John Lewis has been getting hammered by some political pundits due to his contribution to the national conversation. A whole lot of folks have speculated about what the true meaning is behind the references to terrorism that came from the McCain campaign. As a civil rights leader, I think he is one of the foremost experts on racism. Here is an excerpt taken from www.huffingtonpost.com :
"As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign," Lewis said in a statement. "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."
. "During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama," said Lewis.
He warned, "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." (end quote) Read the rest here; (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/11/john-lewis-warns-mccain-y_n_133903.html)
I think that it is obvious that he was not comparing McCain to George Wallace, as some disingenuous commentators have claimed. It was a jarring comparison to a time when racial hatred was loudly expressed & demonstrated frequently. He painted a picture with his words of just where this kind of rhetoric takes the country. His comments should be interpreted as a strong plea to John McCain to change the tenor of his campaign.
John McCain issued the following statement on his website:
" 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. I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character and the character of the thousands of hardworking Americans who come to our events to cheer for the kind of reform that will put America on the right track.
"I call on Senator Obama to immediately and personally repudiate these outrageous and divisive comments that are so clearly designed to shut down debate 24 days before the election. Our country must return to the important debate about the path forward for America." (end quote)
There is evidence that McCain's admiration for John Lewis was unknown to him. I found a great article at(http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/08/9293_john_mccain_john_lewis_wise_man.html) Basically, it states that McCain may have evoked the name of John Lewis for political gain. This man has not offered any proof that he associates with any blacks other than John Lewis.This is an excerpt from the article that I just cited above :
Central in McCain's telling was John Lewis, a man of just 25 who was at the front of the march and absorbed the first blow. Millions of Americans, McCain noted, "watched brave John Lewis fall."
But even though McCain has now repeatedly cited Lewis as a role model and potential adviser, McCain has not established a relationship with the Georgia Democrat in the 22 years they have served in Congress together. At the time of McCain's Selma speech, a Lewis associate told my colleague David Corn that McCain has never been close to Lewis. Lewis was not told about McCain's speech in Selma in advance, nor was he invited to attend.
In response to McCain's latest invocation of his name, Rep. Lewis said in a statement requested by Mother Jones, "I cannot stop one human being, even a presidential candidate, from admiring the courage and sacrifice of peaceful protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge or making comments about it." But, he added, "Sen. McCain and I are colleagues in the US Congress, not confidantes. He does not consult me. And I do not consult him."
It took McCain years to fully embrace the goals that Lewis was fighting for on Bloody Sunday. In 1983, McCain voted against making Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday, in opposition to most members of Congress, including many of his Republican colleagues. In 1987, the governor of Arizona repealed the state's recognition of King; McCain supported the move. It was only in 1990, 25 years after Lewis marched in Alabama, when Arizona reversed its decision that McCain changed his own stance on the issue." (end quote)
Now that's a maverick for you! He stood up to his own party because he did not believe that one of the most exceptional black leaders in history, Dr. Martin Luther King, deserved a national holiday. Where was the admiration for Martin Luther King's great accomplishments in the civil rights movement? It's clear why most blacks won't vote for John McCain. He has a total disregard for us as a people. Actions speak much louder than words from the campaign trail. His track record with blacks is nonexistent. That's the reality!
