McCain
Owes America An Apology
By Bill Quigley
13 November,
2008
Countercurrents.org
John McCain spent months fanning
the fear-filled fires of folks scared of terrorists, socialists, and
anti-Americanism in his campaign for President. On election night
he made a fine concession speech and walked away – but the fires
are still burning. John McCain apparently thought it was OK to turn
fears on high for as long as possible to help his quest for the presidency.
But he cannot now just expect the flames to turn off. He owes America
an apology for running a terribly fear-mongering, knowingly false
and divisive campaign.
Just outside of New Orleans, a newly discovered chapter of the Ku
Klux Klan murdered one of their newest recruits in the past few days.
The woman who was murdered was a novice who took a bus down from Oklahoma
after the election for the specific purpose of joining the Klan. She
was shot and her body was burned after a disagreement with the Klan
leader. Coincidence?
Nationwide, gun sales are up. People in Houston are buying, according
to the Los Angeles Times, assault rifles and high capacity magazines
of ammunition. Denver, according to the New York Times, set a one
day record for people seeking weapons. Coincidence?
In the most expensive exclusive private school in New Orleans, a classroom
of 12 year olds was asked by their teacher what their reactions were
to the election. In front of one African American classmate, one white
student said, “Twelve black people can’t run a Burger
King, how do you expect one black man to run the country?” What
made that student and his family think that was acceptable speech?
Does the fact that McCain got 86% of the white vote in Louisiana give
a hint? Coincidence?
The New York Times reported on the people in small town Alabama, where
the election is making whites fear that blacks will now be more “aggressive.”
John McCain professed to be deeply offended by Congressman John Lewis’
warning that the campaign of McCain and Palin was stoking fires that
could not be put out. They spent months pounding away at supposed
connections to terrorism that they knew were bogus. They spent months
screaming that socialism was on the advance if they lost. Their campaign
gave comfort and support to their fellow travelers of the hard right
to scare and scare and scare people. And guess what, people are scared.
And scared people do scary things.
Congressman Lewis warned them in October. "As public figures
with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin
are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will
consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards
the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy.
We can do better. The American people deserve better."
Senator McCain was “offended,” seriously offended by Rep
Lewis’ comments. “Congressman John Lewis’ comments
represent a character attack against Governor Sarah Palin and me that
is shocking and beyond the pale. The notion that legitimate criticism
of Senator Obama’s record and positions
could be compared to Governor George Wallace, his segregationist policies
and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this
campaign.”
Maybe this is all just a coincidence since the election. Coincidence?
I think not. John McCain owes this country a real and full apology
for fanning the fires of fear. And he also owes John Lewis an apology.
Bill
is a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola University New
Orleans. He can be reached at [email protected]
