McCain/Palin being compared to George Wallace (Congress, campaign, president)

[sickofnyc]

Few members of Congress have John Lewis's moral authority which comes from his repeatedly placing his life and limb on the line during the Civil-Rights era to shame the nation into living up to the true meaning of its creed.

And so his statement which had the power of a thunderous sermon.

"As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing today reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

"During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who only desired to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed one Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.

"As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Governor Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better."

What Lewis was shining a light on was the use of demagoguery by people with political ambitions, like the Alabama governor of long ago who ran for president seven times, or the Alaska governor, or McCain himself. You don't have to be a racist to practice demagoguery.