January
8, 2001
Insidious Innuendo
By Tom Bevan
Let's get something straight: John Ashcroft is not a racist.
Anyone who has looked at his record as Attorney General, Governor
and Senator of Missouri should be able to acknowledge this. In
more than two decades of public service, no one has ever accused
Ashcroft of being intolerant toward minorities in any way. Democrats
know this, especially Ashcroft's former colleagues in the United
States Senate who have witnessed his character first-hand over
the last six years. Still, Democrats refuse to denounce the cries
of "racist" raining down on Ashcroft from liberals and
the media.
Instead, they let these cries hang in the air, creating the false
impression that Ashcroft harbors some secret disdain for blacks.
When confronted directly with the question of whether Ashcroft
is a racist Democrats retreat, as Senator John Kerry did yesterday
on Meet The Press, with the insidious innuendo "I don't know
the answer. This is precisely the kind of question that has to
be answered at a hearing."
Not denouncing the accusation of racism against Ashcroft is every
bit as repugnant as making the accusation itself. It's simply
not enough to say a few kind words about Ashcroft's character
and integrity - as many Democrats in the Senate have - without
repudiating the unfounded use of the race card against him.
Senate Democrats know that Ashcroft voted to confirm 26 of the
28 African-American judges nominated during his tenure. They also
know that he opposed Judge Ronnie White's nomination for a host
of reasons - none of them having to do with race - along with
54 other Republicans in the Senate.
Notwithstanding these facts and the rest of Ashcroft's solid
record on civil rights, Democrats continue to actively perpetuate
this racial red herring for partisan political gain. Only when
you pull back the curtain on the bogus race argument do you find
the real reasons liberals despise Ashcroft: he is pro-life and
he is against affirmative action. And because liberals can't openly
ridicule and disqualify him for these beliefs, they've resorted
to the trusty race play that always serves them well.
There is no question Ashcroft is conservative. Democrats have
every right to have open, honest discussions with Ashcroft on
policy differences and to question how these differences might
influence his decisions as the nation's highest law enforcement
officer. But for liberals to just start shouting "racist"
at the top of their lungs and for not a single Democrat to come
forward and categorically denounce this tactic is a disgrace to
their party and to the country.
Tom Bevan writes for RealClearPolitics
