The degree of pressure on reporters and politicians from the White House and Democratic leadership in the Snowden controversy was in full and embarrassing view yesterday when Rep. John Lewis walked back from an interview that he gave to the Guardian praising Snowden. He appears not to have gotten the memo: Snowden is not to be praised in the media or by members of Congress. Various reporters and new organizations have held the line in mocking Snowden or refusing to call him a “whistleblower” rather than a “leaker.” After all, the fear seems to be that Snowden has to be a traitor or Obama would look like a tyrant.
Lewis is quoted as comparing Snowden to those who engaged in civil disobedience in the the civil rights movement and said that Snowden may have felt that he had to follow a “higher law.” Many of course believe Snowden was defending the Constitution and view him as a hero.
Lewis noted that “[s]ome people say criminality or treason or whatever. He could say he was acting because he was appealing to a higher law. Many of us have some real, real, problems with how the government has been spying on people.” He is quoted as comparing Snowden to figures like Gandhi. However, such views are not supposed to be uttered, particularly by a Democrat.
Lewis seem to be frog marched back before cameras within 24 hours and denied everything short of his name, rank, and serial number: “News reports about my interview with The Guardian are misleading, and they do not reflect my complete opinion. Let me be clear. I do not agree with what Mr. Snowden did. He has damaged American international relations and compromised our national security. He leaked classified information and may have jeopardized human lives. That must be condemned.”
Whew, that was close. Snowden is back being a traitor and Lewis is back on script.
By the way, as some of our commentators have noted, Happy Whistleblower Day. While the Senate passed the resolution below, I expect that they view the day as referring to a dog whistle that only they can hear:
By a unanimous resolution the U.S. Senate declared July 30, 2013 as “National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.” The National Whistleblowers Center strongly supports the Senate’s historic action and calls on every American reflect upon the tremendous contributions whistleblowers have made to American democracy, as well as the struggles and sacrifices they have endured By a unanimous resolution the U.S. Senate declared July 30, 2013 as “National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.” The National Whistleblowers Center strongly supports the Senate’s historic action and calls on every American reflect upon the tremendous contributions whistleblowers have made to American democracy, as well as the struggles and sacrifices they have endured.
Blouise & SwarthmoreMom – “The car goes where the eyes go” (From “Racing in the Rain”. In other words, you will see what you look for. There is plenty of evidence of “extremes” on both sides to keep both sides fully entertained slamming their opponents. However, history has shown that will not move us forward.
We have plenty of folks on the left and the right in this country. To move forward, we need to gather in the middle.
If you lean “Left” and favor civil liberties, you should be able to acknowledge that Obama has done little positive in this area and much to its detriment. To deny this, you are either lying to yourself, to others, or both.
If you lean “Right”, you should be able to acknowledge that Paula Dean was, for whatever reason, using clearly racist language that is deserving of condemnation. To deny that, they are either lying to themselves or everyone else.
To have an honest dialog in this country, we need to listen to each other – actively, and look for common ground. With the exception of folks on both extremes, there is much common ground.
The “Left” has much to offer for a society: strong support of civil liberties and compassion for those of us less fortunate being two.
The “Right” also has much to offer for a society: fiscal discipline – money is not infinite and we must live within that constraint and a belief in the value of hard work being two.
If we are to move forward in this country, as opposed to continuing to slide down this slippery slope into bankruptcy and/or revolutionary hell, we need – in my opinion to do the following:
1) Evaluate ideas (proposed laws, programs, etc.) based on the content of the idea itself – not our opinion of the idea’s proponent.
2) Look for areas of common ground. The above are only a couple of examples, there are more.
3) For areas of disagreement, look to understand the other point of view. This does not mean that you need to “agree” or “support” that point of view, only that you try to understand it. We are all a compilation of our experiences and none of us know what anyone else has faced in their life.
To survive as a country, we need to have more “Dialogue” and less “Debate”. Screaming at each other has not worked and won’t ever.
“Also, you three ladies are apparently still missing the point of the Paula Deen exercise.” (Gene H)
Oooh … please continue to educate me. But not right now … I have to do lunch.
Gene,
We “three ladies” didn’t miss any point. You missed our point and attempted to frame it according to your own argument/exercise. We “three ladies” already knew what prejudice, racism, and bigotry were.
seamus,
To be fair, I pretty much think all American politicians by merit of the corrupted systems they are forced to participate in to be elected in the first place and the lobbying system as it applies to legislation are pretty much whores to begin with.
Also, you three ladies are apparently still missing the point of the Paula Deen exercise. It wasn’t castigation. It was to make you and others consider that prejudice is a broader concept than just racism and hence a broader problem in both analysis of and the finding of fact(s) as they relate to law. I don’t care what people’s opinions of Deen are one way or the other. Rational, irrational, people are going to have their opinions regardless. Personally, I’m not a fan of hers and never was for reasons not really relevant to this discussion.
What Lewis did in the past was both righteous and courageous.
What he did today was spineless and feckless.
Just as past bad deeds may not negate present good deeds, past good deed may not negate present bad deeds. To partially borrow a lyric from Frank Zappa, “You are what you is, not what you was.”
Although, to be clear, I don’t necessarily think this spinelessness and fecklessness from Lewis was a matter of being a whore. As indicated in my initial comment, I think it was more likely a matter of political blackmail. I just agreed that whorishness might be a cause as well. To paraphrase Heinlein’s Razor “Never attribute to greed that which can be attributed to spinelessness, but don’t discount greed.” If it was greed? Shame on him. If it was blackmail/coercion? Shame on the blackmailers (and possibly Lewis depending upon the nature of what was used as leverage against him).
Regardless, and not to minimize the civil rights struggle as it relates to the black and minority communities in the slightest, domestic spying poses a social and legal threat to the foundations of our Constitutional form of government unseen since the time Jefferson put pen to paper to draft the Declaration. In both potential damage and the scale of those damages to our society, it outpaces the threat of the civil rights struggle of miniorities while at the same time mirroring it in many ways. Both struggles are/were about institutionalized oppression. To take a prinicpled stand on one but not the other is nonsensical at best and hypocritical at worst.
Yeah. I am most certainly disappointed in Lewis’ actions in this matter. But mainly, I’m curious about the causation of his about face more than looking to excoriate him for it. What he did is wrong. In some ways though, that is immaterial. It’s not nearly as interesting a question to me as “why did he do it?”
Seamus,
That kinda talk will get you boos from the partisianshit…..people…..
TexasDad,
One can criticize what he did. One doesn’t have to call him a whore.
I have a dream. I have a dream that someday the Black Congressional Caucus will judge President Obama, not by the color of his skin, but by his character.
It appears what was once isn’t today!
Elaine M.,
You mean the dogs, the hoses, the clubs. the guns, the fires, the hot tar, the jail cells, the angry, white, newly deputized men wielding same? Hey, facing all that is easy-peasy for whorecowards.
Blouise,
I wonder how many folks who are so quick to accuse a man like Lewis of being a whore would have ever been able to take the abuse he did in the fight for civil rights.
SwM,
“Favorability ratings with Georgia Republicans: Paula Deen 73/11, Martin Luther King Jr. 59/28 ” Proof of actual culture alive and well.
Elaine M.,
Because Paula Dean is a poor little ol’ white woman who needs lots of understanding and Rep. Lewis is just a whorecoward. Simple.
Blouise, Here is one for you. .Favorability ratings with Georgia Republicans: Paula Deen 73/11, Martin Luther King Jr. 59/28 Public Policy Polling
Some of us were castigated for saying we thought Paula Deen might be/was a racist. Why is it acceptable to call Rep. Lewis a whore?
It is just unconscionable what this spineless representative has done. He may have been great at one time. Those days appear over.
“But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: Thou art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art become sleek; Then he forsook God who made him, And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation”
—- Deuteronomy 32, 15
SwM,
Predictable 😉 … let’s leave them to their own.
BTW: Here’s the latest on Weiner
http://nation.time.com/2013/08/06/behind-in-the-polls-weiner-plays-on-new-yorkers-sympathies/
Along w/ what Gene said, there are some brave Dems standing up to the party. Senator Wyden comes to mind. If we are to call these Dems brave, which they are, then what are we to call those who retract a statement out of fear of maybe not being in The Club. What are we to call a Dem who knows what is right, speaks what is righteous, and then takes it back w/ doublespeak. Reading the book, This Town, makes all this horseshit even more in focus.
Yeah, he’s some great civil rights leader when he rolls up like a dog hit with the newspaper for daring to poop on the party line rug.
Respect is earned, not due. The NSA (and other) domestic spying programs are a threat not just to everyone’s civil rights but the foundations of democracy. To be respected for having a spine, one must use it.