DADvocate

Today Knoxviews blog asserted that the reason Democrats can't get traction is

The big story on CNN Wolf Blitzer Panic Room or whatever it's called was that a black Democratic U.S. Representative had to defend herself against assault by a racist law enforcement officer. And it was somehow her fault for being assaulted. And even worse, Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party don't have her back.

And, even more ironically, the teaser for the next story was "why can't Democrats get traction?"

America is seriously broken. I blame the "liberal media". And spineless Democrats.

(Emphasis mine.)

Apparently some liberals/progressives buy McKinney's lame claim that she is the victim because of her race and gender. Or is it her gender and race? On CNN today, McKinney took every opportunity to vilify the Capitol Police while avoiding addressing her own actions. Funny, I don't remember anyone, including McKinney, leveling racism charges at the Capitol Police before this incident. Here are some of comment from the interview.

McKinney makes sure to mention Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte in her initial statement plus get in a dig at the Capitol Police.

What I want to say, though, is that we've had two press conferences. One was on Friday with Harry Belafonte and Danny Glover and several members of a tour group of young people who had come to Washington from Georgia. And surprisingly, I didn't even know about their experience. But surprisingly, they, too, had a story to tell about the Capitol Hill police. And these were African-American young people.

Here McKinney continues to blame the Capitol Police even though she, McKinney, had failed to wear her identifying lapel pin and had changed her hair style.

BLITZER: Hold on -- hold on one second, James. I was asking the congresswoman to tell us what happened.

MCKINNEY: I understand the question and I understand that while this is in this process there's certain questions that I can't ask, and they're better responded to by the attorneys. But what I can say is that this idea that the security of members of Congress is contingent on either a piece of jewelry or the way they wear their hair is -- I just don't understand.

It means, then, that the Congress and the members of Congress are not secure. If the members of the United States Capitol Hill Police who are charged with the responsibility of protecting the members of Congress don't know who they are, then what does that say to us about the kind of security that we have?

BLITZER: Congresswoman, there are 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 senators. There are law enforcement, Capitol Hill Police. Members of the House where a little lapel pin to identify them as members of Congress; thereby, they can avoid going through the metal detectors and they just go around them, as you well know.

On that day, you weren't wearing your lapel pin, is that right?

MCKINNEY: You know, if you look at C-SPAN and the speeches from the floor of the House on any given day, you will see that there are very many members of Congress who don't happen to have their pins on while they're speaking on the floor of the House. But let me just say that the requirement for pages to become a congressional page at age 16 is to know by face and by name the members of the United States Congress.

Don't you think that the United States Capitol Police ought to also know the members of Congress by name and by face? And then there are only 14 African-American women members of Congress. So I don't understand what it is about my face that certain members of the Capitol Hill Police Department can't remember.

McKinney has much higher standards for the Capitol Police than for herself. Ordinary manners and common courtesy on her part would have prevented this entire incident. Blitzer asks McKinney why it's such a big deal to stop and identify herself. McKinney rambles into accusations of racial profiling.

BLITZER: Well, I guess the basic question, Congresswoman, is, if they asked you to stop and identify yourself and go through the metal detector, what was the big deal? Why not do that?

MCKINNEY: Well, you know, that goes to the heart of the press conference that we had today. And I want to thank you for covering the other press conference that we had on Friday with Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte.

But today we had black elected officials from the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus at the time when Coretta Scott King's body lay in state at the Georgia State Capitol. The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus was not allowed into the building to perform a part of the procession. Why? They can't even answer the question except that the security at the Georgia Capitol did not recognize them as dually- elected members able to carry out the mandate of the people who sent them to the legislature.

And as a result of police action that was -- we can't even understand why the members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus were disrespected -- that's what they said today -- and forced to look at the body of Coretta Scott King from the third floor of the state Capitol.

The bottom line on this is that it doesn't matter if you're in the United States Capitol or the Georgia Capitol, the issue is racial profiling.

And it goes on and on without McKinney or her attorney acknowledging any responsibility on her part.

While I know nothing of the particular policeman involved, I can easily see the circumstances he works in everyday. He is one of a group of people charged with protecting 535 of the most important, powerful people in our country. Over the past 5 years there have been incidents involving anthrax and other threats at the Capitol Building. To get his job he had to go through a rigorous hiring process.

SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process consists of the following stages of processing, of which you must be successful at each stage in order to proceed to the next:

• Written Examination
  
• Application Review
  
• Personal Interview
  
• Extensive Background Investigation
  
• Polygraph Examination
  
• Physical Examination
  
• Psychological Evaluation

Applicants will be evaluated at each step of the process and those not selected to continue will be notified in writing of this decision. Applicants notified of non-selection will be eligible to reapply one year from the date of notification. Applicants are encouraged to establish a personal physical conditioning program as they will be required to participate in a rigorous physical conditioning program throughout their 21 weeks of training should they be selected for appointment.

Considering the hiring process it seems unlikely that anyone with racist feelings or beliefs would have much of a chance of being hired. These aren't like the cops from the little burg bordering my backyard.

The policemen and women at the Capitol Building have to be painfully aware that these powerful people they protect also have the power to make their lives miserable if they should so choose. It would not be hard to imagine that many of the members of the House and Senate possess inflated egos, a grandiose sense of self, arrogance and other similar qualities. Any policeman working the building would surely be cautious in the manner he approached any Senator or Congressperson.

While this situation could have most likely been handled with a moments civility, Cynthia McKinney has chosen to set back race relations another decade. All this also echoes the problem of racial paranoia amongst blacks that I wrote about last year.

Bill Cosby has a better way which he spoke of just the other day in New Orleans. Cosby has also decided to give Cincinnati another chance.

And not all liberals buy McKinney's poor, pitiful act. Check out liberal (and proud of it) Patrick Armstrong's comments here. Why to do think Nancy Pelosi is keeping mum? She knows who's in the wrong and to suggest otherwise would be politically damaging to herself and the Democratic Party. McKinney's doing more than enough damage as it is.