From the New York Times:
MILWAUKEE — Representative John Lewis, an elder statesman from the civil rights era and one of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most prominent black supporters, said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Senator in hopes of preventing a fight at the Democratic convention.
“In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit,” said Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who endorsed Mrs. Clinton last fall. “Something is happening in America, and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.” [Source: NYT]
There’s no doubt that John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights era and in part, made it possible for Obama to be where he is today. So I am happy to see him come to his senses and flip to Obama. Was Lewis’ flip a respectable decision or a political play? I don’t know. I’m not sure of his true motivations, but here are some possibilities. What’s your take?
A. He’s being honest and honorable: He wants to back the people’s excitement about Obama.
B. He caught the vapors: He’s feeling Obama now that he is on top. He wants to be down too.
C. He’s playing politics: He wants to still be ballin’ when Obama is president instead of riding the bench.
D. B and C
E. None of the above: Please explain_________
3 responses so far ↓
1
JJ
// Feb 15, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Mike,
Have you read the latest news about Lewis? He’s flipped again…LOL.
2
Mike
// Feb 15, 2008 at 1:01 pm
LOL. Yes, looks like an addendum to this post will be in order. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
3
L
// Feb 15, 2008 at 1:14 pm
C. , although D is tempting. But, it can’t be D. because that option assumes Lewis is balling now. What’s ill is the way he is hedging his bets. Also, we should be concerned (by “we” and “our” I mean Obama supporters) that our candidate is being transformed from an individual with specific ideas about government into a movement. The upside of being a movement (shout out to Ne-Yo and Fabolous) is that he will garner wide support, but the down side is that it’s a lot easier to excoriate a movement than a person. As any student of hate understands, the first step in attacking the hated is to dehumanize them. I fear that is what is happening to Obama by his supporters and detractors. Lewis and others should vote for him, or not, because we think he has the best or not the best ideas to move this country forward, not because he’s a symbol of how far America has come.
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