If you are not American then you might not know about Glenn Beck, a presenter of a comment programme (opinion rather than news) on the Fox News TV channel. He claimed that President Obama is racist, and now Color of Change have organised an advertising boycott. More details are given in an LA Times blog post, indicating the great flaw that Beck's ratings have improved dues to the boycott.
Color of Change is a group apparently formed out of a racist, partisan lie, that George Bush had not helped black residents when Katrina struck. In fact a higher proportion of whites in New Orleans were killed, and the Federal Government could not legally act until asked by the (Democrat) Governor. Color of Change supported the Jena Six (black students who beat a white student “…into a state of bloody unconsciousness”). So Color of Change is basically a pro-black racist organisation, and part of the race industry.
Whether Beck’s charge that Obama is racist is justified or not it is fair political comment. Obama himself set the bar high, by suggesting that only he could be a post-racial president. I think there is a good case that he has been racist in his campaigning and some of his comments as president, but that is irrelevant as Beck’s programme is opinion, not news, Beck can make his case and others can argue it.
So how does the White House come into this?
It appears from the LA Times blog that one of the founders of Color of Change is Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the White House. Leaving aside that his appointment despite his links to a racist group is more evidence of Obama’s racism, it appears that a White House advisor is attacking the free speech of an Obama’s opponent.
This is highly suspect. Did the White House ask Mr Jones to start this campaign? If not, and given the way this looks, why did Obama not ask him to either distance himself from the group and disavow the campaign or to resign his post?
For someone supposedly so clever and politically adept, Obama makes an awful lot of unforced errors.
Hat duly tipped to Instapundit.
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