black people?
hey, I wish darkness of skin didn’t matter, but if you think it doesn’t you’re just being ignorant.

Reich is correct. It is not racist to discuss racism and its possible impact on an election. Now had Reid stated that he himself liked Obama because he was light skinned and had no negro dialect we could argue about that point. As it is, he did not. And Reid simply stated what numerous studies have shown about how white and black people respond to skin color and dialect in making choices and having preferences. It is unfortunate that people think this way, but it is also prevalent within the black community itself. Finally, we could debate his use of the term “negro”. I don’t think a person of his age is automatically racist for using the term. THough certainly it is politically incorrect.

As someone said earlier – I do not tune to “This Week” to see the same stuff that Fox and MSNBC do – there are HUNDREDS of former congressmen, journalists, columnists, etc. who can represent the conservative, right wing, whatever you want to call it, point of view. So why give Liz Cheney an outlet when she has done nothing to deserve any attention. Not only has she accomplished NOTHING, but she is a terrible guest and lacks manners and the ability to have a thoughtful discussion. She refuses to answer questions, which any politician is able to do, and do better than she does. So, I have to question what ABC’s agenda is for insisting on inviting her repeatedly to be on a panel that is supposed to be a roundtable, which implies an adult, measured, logical and reasonable discussion.
Someone else has already said this, and I will second this one, too – if Cheney is brought back on, I will never watch this show OR GMA or ABC Nightly News again. (Sorry Robin, Sorry Diane)

Just who are these nameless and faceless racists in the U.S.? For most rational people under 50 years old, money, looks, an personality are far more important than pigment. Frankly, Liz Cheney strikes me as the only one in the roundtable who is in touch on this issue. My Euro-American friends and I grew up seeking out and including “persons of color” whenever one came wandering along, and this was in the 1970s in a suburb of Minneapolis. Racism has been unacceptable for some 40 years, and structural racism is all but vanished, yet we still have Democrats wagging their fingers at the country whenever one of theirs does or says something vaguely racist. Sigh. This is why I belong to no party. Ta.

Thank you George Will.
Reid’s comments, while politically incorrect, are unfortunately true. He shouldn’t have used the language that he used, but I don’t believe that the sentiment he was expressing was racist.
Reid was analyzing the electability of Obama. Reid wasn’t saying that light-skinned people are better, but that they are still more electable in America.It is sadly still true in America that there are racist pockets and that light-skinned African Americans are often seen as less threatening than dark-skinned ones. It shouldn’t be true, but it is and it is something we should acknowledge, debate and work to change.
Similarly, it is also true that there are patterns of speech that will help get candidates get elected. For instance, you can get elected if you sound “folksy,” but not if you sound “ghetto;” much like you can get elected if you wear a cowboy hat, but not if you wear baggy jeans. I’m not saying that all white people wear cowboy hats and all African Americans wear baggy jeans, just that there are racist undertones in the cultural behavior we deem acceptable for our political candidates. Again, this is something we should acknowledge, debate, and work to change.
Finally, I don’t approve of Reid’s use of the ‘N’ word, but I do not believe it was meant in a racist way. Reid grew up in a time when the word was still politically correct to use. It is hard to change patterns of speech and it is entirely possible that he just made a mistake that was not intended to disparage or offend anyone.

Thank you Mr. Will for your honest assessment of Mr. Reid’s comments. He told the truth and it is and has always been well known in the Black community. His statement was NOT racially motivated in any sense of the comment.
Ms. Cheney insist on making a mountain out of a mole hill and does not believe what she says. She is simply blowing political smoke as she usually does. Ms. Cheney has no real fire and tends to throw up what ever comes up and hopes it sticks.
Betty J.

There’s a big difference between what Reid said and what Trent Lott said. Reid was recognizing that there are racists in America and that a candidate with an accent (any kind of “non-white” accent) would have a harder time getting elected than a Canadian that sounds like middle America. Just listen to the right wing nuts condemning Keith Ellison because of his religion. What Trent Lott said was that the country would have been better off if Strom Thurmond, who campaigned on a segrationist platform, had been elected President. Yeah, that’s a big difference.

How can people pretend not to know the difference difference between ‘racial’ and ‘racist’? Reid’s observation was ‘racial’, a simple statement of fact. There is no double standard. Republicans made identical statements during the campaign — Gingrich, Limbaugh, McCain — without any fuss from the left. Lott’s statement was ‘racist’, it was not a statement of fact, it was a declaration of hatred, properly and immediately condemed by all responsible conservatives and evangelicals, not just liberals. For the PC crowd, ‘Negro’ is NOT the ‘N-word’ … as the United Negro College Fund would be happy to tell you.