COURIER L 12 IFE, MAY 29 -JUNE 4, 2020
OPINION
Biden’s divisive remarks to radio
host send the wrong message
Reinvesting in the parts of government
that nourish and protect us
A lot has happened this
week that is worthy of
consideration. On Monday,
we celebrated Memorial
Day. There are different origin
stories for how Memorial Day
emerged in the years after the
Civil War.
Possibly it comes from the
just-freed slaves of Charleston,
South Carolina honoring the
several hundred Union dead
buried in their city. Possibly it
comes from towns in the north
and south — from Mississippi
to New York — gathering to put
fl owers on the graves of their
dead soldiers.
As my friend Jesse, who researched
this question, put it,
“we’ve come to honor our nation’s
war dead in late May because
it’s a moment when the
mystery of nature’s abundance
affords us a counterbalance to
the reality of man’s capacity for
destruction.”
Do we, as Americans, owe
each other obligations that are
different from the obligations
we owe to all other humans, or
to our family and friends, or the
members of our community?
I’m not sure, but several other
events this weekend underscore
the truth that some Americans
are treated as citizens and others
as subjects, based on the
color of their skin.
One video, from Minneapolis,
shows a white police offi cer
kneeling on the neck of a balck
man until he asphyxiates. Just
like Eric Garner of Staten Island
in 2014, George Floyd was
fi lmed repeatedly saying “I
can’t breathe,” before he died.
Closer to home, another
video from Central Park this
weekend began when an African
American bird watcher
started fi lming a white woman
after he asked her to leash her
dog in the Ramble. She called
911, threatening him with police
harm in an unmistakably
racialized appeal, while he
fi lmed her and she appeared to
choke her dog.
I’d like to make three points
about this video. First, it’s
ironic that bird watcher and
dog owner have the same last
name. Second, the dog owner
was powerful enough that she
helped manage hundreds of
millions of dollars of investments,
but not so powerful
that her fi rm couldn’t fi re her
within 24 hours of the video going
viral. Third, the video of a
white female investment manager
choking a dog appears to
have received a lot more attention
than the video of a white
male cop choking a human. Admittedly,
it’s a harder video to
watch.
Some parts of our government
protect us and nourish us,
and some parts repress us. The
parts that repress us claim to
protect us, and to some extent
they do protect us. Or rather,
they protect a large group of
us, while killing others and
turning some of us into killers.
We’ve got to focus on growing
the parts that nourish people
while shrinking the parts that
exist to protect the government
from its people.
Nick Rizzo is a Democratic
District Leader representing
the 50th Assembly District and
a political consultant who lives
in Greenpoint. Follow him on
Twitter @NickRizzo.
WORDS OF
RIZZDOM
Nick Rizzo
What would be the reaction
if President Donald
Trump said during
an interview, “If you have a
problem fi guring out whether
you’re for me or Biden, you ain’t
white?”
It is safe to assume that the
mainstream media and progressive
elected offi cials in
New York would go berserk.
They would accuse him of leading
the KKK and condemn anyone
who supports the president.
Members of Congress would
surely use the comments as another
excuse to impeach him.
Last week, during an interview
with black radio host
Charlamagne Tha God, the presumptive
Democratic nominee
for president, Joe Biden said,
“If you have a problem fi guring
out whether you’re for me or
Trump, you ain’t black.”
Biden’s comments came
at the end of a tense interview
where the radio host had the audacity
to ask some tough questions
including about the former
vice president’s cognitive
health and the growing perception
that democrats take black
voters for granted. Biden’s comments
just added legitimacy to
that idea.
Not surprisingly, many media
outlets, including CNN,
have completely ignored
Biden’s remarks. Again, if
President Trump made similar
comments, you know there
would have been wall to wall
coverage. This is yet another
example of a bias in the media
that the left still denies exists.
All the while, New York City
democrats have remained virtually
silent. Progressives portray
themselves as champions
of fi ghting inequality and racism,
and standing up for minority
communities. Yet, they
are silent when their candidate
for president says that African
Americans can’t think for
themselves and make their own
choice for president.
What about the 1.3 million
African Americans that voted
for Trump in 2016? Tim Scott,
the only black Republican in
the U.S. Senate accurately said,
“Joe Biden told every single one
of us we ‘ain’t black’…It sends
the wrong message to the young
people of this nation that you
have to stay in line or you’re not
black enough.”
Democrats should walk the
walk and talk the talk by condemning
Biden for his racist
comments suggesting black
people can’t think for themselves
in choosing a president.
Also, let’s not forget this is
not the fi rst time Biden has put
his foot in his mouth when talking
about race. He earlier said,
“Poor kids are just as bright
and just as talented as white
kids.”
Here in New York City,
many predominantly African
American communities have
suffered from low performing
schools, poor housing conditions,
and higher crime rates.
Democratic elected offi cials —
some of whom have represented
these areas for decades — almost
universally oppose charter
schools, have been missing
in action on the deplorable conditions
in NYCHA complexes,
and support criminal justice
reforms that favor criminals.
President Trump and New
York republicans can make
a strong case that democrats
have taken African American
votes for granted, and offer a
contrasting vision for policies
that will improve schools and
communities. These voters can
then make an informed decision,
and still be black.
Bob Capano has worked for
Brooklyn Republican and Democrat
elected offi cials, and has
been an adjunct political science
professor for over 15 years. Follow
him on twitter @bobcapano.
THE RIGHT
VIEW
Bob Capano