A Low Point For All Sides

Have you followed the Shirley Sherrod fiasco? Conservative news aggregator Andrew Briethbart posted a video of this African-American Department of Agriculture official saying how she once wanted to refuse to help a particular farmer save his farm because he was white. An uproar ensued. Sherrod’s boss, the Secretary of Agriculture–Sherrod claims under White House pressure–fired her.

But then it turns out that Breitbart had posted only the first part of a confession-and-redemption testimony. The tape of the speech went on to record Sherrod saying how she then recognized her prejudice, realized that “there is no difference between us,” and helped the man save his family farm. (Even though at the time, 24 years ago, she was working not for the government but for an agency focused solely on helping black farmers. That means her labors on behalf of the white farmer went beyond her job description, something that also was not made clear on the Breitbart clip.)

Now the Secretary of Agriculture and the President are apologizing for firing her and offering her another job, which so far she is declining. Even the conservative pundits who attacked her “racism” are taking it back.

But just look how low we have sunk in our public discourse and political tag-team wrestling matches. Yes, we conservatives are guilty. And look at how low our executive leadership has sunk, firing a person upon impulse without even waiting to get the whole story. And then trying to take it back. What incompetence. What contemptible tactics. Can we have an upturn after this?

There is no need for conservatives to play these sorts of games, given the abundance of actual issues. And surely liberals can summon up enough leadership to refrain from panicking and turning on each other and to hold the government together for just a little while longer.

See Obama expresses ‘regret’ to fired USDA official Shirley Sherrod.