Sherrod In Context

As reader PJ Smith pointed out in the comment section of the earlier post, the video of Shirley Sherrod's remarks does not capture the full context of her speech to the NAACP.  The full story is that Sherrod spent two years working with that farmer and his wife, helping them to save their farm and becoming life long friends in the process.

It remains unclear who edited and released the video. Breitbart's BigGovernment.com featured the video clip early Monday. Vilsack announced Sherrod's resignation shortly after FoxNews.com's initial story Monday evening, for which Sherrod could not be reached for comment. FoxNews.com was unable to obtain a copy of the full video.

The wife of the farmer who was the subject of Sherrod's story also told FoxNews.com on Tuesday that there was no discrimination. She said the administration should not have forced out Sherrod, who actually helped the couple save their farm. 

"She'll always be my friend," Eloise Spooner said. She said the incident Sherrod was referring to happened more than two decades ago and that she and her husband Roger worked together closely to keep the farm out of foreclosure. 

"I don't think they gave her a chance to tell really what happened," Eloise Spooner said. "I don't think they'll find anybody that can fill the job any better than she did. That's my opinion." 

Sherrod said the White House forced her out after the video appeared on the internet, but Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said it was his decision and that he would stand by it.

"Yesterday, I asked for and accepted Ms. Sherrod's resignation for two reasons. First, for the past 18 months, we have been working to turn the page on the sordid civil rights record at USDA and this controversy could make it more difficult to move forward on correcting injustices. Second, state rural development directors make many decisions and are often called to use their discretion," he said. "The controversy surrounding her comments would create situations where her decisions, rightly or wrongly, would be called into question making it difficult for her to bring jobs to Georgia."

NAACP Chairman Benjamin Todd Jealous originally condemned Sherrod's comments, but later retracted that and blamed Andrew Breitbart and FoxNews instead.

"With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias," he said.  "Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans."

Although Sherrod was clearly harmed by the charge of racism, having been forced to resign, based on the statement by Jealous, I wouldn't bet that we will see an end to the practice of playing the race card for political gains. 

As it happens another Journolist story surfaced yesterday.  It describes the collaboration of elite lefty Journolist members as they were trying to kill news stories about the relationship between Obama and Reverend Wright during the 2008 presidential campaign.

In one instance, Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent urged his colleagues to deflect attention from Obama’s relationship with Wright by changing the subject. Pick one of Obama’s conservative critics, Ackerman wrote, “Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares — and call them racists.”

It may be that Andrew Breitbart would have released the tape of Shirley Sherrod even if he had known the full story.  But I doubt it.  His purpose has been to push back against those who accuse the Tea Party of being racist, and the NAACP had just made their resolution condemning what it called racist elements of the Tea Party.  As illustrated in the Journolist story, for those on the left the decision to call someone a racist doesn't have anything to do with whatever their attitudes towards race might be.  "Who cares."  The only question is, will it work.

Comments

[PJ Smith]

Your quote from the NAACP:

"With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias," he said.  "Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans."

From what I've read on this issue, the original source of the video Breitbart published was... the NAACP. The NAACP later released the full video which makes clear that Sherrod was describing a turning point in her views. So WHO had the intent to deceive whom? Further, how did it work out? The story on this isn't over.

[Tom Bowler]

I suspect Breitbart has no plans to reveal his source for the video, but it sure would be interesting to find out who gave it to him. TPMMuckraker quotes Breitbart saying he did not do any editing of the video.

So we asked Andrew Breitbart, the founder of Big Government, why he hasn't posted the full video.

"I don't have it," Breitbart told TPMmuckraker in an interview. Breitbart said his source sent him just the edited clips at first, but is in the process of sending the full video.

Breitbart said he'll post the full video, if he can get permission from the video production company who filmed it for a local NAACP chapter. He also maintained that he didn't edit the clip and that it was sent to him already edited.

I suppose there is chance, slim though it may be, that we'll see a little less of the race card as a result of this incident. But if that happens, on what will Democrats campaign?

[PJ Smith]

Tom, this incident serves to keep racial tensions at the front of peoples' minds. This fits with the leftist strategy of distraction while their agenda moves forward in the Congress.

Further, the perception of racial conflict keeps the key elements of their base hunkered down in solidarity with their groups of identity and on the Democrat plantation.

This is why I suspect the release of the video to Breitbart could have been intentional, timed with the NAACP resolution, to keep race a front page story heading into the fall. I expect more of the same in coming months.