July 21, 2010 7:13 AM

This is what happens when journalism meets the politics of personal destruction

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

(apologies to Keith Olbermann)

Andrew Breitbart and Tom Vilsack

There are few things in politics that I find more despicable than the gratuitous destruction of human beings. This is especially true when it’s done in collusion with a major media outlet (if Fox Noise Channel can even be held to be such). The story of what was done to Shirley Sherrod is, by far, one of the most mean-spirited and despicable examples of what the Radical Right is about. Andrew Breitbart, in cooperation with FNC, succeeded in destroying Ms. Sherrod’s career. It would have been one thing if Ms. Sherrod was guilty of malfeasance, corruption, or racism. Unfortunately, none of those things happened. Ms. Sherrod is a victim of the classic “no good deed goes unpunished” syndrome that metastasized at warp speed, simply because of Breitbart’s disdain for truth and simple human decency.

Making matters worse is that the NAACP AND the Obama Administration reacted in typical knee-jerk fashion. Rather than conduct an investigation that might have gotten to the truth of the matter (which was fueled by lies, half-truths, and a selectively-edited tape of a speech given by Ms. Sherrod), they reacted immediately. Instead of giving Ms. Sherrod the opportunity to defend herself and give her side of the story, Tom Vilsacks’s USDA demanded…and got…her immediate resignation. The NAACP’s reaction? Much the same. Game, set, match. The reactionary Right wins again…because too many on the Left are terrified of risking the Right’s “righteous indignation”.

Grow some balls, willya??

Ready. Fire. Aim.

FNC jumped on the story like flies flock to dog excrement. Before anyone really knew what was happening, Ms. Sherrod was being excoriated as a racist willing to throw a White couple under the bus out of her anger over the injustices dealt by USDA to black farmers. It all sounded as if Shirley Sherrod was the perfect example of Obama radicalism run amok. Except for one tiny little detail:

None of it was true. NONE OF IT.

The video was selectively edited to make Ms. Sherrod look like a bigot and a racist…when nothing could be farther from the truth. And it’s not the first time that Andrew Breitbart has been willing to doctor video in order to make it fit his agenda and destroy well-meaning people. Breitbart either doctored the video or used it without verifying it’s veracity. Either way, the end result is the same. Breitbart gets another scalp (to add to his takedown of ACORN), and a good and decent public servant sees her career destroyed by lies, propaganda, and a despicable excuse for a human being.

Andrew Breitbart is a miserable, pathetic excuse for a human being. Almost as bad is the fact that Tom Vilsack acquiesced in the destruction of one of his employees without so much as getting her side of the story. If Vilsack had even a shred of human decency, his resignation would already be on the President’s desk. Here are a few questions I’d love to hear Vilsack answer: Whatever happened to the idea that one is innocent until proven guilty? Whatever happened to the presumption of innocence? Whatever happened to learning the truth BEFORE you destroy the career of an innocent woman? Why is “shoot first, ask questions later” the default management style of the Obama Administration?

The NAACP finally managed to pull its collective anterior out of it posterior. To their credit, they admit to having been “snookered”. What they didn’t admit to was not doing even the barest due diligence on the charges being leveled against Ms. Sherrod. No, it was easier to simply throw her to the wolves, who by this time were demanding blood. That the NAACP was so sloppy and inept in their handling of the accusations against Ms. Sherrod is beyond despicable. To their credit, they’ve posted the unedited version of Ms. Sherrod’s speech. That’s a start, certainly…but what they should be doing is throwing themselves at the feet of Shirley Sherrod in abject shame and embarrassment. That the NAACP should throw an innocent person under the bus before they have the facts runs counter to everything the organization stands for.

You can read the NAACP’s official statement here, but I can sum it up for you in six words: Far too little, far too late.

Why no one initially bothered to talk to the White couple who had allegedly been wronged (and, oh, by the way, this happened in 1986) is yet another thing that far too many should be beyond embarrassed about. Roger and Eloise Spooner tell a very different story about their interactions with Ms. Sherrod, whom they consider a friend for life for her efforts to save their farm from bankruptcy. The truth, if you watch the unedited tape of Ms. Sherrod’s speech (and the Spooners back this up), is that she did nothing but work tirelessly to assist the Spooners. Yes, she struggled with some anger over the injustices that had been dealt to Black farmers in the past, but she put that aside to help the Spooners keep their farm. Ms. Sherrod’s mistake was apparently in giving a speech that lent itself to being selectively edited in a manner that could paint her as an unrepentant, evil racist looking to exact retribution upon innocent White folks. Yep. Racist. Good night, game over, drive home safely.

Yes, when Glenn Beck comes out and says that Ms. Sherrod shouldn’t have been cashiered, you have to know that someone screwed the pooch on this one. I think it’s time for Tom Vilsack and any USDA official involved in this sorry episode to offer their resignation. NOW.

If there was any justice in this world, Andrew Breitbart would commit seppuku. Right; I think we all know how human scum like Breitbart will react. Before you know it, HE will be acting like the aggrieved party.

The conduct of Fox Noise Channel has been beyond reprehensible, but, when you consider what they stand for, hardly surprising. To expect impartial journalism, due diligence, and verifying sources from the GOP’s unofficial propaganda arm would be nothing if not unreasonable. FNC is as much about impartial journalism as Sarah Palin is about the Social Contract. That so many Americans depend on FNC as their primary news source only demonstrates how truly and irredeemably stupid the American Sheeple is.

WE DESERVE BETTER.

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About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on July 21, 2010 7:13 AM.

I'm ashamed to admit that I grew up in Minnesota was the previous entry in this blog.

Shirley Sherrod = Albert Dreyfus. Quelle surprise.... is the next entry in this blog.

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