Presidential campaigns are really bizarre for a number of reasons, as we all know. In the course of seeking the presidency, your honorable military service can be torpedoed by a bunch of partisan zombies who didn't actually serve with you, your pre-Angelina adoption of a Bangladeshi orphan can cost you the South Carolina primary, and you might find yourself in Des Moines, going through puberty while screaming "Yeeeaaah!" into a microphone. These are examples of the kind of scrutiny you haven't invited on yourself. They're also known as smear campaigns.But then, there's that other kind of scrutiny. The kind you seek out. Rudy Giuliani (pictured)--perhaps the most attention-starved man this side of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--knows what I'm talking about: After all, as mayor of New York he saw fit to hold press conferences to decry suicide bombers in the Middle East and to announce the dissolution of his marriage (without consulting his soon-to-be-ex first). His media whorishness--which makes Chuck Schumer look like a wallflower--reached fever pitch of course on September 11th, when lo and behold, without him having to ask, the world's cameras voluntarily turned to him. His brave choice not to disintegrate into histrionics--which, as I recall, can be said of almost every other New Yorker as well--has earned him a Bush-style free pass. But I digress...
You run for President and everything you say takes on new import. Knowing that, why on God's green earth is Barack Obama opining about the civil rights of the three Duke lacrosse players. Yes, it's pretty obvious Mike Nifong, the Durham County District Attorney, hid exculpatory evidence in pursuing his case, violated North Carolina's rules of professional conduct with his inappropriate comments, and drummed up racial tensions so that he could win re-election. These kids were hosed. I have no doubt about that. But it's also pretty clear that they're members of a dishonorable organization, a team that's pretty comfortable with racism and misogyny. (Listen to the 911 calls). I am not saying you reap what you sow. Nifong's an asshole. But so are these kids (though they're not rapists), and in an age when scores of non-assholes have their civil rights routinely trampled on, how is this a cause celebre?
Obama, you need to stay out of this. If you want to be President, your plate should be full already, with things like health care, which you seem to have no imagination about. Ain't no votes in the rape case, son. Get your mind correct...
8 comments:
Why would you post a year old article and the 911 tape. Both contained numerous lies and have been completely debunked. Did you know that the reporter who wrote the N&O story was aware that the accuser in two versions of her story said the other stripper helped rape her? The same other stripper who made the 911 call.
Obama wrote about the rape case in a reply to a constituent's letter... Not a press conference.
who said it was in a press conference?
You're uninformed. Obama was asked a question by a constituent (in a letter) and responded with the correct answer.
Nice of you to comment on the character of the entire team since you know the facts of the case so well. Besides, if any single player did or said something bad they must all be bad.
I think maybe you need to, "Get Your Mind Correct."
Wow. We have readers? This is amazing and appreciated.
First of all, The N&O article is linked not because the rape-related 911 call is of interest, but because of the second call, made by the woman passing by the house on the night of the rape. Her allegations--that the n-word was repeatedly hurled at her-- have never been refuted. Consider also that a neighbor heard this lovely quip during the party: "Tell your grandpa, thanks for the cotton shirt." And this is why I wrote the post. I agree a rape likely didn't occur, but I believe--and yes, I believe, deal with it--that these kids are a scourge on my alma mater. I will believe that until they give me reason not to. I am not a court of law. Such is my right.
And this leads me to the second point raised: how dare I draw conclusions about the entire team based on the actions of a few? Or one? Are you kidding? Since when is the lacrosse team about individuation? In the aftermath of the allegations, the team members never separated themselves from Ryan McFadyen's stripper-skinning email. They stood as a silent monolith. I merely take them at their word (or lack thereof). Because they have little interest in their own individual merits, why should I?
In the end, it is your right--wayne fontes and anonymous--to defend the lacrosse team. I too defend them--but only against the rape allegations. Everything else is fair game--perhaps in your zeal to celebrate their criminal innocence, you are blind to this.
Sadly, I don't see much to defend: one guy goes on homophobic attacks in Georgetown, another thinks it's funny to write emails about skinning strippers, they or their guests toss around racial epithets, many of them have scrapes with their Buchanan St. neighbors. That's why I think they're assholes. My presumptuousness! Heaven forfend!
But none of this is the point: you're wrong, anonymous. Obama's not right to respond to the constituent letter as he did. Everything he says, writes or does--and, please, don't put words in my mouth, I never said it was a press conference--is of national import now. In calling for a federal inquiry, he only further politicizes this story; he's allowing it life beyond what it merits. Nifong should be investigated by the North Carolina State Bar. He should be disbarred too, if that body sees fit. That's why we have rules of professional conduct. But a federal investigation? A front-running presidential candidate calling for one? No. Our country is broken, and people of color and people of little means have their civil rights, their hopes, their dreams urinated on like the front lawn adjacent to the lacrosse house. That's what matters, and that's what he--and every other candidate--should be fully committed to talking about.
I was referencing the first call. It was made by the other dancer after she left the party not by a passerby. This is the same dancer who made the first racial slur of the night with her "little dick white boy" comment.
As for the sins of the team most of them are typical of young men. It offends my sense of proportionality that after a year of being called rapists they are still being slammed in the NYT. I sincerely believe that a year of slander and three million dollars in legal fees is enough penance.
I don't welcome a Federal inquiry into this case simply because I'm opposed to the Federal government's involvement in what I view as a local level criminal conspiracy. I don't anticipate that the state government will file criminal charges against Nifong but I do think we will see civil action.
wayne fontes, Your time with the Lions was fleeting. I hear a movement is afoot to bring you back. But I digress.
Your comment is right on target. Of course, you are correct to point out my oversight. i didn't realize the Kroger phone call was linked off the N&O page. That was my bad. My only interest was in the second call, and my error was compounded by my use of "calls" (plural) in the original post.
As for the substance of your thoughts, I agree as well; this is a local matter. Essentially, that's my take-away point. And, yes, without a doubt The New York Times' incompetent coverage and unfair preoccupation with the rape story has been very disappointing--though not surprising, considering the Gray Lady's work leading up to the occupation of Iraq. But I digress.
In the end, perhaps penance has been earned in this case. But we live in a world where one incident involving racial animus, one example of malfeasance, can tarnish an institution's reputation. Do I expect the lacrosse kids to be like Caesar's wife? Maybe. But if you spend four years in Durham you know well enough that race and privilege animate any and all town-gown interactions. Right or wrong, that's how it is. That the players--like too many Duke students--willfully ignored this fact of Durham life is what bothers me more than anything else.
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