http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resignation_of_Shirley_Sherrod
NOW MY OPINION:
First of all, Andrew Brietbart deserves to get his @$$ kicked (excuse my language), he claims he is a journalist or an activist, I don't which role I should believe, but then he posts video of a speech that is edited and distorted! What kind of journalist are you if you don't report with facts and what kind of activist are you if you can't prove your point without distorting the TRUTH!!! How dare you try to ruin the reputation of this innocent woman by mixing up the truth and what you wish was the truth to get your page views up! You say that this was not about Shirley Sherrod but you have put her in the center of the biggest American racial controversy since the "Beer Summit" last summer! Fox News generously entertained the content from Breitbart's website on it's own website without any research. What has our "fourth branch of government" turned into? SLOW DOWN though before everyone starts bashing FOX News; CNN and MSNBC have plenty of resources that they can use but didn't even do any research on her speech, instead they just took Breitbart's word and ran with the story to try and jack up ratings. WTF??? This is wrong and unjustifiable. How can cable news be trusted if all they show are partisan commentators on both sides arguing with each other, and then take on stories whose backbone of credibility is a "snippet" of video?? I do credit CNN in particular for interviewing Sherrod numerous times to get her perspective of the story but they should have at least watched the video before they rushed to judgement on what she was trying to convey in this speech. It is sad that it took the NAACP releasing the full speech on it's YouTube channel to get the real truth to her message. The media needs to realize the amount of power that they have, their job is to inform Americans the facts and research for them so they don't have to, and if you mislead people with biased reporting then you reflect an unfair perspective on the story which equals Uninformed, Uneducated Americans. How do you think the Obama is a muslim rumor gained so much heat? Because the media did not take responsibility of finding out the truth!
The USDA and the Obama administration also have some explaining to do as well. I understand that by firing her, you would help with your damage control, on the same day that a poll comes out saying that 49-50% of independents dislike the job you are doing in office, but at least get your facts straight before you take such a drastic measure. Not only did you make yourself look bad in front of the American people, but now you have shown weakness in your ability to lead the country. It shows that the administration might be scared of Fox News and that FOX and the right wing agenda could make up or distort any story they wanted, as long as they made it possible for gullible Americans to believe them. I understand you have an economy and jobs to deal with, but that's why you hired other deputy's and cabinet members, to deal with your trash! Maybe they were trying to fire her to show the right wingers that they don't tolerate racial nonsense, and the right wingers knew all along that there were no intended racial elements involved in the speech but wanted to find another way to attack Obama by showing the irresponsibility of his officials to do their research and do their jobs.
This leads me to my next point, the Obama administration doesn't realize the FOX News and their right wing coalition that includes the Drudge Report and the Breitbart stable of websites are their ENEMIES!!! Unless Obama becomes a Republican, changes his "government can help" or as the right puts it "Big Gov't" policies, or maybe even bleaches his skin like MJ; he will NEVER see anything positive about him on those sites/network. He is the President of the UNITED STATES! He does not need to try to compromise with the typical FOX News right wing viewer because those type of people will never support him in the first place. The reason why I watch FOX News and that FOX is the #1 network in cable news is because everyone loves to see sparks fly. FOX, unlike CNN or MSNBC (expect for Olbermann and Maddow) is entertaining. The "typical FOX News right wing viewer" probably only accounts for half of FOX's ratings each night; the other half consists of educated independents, liberals trying to get smarter coming up with counterpoints to FOX's talking points and political junkies on both sides of the aisle. The other half and the rest of America who is not as politically active is the demo Obama should be targeting. By trying to compromise with the right wingers you not only make yourself look bad in front of your haters but you make the group of people that already supports you feel a little nervous about continuing to support you after you have fired an innocent black woman seeking unity not division.
As an Obama supporter, I am thankful that Obama has not taking much of the blame for this issue YET, and that one of his deputies at the USDA has taken blame and even offered Sherrod her job back BUT I don't think their were any winners in this except for Andrew Breitbart. He gets the fame of appearing all over TV, hits on his website and we're probably going to be talking about this story all week. Cable news networks (CNN, MSNBC, FOX) have shown their lack of integrity by not researching and finding out the real facts about this story, basically BS'ing their jobs. Free-TV news shows (NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, ABC World News) have shown their lack of relevance by not covering this story until it's too late. The NAACP has shown it's lack of responsibility by responding to a claim against their organization by agreeing with the same people that were trashing them. The Obama administration and the USDA have both shown their lack of trust by letting go someone on their own team without the whole truth, and they have given FOX News the power to control the dialogue and issues Americans are talking about by stirring inaccurate controversy that ends up hurting America and hurting the administration politcally . But the most disappointing thing about this whole thing is that Americans have shown how powerless they have become when it comes to wanting to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Blogs are supposed to be here to respond to and verify the things the MSM tells us, but instead they have played the part of spreading lies and misinformation that helps fuel the division and partisanship that now exists in this country today.
God help America!
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