October 26, 2007

Obama On Imus Back In April: No Racists On My Staff

How ironic.

AKATheKorman found a remarkable illustration of Barack Obama’s double standard when it comes to racism versus homophobia, and comments:

Remember this? When Obama called for CBS to fire Don Imus?

In an interview with ABC News Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., called for the firing of talk radio host Don Imus. Obama said he would never again appear on Imus’ show, which is broadcast on CBS Radio and MSNBC television.

“I understand MSNBC has suspended Mr. Imus,” Obama told ABC News, “but I would also say that there’s nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude.”

Obama said he appeared once on Imus’ show two years ago, and “I have no intention of returning.”

Oh, I see.

So you would immediately dissociate your campaign from media figures who made racist remarks by firing them, because racism is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated. But bigotry against gay people is just a difference of opinion, right Barack? Besides, you need the homophobic vote!

You won’t “exclude from {your} campaign the many Americans including many in the African American community who believe the same as Pastor McClurkin,” (see here), because after all we need to focus on “unity,” and we need to keep expanding the big tent. But at the same time you wouldn’t even talk to Imus, because that would be associating with someone who had said hateful things about a racial minority. Where was your big tent then, Barack? What about establishing a “dialogue?”

Or is it just that you don’t believe homophobia is real and that it hurts a politically vulnerable group of people the same way that racism does? Which is it, Senator?