Cynthia McKinney, a Democrat, represents the majority black 4th District in Georgia. She was voted out of office in 2000 when Denise Majette opposed her in the Democrat primary. Republicans crossed over to give Majette the win. They were tired of being represented by a fool. When Majette ran for the Senate in 2004, McKinney saw this as an opportunity to get her old seat back, the same seat her father held before her. The latest McKinney episode has her striking a Capitol policeman who stopped her because she did not show the proper credentials when passing through security. Like so many times in her political career, McKinney has pulled the race card. She knows that there are a majority of blacks who believe that the “white man” is out to get them. Anyone who will “stick it to the man” is a hero. But do her anti-white antics help anyone?
On the other end of the spectrum there are those who believe that positive symbols will do the trick. How many new jobs were created when a holiday was created to honor famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr? Did SAT scores automatically go up? Did inner city schools grow in academic stature? Almost every city has a street named after King. What has changed?
Native American activists protest the use of “hostile or abusive” nicknames like “Braves,” “Seminoles,” “Reds,” and “Warriors.” The NCAA has ruled that “that approval from American Indian tribes would be a primary factor in deciding appeals from schools that want to use Native American nicknames and mascots in postseason play.” Will this decision do anything to help Indians stuck on reservations, decrease the high incidence of alcoholism, and reduce unemployment? We’ve become a culture of victims looking for someone else to blame for our own failings. I tell people that I have been on a 25-year diet. I’ve been trying to lose 25 pounds for 25 years. I have no one to blame but myself. My wife makes brownies, and I eat them. Who’s to blame? I’m to blame. She hasn’t gained a single pound since we were married in 1977. Blame shifting has a long history (Gen. 3).
If every black person and every Native American was a failure in life, then a case might be made for victim-hood. But there are too many examples of people overcoming adversity. Racial prejudice still exists, to be sure. But the best way to shut the mouths of bigots is to accomplish great things. Cynthia McKinney is doing a disservice to those she represents, both politically and racially.
Modern-day politics feeds on victimhood and guilt. The productive are made to feel guilty for being successful, and the less productive have been told that they are hapless victims who need the help of politicians to level the playing field. The only way the playing field can be made level is to bring everybody down. If you want to see a level playing field, go to Cuba. Castro takes pride in the fact that his Communist island supplies universal healthcare. What good is universal health care when the care is second rate and drugs to treat diseases are hard to come by and very expensive?
Cynthia McKinney is not the only political opportunist. She may play the race card, but there are many more who play the victim card. It is destroying this nation.