By now you've probably heard the story about how right-wing conman Andrew Breitbart edited an innocuous video so it falsely showed a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employee, Shirley Sherrod, look like she was making a racist statement (if not, you can catch up on the story here). But I don't want to talk about Breitbart in this post. His actions were reprehensible and indefensible as everyone knows by now.I want to talk about the reaction of other people to the showing of Breitbart's edited video -- a reaction that was unwarranted and just as reprehensible as Breitbart's own actions. The people I am talking about are Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary, and President Barack Obama.
Immediately upon hearing of the video (from a source known for unfairly editing videos), Vilsack and his cronies at the USDA repeatedly demanded the resignation of Ms. Sherrod (pictured). This gracious lady tried many times to get them to hear her side of the story (a.k.a. the truth), but these knee-jerk politicians refused to take the few minutes to listen to their own employee. They had no interest in anything she had to say.
Can you imagine anything worse in an employer/employee situation than a boss who refuses to hear your side of the story? Any employer with even a shred of common decency should be able to take a few minutes to listen to what his own employee has to say ( and then to remove any doubt about what had happened, do at least a cursory investigation). But Vilsack and his underlings were only interested in saving themselves from some possibly bad publicity. The truth and the well-being of their employee didn't enter into the equation.
And it took them far too long to start acting like real humans even after the truth started to come out. First, Vilsack wouldn't budge, saying his stood by his decision to ask for Ms. Sherrod's resignation. Then, as the backlash began to build, Vilsack said he might consider rehiring Ms. Sherrod. Finally late yesterday, as the enormity of his unreasonable actions became known across the country, Vilsack tried to save some face by offering Ms. Sherrod a new job (I assume with a promotion and a raise) and apologized admitting he had actly rashly.
That's a good start, but it is not nearly enough. Vilsack has shown America in no uncertain terms that he is incapable of running the USDA fairly and competently in the best interests of both the American citizens and his own employees. Vilsack should be terminated from his job as Secretary of Agriculture -- a job that he has shown he is not qualified for. If he had any conscience, his resignation letter would already be laying on the president's desk.
The White House is not without blame in this whole affair either. Vilsack is claiming he acted completely on his own without any word from the White House. Ridiculous! If anyone believes that then please get in touch with me, because I have some nice ocean-front property in Amarillo that I'll sell real cheap. I don't for a moment believe he acted without contacting and probably receiving instructions from the White House.
President Obama owes Ms. Sherrod and the nation a public apology. I know that his press flunkie, Robert Gibbs, has issued an apology "on behalf of President Barack Obama's administration." But this was an egregious error and it demands an apology from the president himself. President Obama has been so afraid that he will look like he's favoring blacks over whites that he allowed this terrible thing to happen, and don't even say he didn't know, because if he didn't then he certainly should have.
Some may be unhappy at these demands of the Democratic administration. But if this had happened during Bush's administraion, I would have said the same. I can therefore do no less just because a Democrat is now in the White House.
exactly.
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