Those White Boys

Posted on January 31, 2004 in Accountability Campaign 2004

When I mentioned my support of Carole Mosely Braun the other night, a chatter at Undernet #political said “Oh, my mother told me that she was corrupt.” When someone else mentioned Al Sharpton on #political_forum, he was immediately assailed with the long dead Tawana Brawley scandal.

I’m not so sure that Kerry, Edwards, or Lieberman lack their scandals. Dean and Kucinich have already had their’s raked up. What we may be witnessing is the power of the old boys network when it comes to covering up for their own. Sharpton and Braun have certainly suffered from the absence of that kind of coverage. As for others, there’s simply not a lot of room for men and women of integrity and not any for women and minority leaders who have skirted the ethical line.

I’ve often heard it said that all politicians are crooked (usually in defense of Nixon, Gingrich, and the Bushes). Straight hair, fair skin, and a penis grant a special license — as long as the candidate has networked properly.

The day has yet to come when we evaluate all candidates by a single standard of truth, when a kinky hair, dark skin, the lack of a penis, and refusal to play by the rules of the establishment don’t earn extra demerits.