Posted on 07/29/2003 7:58:56 PM PDT by duckln
Posted: July 28, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
Neville Chamberlain, the prime minister who agreed to the transfer of the Sudetenland to Germany, is known to history as an appeaser. Munich, where his infamous conference with Hitler was held, has become an international synonym for craven appeasement.
Chamberlain's defenders argue that he had no real choice. The British were unprepared for war and could not stop Hitler's seizure of the Sudetenland in any event. Moreover, the Sudetenlanders were a Germanic people who had never lived under Prague rule until 1919, should never have been ceded to the Czechs at Versailles and would vote 90 to 10 to join the Reich anyway.
Chamberlain simply did not think Prague's rule of a dissident Sudetenland was worth fighting a European war like the 1914-1918 struggle, in which 750,000 of Britain's bravest had perished.
Thus did appeasement come to be the mortal sin of politics. Which brings us to the NAACP. At its Miami convention, Chairman Julian Bond said of the Republicans that they appeal to "the dark underside of American culture, to that minority of Americans who reject democracy and equality." They "practice racial division."
"Their idea of equal rights," Bond sneered, "is the American flag and the Confederate swastika flying side by side." And when 2004 comes around, "the no-show National Guardsman and his draft-dodging vice president will lose by 3 million votes."
Rough stuff from the chairman of what is supposed to be the most respected civil-rights organization in America. Did the GOP respond with Churchillian blasts from the White House, Congress and party headquarters? If so, I missed them.
Nor is this the first time Bond used such insults. When Bush formed his Cabinet, Bond said he had drawn on "the Taliban wing of American politics, appeased the wretched appetite of the extreme right wing and chose ... officials whose devotion to the Confederacy is nearly canine in its uncritical affection."
GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey wrote to Kweisi Mfume, his former House colleague and NAACP president, that Bond's screed was "racial McCarthyism" that will "divide our nation." Bond dismissed Armey's letter as a "typical complaint of those who oppose justice and fairness." And that was that. Game, set, match, to Mr. Bond.
Why do the Republicans take it? Why do they not retaliate and punish organizations and individuals who insult their president and mock their party as racist, evil, retrograde and sick? Why do they seem to have so little self-respect as to tolerate this? What are they afraid of?
My view: Republicans are intimidated by people like Bond, for they are terrified of being branded "racist," and fear Bond and the NAACP have the power to burn that brand into their hides. They fear the NAACP can raise the decibel level on the race issue and marshal a vast black turnout, which will go 90-to-10 to the Democrats.
So, they meekly accept the abuse. On issues of racial equality for whites and blacks, Bush Republicans are born appeasers.
What might the GOP do? Exactly what Democrats would do, were they in power and a Christian Coalition leader unleashed such partisan bile on their president and party. Demand an IRS audit of its tax exemption. Red-line out from the budget all discretionary funding for its programs. Have the House speaker write to corporate contributors of the organization to tell them this is an unfriendly act.
Conservative groups should ferret out the big donors to the NAACP and publish their names, so stockholders can respond to Bond's slanders. Congress could act to break up big foundations like Ford, longtime financier of the NAACP, and require foundations to expend 7 percent of their assets yearly until they go out of business.
Play hardball with people who play hardball with you.
But if Republicans behave like battered wives, consider the conduct of the Democratic presidential candidates who turned down the NAACP's invitation to appear on the stage in Miami.
When Joe Lieberman, Dick Gephardt and Dennis Kucinich were no-shows, Mfume roared, "You have no legitimacy over the next nine months in our community. ... You have become persona non grata. Your political capital is the equivalent of Confederate dollars."
Within 48 hours, all three were crawling across the stage in Miami, begging forgiveness. Wailed Gephardt: "I'm sorry I was not here. ... I apologize to all of you for not being here, and I thank you for letting me be here."
Said Lieberman: "By not coming, Monday, I was wrong. I regret it, and I apologize." Said Kucinich: "I'm very sorry I wasn't able to be here. Amazing grace, how sweet it is, once was lost, now I'm found."
Wonder what old George Corley Wallace would have told Mr. Bond.
From experience dealing with the NAACP, the Republicans are caving to the Islamists at every turn.
Can't win elections wimping out to the dreges and losing your base.
Pat knows the issues.
Unfortunately, he can't seem to relate that knowledge in anything but irrelevant screeds...
Geez! What a load of gibberish. The Sudentenland and the NAACP as topical parallels. No wonder Pat lost.
I agree. W is dissing them at every turn, and Pat's point is subtley being made by W. Rather than give in to Hitler, the British could have indicated that there would be serious consequenses.
It's hyped by the media and has to be put in proper perspective. I notice that the troops are very active scouring the country and instituting a new government. W has to be making the case that we're making permanent gains. IE, he needs a word smith of Pats calibre.
Bush can win but he must make it happen. Last time around I got the impression he didn't care one way or the other.
You're right, as President he has to be subtle. But he should have others take on the venom from the NAACP, as Pat is suggesting and like we're doing here. The 'members' or followers of the NAACP are lacking balance from the silence coming from the Republicans.
All to slowly, there is IMO, a slight shift toward aligning with the likes of C. Thomas, Rice, Sowell, Patterson and now newly appointed judge Brown. But to succeed, the counter arguement to the NAACP has to be out there.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.