A Nostalgic Remark

Jake Sherman and Mike Allen of Politico discuss the recent outrageous comment by Harry Reid. Was it the worst thing ever said by anyone, or was it just really, really, really bad? Will he step down, or will he brazen it out like the cynical old power broker he is?

It's hard to say. All we know for certain is that Reid's political career hangs in the balance, which means that any misguided attempt to explain away or relativize his indescribably offensive hate speech must be viewed in light of the Democrat Party's white-knuckled lust for power.

It's true, in a sense, that Trent Lott may've once said something or other that offended certain black people. Unfortunately, Sherman and Allen have no access to any transcripts or articles that quote this ancient misstatement, so the incident will have to be described in general terms.

When Lott made a nostalgic remark about the segregationist Dixiecrat presidential run of Strom Thurmond, his Republican allies quickly abandoned him. Democrats are sticking by Reid so far.

That pretty much says it all. Lott made a "nostalgic remark" and was cast into the Outer Darkness, never to be heard from again. Reid made a "disastrous remark" and is apparently everyone's BFF. It kinda makes you wonder who the real racists are.

You also have to bear in mind that this is not the first time Reid has said intolerable things.

He called President George W. Bush a “loser,” Justice Clarence Thomas “an embarrassment” and Bill Frist, his predecessor as majority leader, “amateurish.” He referred to Alan Greenspan as a “hack.” And he had to backtrack after saying the U.S. was “losing” the war in Iraq.

These are very strong words indeed, and one could be forgiven for assuming that they were inspired by a soul-deep loathing of America and capitalism. But in practical terms, this outrageous conduct has to be balanced against Reid's reptile cunning, which has "taken the Senate to the brink of passing the historic health reform bill" despite strong public opposition to the bill's exorbitant cost, its strict rationing of care, and its creation of so-called "death panels." Without him, the Democrats' controversial attempt to remake the United States in the image of Hoxha's Albania might well be doomed to failure. It's little wonder, therefore, that Al Sharpton has been working overtime to defend Reid's crude racism against the justifiable (for once) outrage of his own people.

It'll be exciting, in a strictly dispassionate and nonpartisan sense, to see how it all plays out.