The Big Question: What does the Sherrod firing say on race, politics?

Dr. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said:

Shirley Sherrod was lynched. There is no other word for it. She was the victim of a media mob whipped into hysteria by a lie and cowards in authority who failed in their responsibility defend her right to a fair hearing.
If Andrew Breitbart and his Fox News bullhorn had knowledge of the whole tape, they are guilty of a malicious act of libel. If Fox News didn’t, they are guilty of …well, being Fox News.

Brad Delong, professor of economics at the UC Berkeley, said:
It tells us that “Fire! Aim. Ready.” is a pathetic and embarrassing way to go through life.

John Feehery, Pundits Blog Contributor, said:
That the Obama administration is awfully willing to throw their people under the bus.

Bernie Quigley, Pundits Blog Contributor, said:
Excellent question. There are so many layers and facets to this issue. But what I find most frightening is that the Leader of the Free World’s chiefs instantly react to what they read in the papers. This Presidency can be manipulated by any Trickster working for Fox, Andrew Breitbart or The Hill. They don’t really seem to have a plan or a recognizable process. Shirley Sherrod, who held her ground, should be rewarded for her character. Maybe she could replace Tom Vilsack. Or Rahm Emanuel.

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org, said:
Well, it means that the Administration just can’t get a break from mainstream media.

This might change significantly as networks of factcheckers emerge.

Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com, said:
It tells us that a perpetual witch-hunt against alleged “racism,” whether it be directed at the Tea Partiers or the Ms.Sherrod — who was, after all, telling a story about transcending her antipathy to whites, rather than seeking to justify it — is a very unhealthy development. It distorts the discourse, and degrades debate: it  is the new McCarthyism, and it’s got to stop.

Do you hear me — Rachel Maddow, Dave Weigel, Mr. Breitbart, and whoever started this “New Black Panther” brouhaha?

Frank Askin, professor of law at Rutgers University, said:
The main stream media, as well as the Democratic political establishment, refuse to recognize that the right-wing attack machine, spear-headed by Fox News, has absolutely no scruples and will say just about anything to smear what they perceive as the Left, which is just about anybody who doesn’t think like they think.. How else would they allow an unexamined video by a right wing blogger with a history of video manipulation be accepted as gospel. Shame on the Department of Agriculture and shame on the NAACP leadership for allowing themselves to be taken in that way.

Peter Navarro, professor of economics and public policy at U.C. Irvine, said:

That it as incompetent handling race relations as it is handling the economy, the BP spill, and the war in Af-get the hell out of-ghanistan.

Michelle D. Bernard, president and CEO of the Independent Women’s Forum, said:

The Obama Administration’s handling of Shirley Sherrod’s comments on race reveal what has been blatantly obvious since then candidate Obama became a serious contender for the presidency of the United States — our nation’s politicians and media have no idea how to handle issues of race and are even more concerned with matters of race when the leader of the free world just happens to be black.  It would appear that because the president is black, the Administration and the media have become exceptionally sensitive to the possibility of anyone alleging that the president or anyone associated with the Administration is racist.

During the 2008 election, the nation focused on issues as mundane as whether candidate Obama was “too black” or wasn’t “black enough”.  Later, the media’s focus turned to whether candidate Obama was  racist because of his affiliation with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  Later, President Obama waded into this obsession with race when addressing whether Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates was the victim of racial profiling when he was arrested in front of his own home.  More recently, the NAACP made allegations that elements of the Tea Party movement are racist.  This, in turn, made others feel obligated to demonstrate their belief that elements of the NAACP are racist.  The collateral damage of all of this has been the national persecution of Shirley Sherrod who more than anything else, is an example of personal growth and redemption, not racism.

The world will never forget the historical significance of President Obama’s election.  However, today, rather than focusing on the implications of our president being black, most Americans would probably prefer to focus on issues like erasing our nation’s crushing unemployment rate. The Administration and the media would be better served by ignoring the president’s race (it is inconsequential to issues of governance), getting its facts straight before accusing innocent people of being racist, and remembering that Americans are more focused on just getting back to work.