Connie Rice: Confederate Flag: Stand Firm, Howard Dean

[realFedUp]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rice6nov06,1,7780769.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

Confederate Flap: Stand Firm, Howard Dean
Candidate's allusion to poor Southern whites opens an important issue.

By Constance L. Rice
Constance L. Rice is a civil rights attorney. (and Condeleeza's cousin)

November 6, 2003

Howard Dean wants to represent angry white Confederate flag-wavers. He even quotes Martin Luther King Jr. in doing so. And in a televised debate Tuesday he refused to say he was sorry for starting this tempest.

Well, Dr. Dean, you may have clumsily launched this issue, but keep at it and keep quoting, because you're right.

snip

First, he's right politically. Without a vision big enough to embrace Southern white men — angry or not — this country cannot be diverted from its current path toward corporation-focused, downwardly mobile plutocracy and turned back toward people-focused, upwardly mobile democracy.

Second, one of Martin Luther King's most profound insights came in his warning that to avoid elimination as the irrelevant unskilled, poor whites and poor blacks had to band together in a "grand alliance" and demand from politicians jobs, justice and opportunity for everyone.

snip

The third reason is that we need to get beyond fighting over Confederate symbols and get to the critical re-founding of this country for its people.

[displacedtexan]

1. yeah, and don't throw me into the briar patch, either.

watch out, howard! with friends like these...

does anyone actually believe that this woman's piece wasn't vetted by her cousin?

[w13rd0]

5. You obviously have missed her appearances...

...no, her piece was most certainly not "vetted" by her cousin. She's a staunch opponent of the Bush administration.

[realFedUp]

7. Connie is the liberal one.

Not the fascist one....

[fabius]

18. She's smart, liberal and...

...a real babe. Ok un-PC remark. :)

[w13rd0]

2. That's cool...

...Condi's cousin doesn't have the nicest words for this administration. I think I've seen her on a couple shows now. What was it someone said about God and irony?

[RandomKoolzip]

3. Jeez, now I REALLY don't know how to feel....

........

[BlueEyedSon]

4. Hard to believe she shares any DNA with Condi. nt

[tsipple]

6. Big Tent Gets Bigger!

Sure sounds like one of the Rices will be voting for Howard Dean. Very cool.

And "good politics" is absolutely correct. (Anyone heard about Wesley Clark lately? It's "Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean" all the time.)

[w13rd0]

8. On Clark...

...yes, he's made a number of statements about S11 and the secrecy of the Bush administration, which is great. Frankly, that's probably part of the reason you aren't hearing much from him.

[boxster]

9. You're kidding, right?

Yesterday, Clark said that military hospitals should provide abortion services.

Today, he released his plan for dealing with Iraq.

He's getting plenty of press as a result. Nice try, though.

[cprise]

10. Wow-- She nails it!

" Without a vision big enough to embrace Southern white men — angry or not — this country cannot be diverted from its current path toward corporation-focused, downwardly mobile plutocracy..."

Angry white men feel (IMO wrongly) that government is not looking out for them and so they pressure the system to serve nobody, except for the very whitest economic demographic (the rich). Everyone needs to feel represented or at least have an accurate picture of that representation, and that's where dialog with Nascar Dads is vital.

[walkon]

11. Thank you for this post.

Thank you, Ms. Rice for such an eloquent response - one of bringing together and not dividing. Indeed, the threat of the Civil Rights movement was always that it could unite the masses to fend off the very corporate oligarchy that has seized such power and control in this country. Dr. Dean senses this and is making an attempt to address the divisions that empower the powerful. He is a bit awkward at this point but he is definitely on the right track, and a very precarious path that only the brave or foolish would tread. I do believe he is one of the former and not the latter. No wonder he's getting flak - and it would be very worth noting who the loudest attackers are, IMO.

[Guaranteed]

13. The last person to really try this got shot.

This is not only politically dangerous....

[mandyky]

16. Yep, Dean's campaign already reminds me of RFK's

But we have to try to unite this country - not just north and south either..

[Guaranteed]

12. Absolutely OUTSTANDING.

Unbelievable article. A must read.
Dean is totally correct in what he's trying to do. There's no question.

[wryter2000]

14. Wow!

:kick:

[hlthe2b]

15. Painting her with the "sins" of her cousin..............?

Not appropriate in this case, I believe from her record.

Just as Faux talking head and general RW propragandist, Juan Williams also has a sister that sees through his (and the RW's) bullshit.

Remember, many of us have family that are indoctrinated into the RW philosophy. That doesn't make us any more/less committed to our ideals.

[realFedUp]

17. Short Connie Rice CV

Constance Rice is Co-Director of The Advancement Project in Los Angeles. She co-founded the organization in 1998 to provide technical assistance and consultation for people working to solve public policy problems across lines of race, ethnicity, and culture. The project focuses on criminal justice and police issues, educational access and equity, tax and fiscal equity, and issues of due process and political structure. Previously, Rice was Western Regional Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In March 2000, she was appointed to the California State Civil Rights Commission on Hate Crimes. She received a B.A. in government from Harvard University and a law degree from New York University Law School. Prior to joining the board, Rice was a member of PPIC's Advisory Council.

[bpilgrim]

19. excellant point

most of my familly is racist and i still talk to them just like the rest of us - well maybe not most but yall got at least a few ;->

dean may be BOLD enough to actually win :bounce:

peace