|
|
Political |
|
|
|
Last week, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that State Representative JoAnne Favors claimed State Republicans conspired against black law makers in the Tennessee Waltz to remove them from office. Representative Favors is quoted as saying "all you have to do is have some common sense in seeing what's happened." JoAnne Favors’ statement was met with immediate response from Robin Smith, Vice Chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party. Ms. Smith said in an interview that "accusations of Republican officials engineering the Tennessee Waltz Sting are tired and untrue." Ms. Smith stated "the African-American community deserves better... They deserve real leadership instead of hearing the constant cry of the same distractions from the true issues that are on the table." Bob Davis, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party also stated that the claim of a GOP conspiracy to root out black lawmakers was offensive to law enforcement officers and other officials who pledged to follow the rule of law. He stated "accusations like that are ludicrous... She ought to be ashamed of making comments like that. It's exactly what gives politics a bad name." It is obvious that the Republicans do not understand the issue, and that the Republican response is politically motivated, designed to discredit a Democratic Representative for expressing her beliefs. Instead of addressing the real issue, the Republicans engaged in an immediate negative response, without calling for solutions. The response, unfortunately, is a political response long on talk and short on solutions. All the Republican need to do is look at their own, and if their response to Representative Favors is sincere, the Republicans will apply their beliefs to their own. Take for example US Representative Tom Delay, who has been indicted for “money laundering.” Mr. Delay claims his indictment is politically motivated, that the indictment by Ronnie Earle is Democratic political revenge. Mr. Delay is engaging in a campaign to undermine the indictment by making sure that the public believes the indictment is a political tool to get at Mr. Delay. Mr. Delay is now actively raising money for his defense, making claims that Democrats are behind the indictments, and that the indictments are a result of Democrats conspiring against him to remove him from office. He is claiming he is the victim of a political witch hunt. My question to our state and local Republican leaders is -how are the claims of Mr. Delay different from the claims of Representative Favors? Will you call Tom Delay’s claims ludicrous, telling him he ought “to be ashamed for making comments like that” and that such comments are “exactly what gives politics a bad name?” Where is the Republican outrage over Tom Delay’s statements? Where is local Republican Party Chairman Bobby Wood on Mr. Delay’s claims that his indictment is politically motivated? Why hasn't Mr. Wood said that Mr. Delay’s comments are demeaning to justice officials who are attempting to clean up a situation that those in leadership allowed to get out of control? Where is Mr. Wood’s claim that Mr. Delay’s statements are unfair to all of us, where is his argument that Republicans are saddened and that they are disappointed when it comes to Mr. Delay making claims of political revenge after he was indicted. Where is Mr. Wood’s criticism of Mr. Delay’s finger pointing, finger pointing that only clouds the problem? Where is Robin Smith’s outrage about Mr. Delay’s claims of political revenge? Ms. Smith, doesn't the entire American community deserve better? Don't we all deserve real leadership instead of hearing the constant cry of the same distractions from the true issues that are on the table, such as statements made by Mr. Delay? Where are you in expressing your outrage over Mr. Delay’s claims? And, finally, what about you Mr. Davis? As Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party why haven't you said that Mr. Delay’s claim of a Democratic conspiracy of political revenge is offensive to law enforcement officers and other officials who pledged to follow the rule of law? Why haven't you said that Mr. Delay’s accusations "are ludicrous" and that he "ought to be ashamed of making comments like that? Isn’t what Mr. Delay is doing in response to his indictments “exactly what gives politics a bad name??” The answer is simple; Mr. Wood, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Davis have a political double standard. The double standard applies to Republicans, who are free to accuse Democrats of undertaking legal action for political purposes while claiming the actions of one of their own is just and moral. Mr. Wood, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Davis will probably accuse me of diverting attention while the GOP continues to... Hold a double standard. The outrage is in the double standard, a double standard that the GOP commonly applies to its own while claiming that Democrats are either unethical or on a political witch-hunt. Stuart James Chair, the New Hamilton County Democratic Party
|
