Social Issues
The Republican leadership was quick to apologize, Saturday, for racist and anti-gay comments made by some citizens against Democrats who supported the health care bill.
Anti-reform demonstrators at the nation's capitol yelled racial slurs against three Black congressmen, including Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who had marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One demonstrator spit at Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). Several protestors yelled anti-gay slurs at Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) "I heard people saying things today that I have not heard since March 15, 1960, when I was marching to try to get off the back of the bus," Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) told reporters at the Capitol.
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) told CNN the attacks were "contemptible." Eric Cantor (R-Va.,) told ABC-TV that "nobody condones that at all." John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Republicans' House minority leader, called the incidents "reprehensible." But he then said that the incidents were isolated and that the real issue was that "millions of Americans want no part" of health insurance reform.
But the racism, bigotry, and homophobia although "contemptible" and "reprehensible" were not "isolated." They were heard from crowds who attended Sarah Palin rallies during the campaign of 2008, although John McCain specifically condemned them, and Palin only smiled. They were heard at most "tea party" rallies. They were heard at almost every anti-health care rally for more than a year.
It is true that most of those who opposed health care reform didn't resort to venomous hatred in public, but enough did to make it not isolated incidents of a political party that seems to have long since given up the notion of the "big tent" philosophy of inclusion, and to embarrass Republican leaders who had to issue apologies.
In contrast, voices of bigotry have not been heard at rallies of those who support health care reform. Perhaps, the health care bill needs one quick amendment—psychiatric care for all Americans, especially those who have sold out any principles they may have had by exposing their sputtering venomous hatred for anyone who doesn't look, act, or think like they do.
[Walter Brasch is an award-winning syndicated columnist, and the author of 17 books. You may contact him through his website, www.walterbrasch.com]
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Dr. Brasch
WALTER M. BRASCH, Ph.D.—an award-winning former newspaper reporter and editor in California, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio—is a university professor of journalism and mass communications, and author of a biweekly syndicated newspaper column.
He is also the author of dozens of magazine articles, several multimedia productions, and has worked in the film industry and as a copy writer and political consultant. He is the author 16 books, most of them focusing upon the fusion of historical and contemporary social issues, including America's Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government's Violation of Constitutional and Civil Rights(2005); Sinking the Ship of State: The Presidency of Geroge W. Bush (2008), Black English and the Mass Media (1981); Forerunners of Revolution: Muckrakers and the American Social Conscience (1991); With Just Cause: The Unionization of the American Journalist(1991); Brer Rabbit, Uncle Remus, and the 'Cornfield Journalist': The Tale of Joel Chandler Harris (2000); The Joy of Sax: America During the Bill Clinton Era (2001); and Sex and the Single Beer Can (3rd ed., 2009). He also is co-author of Social Foundations of the Mass Media(2001) and The Press and the State(1986), awarded Outstanding Academic Book distinction by Choice magazine, published by the American Library Association.
During the past two decades, he has won more than 150 regional and national media awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Society of Professional Journalists, National Federation of Press Women, Pennsylvania Press Club, Pennsylvania Women's Press Association, Pennwriters, International Association of Business Communicators, Pacific Coast Press Club, and Press Club of Southern California.
He was active in emergency management was a governor-appointee on the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
He is a co-recipient of the Civil Liberties Award of the American Civil Liberties Union, 1996; and was honored by San Diego State University as a Points of Excellence winner in 1997. At Bloomsburg University, he earned the Creative Arts Award, the Creative Teaching Award, and was named an Outstanding Student Advisor. He was the first recipient of the Dean's award of excellence at Bloomsburg University, and the first person to receive the award twice. For the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, he was a Commonwealth Speaker. He was the 2004 faculty recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award
He is vice-president and co-founder of the Northeast Pennsylvania Homeless Alliance.
He is president of the Pennsylvania Press Club, and was president of the Keystone State professional chapter and deputy regional director of the Society of Professional Journalists, from which he received the Director's Award and the National Freedom of Information Award. He is founding coordinator of Pennsylvania Journalism Educators. He is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Author's Guild ,National Writers Union (UAW/AFL-CIO), The Newspaper Guild (CWA/AFL-CIO), and online News Association. He is listed in, Who's Who in America, Contemporary Authors, and Who's Who in the Media.
Dr. Brasch earned an A.B. in sociology from San Diego State College, an M.A. in journalism from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in mass communication/ journalism, with a cognate area in language and culture studies, from Ohio University.
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