It was only a matter of time.
First, Al Sharpton, in his infinite wisdom, proclaimed that President Bush would have acted sooner to salvage New Orleans if it was a "white city." Then, the Congressional Black Caucus claimed that the rescue efforts were racist and purposefully ignored African-Americans. Not to be outdone, Jesse Jackson told CNN's Anderson Cooper that Hurricane Katrina reminded him of the days when slave ships landed in New Orleans. Of course, the award for most outrageous racial demagoguery goes to Kanye West, who proclaimed during the NBC telethon that President Bush "doesn't care about black people." What better time for a celebrity to shoot off his or her mouth than during a non-partisan telethon for charity? Congratulations, Kanye. You're in the newspaper. Too bad it's not for your music. Or talent.
The media storm around Hurricane Katrina has put a spotlight on the worst behaviors of some people. When Mayor Ray Nagin is not in the middle of a red-faced rant, instigators like Sharpton, Jackson, and now West, are fanning the flames of knee-jerk racism with their foolish assertions.
So if Jesse Jackson insists racism is at the core of the clean-up effort, why not take a look at the leaders charged with re-building New Orleans. Is it the black Mayor of New Orleans, or the white Governor of Louisiana? Is it the black Congressman from New Orleans, or the white Senators from Louisiana? Is it the black Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who will be an important part of the rebuilding process or is it the white Secretary of Homeland Security who is overseeing the stabilization of the region?
It's unfortunate that we are singling these people out based on race to begin with, even if it is to prove a point. It should be clear that the rebuilding of New Orleans relies on cooperation among all of these diverse leaders. Unfortunately, there are people like Sharpton, Jackson and West who insist on driving a wedge between them.
The question becomes, what is it that triggered these declarations of racism? Is it really the frenzy surrounding Hurricane Katrina? Or was Hurricane Katrina just the next theater in the left's constant assault on President Bush? After all, it was not long ago when these same individuals were similarly outraged that, in the words, of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, hurricane names were too "lily white."
The more absurd the attacks on President Bush, the more closely they resemble those of generic left-wing talking points. In this day and age of constant news and the never-ending campaign cycle, disagreements on policy are not enough. To truly distinguish one's self from another, he or she must claim the other to be "evil" or "racist."
Take Cindy Sheehan. Like those unsatisfied with the rescue efforts in New Orleans, Sheehan had a legitimate and painfully personal, disagreement with the administration. Her journey to memorialize her son started as a noble one. Yet as the cameras turned towards her, the left rushed in. Within a week, Sheehan went from mourning mother to liberal icon. Before she knew it, Sheehan fell into the trap of absurd, left-wing attacks. And we see it now. The more Cindy Sheehan complains about Zionism and 9/11 conspiracies, the less seriously main-stream Americans take her. Hurricane Katrina, like Cindy Sheehan before, has become the next media firestorm the left has hijacked as its own. Think of it as free advertising. Where there is tragedy, there will be cameras. Where there are cameras, there will be Jesse Jackson, attacking President Bush on behalf of the unwitting victims of that moment's particular tragedy.
And so it seems that we should have anticipated all along that this hurricane would become either a race issue or an attack on President Bush. Some have tried to make it both. And once New Orleans is rebuilt and life in Louisiana returns to some form of normalcy, they will look for their next fight.
Cindy Sheehan, Hurricane Katrina, what tragedy will the Left exploit next?
Mike Inganamort is a senior in the School of Public Affairs, and is a former president of the AU College Republicans
