Rule No. 1 when you are in the news business: Don’t become the story.
Last week The Washington Post became the story when a Post cartoonist, Ann Telnaes, drew and published an editorial cartoon to their website of Ted Cruz dressed as Santa Claus turning the crank on an organ grinder while his two girls were depicted as monkeys dancing to the tune.
Telnaes defended her cartoon soon after the story broke stating, “Ted Cruz has put his children in a political ad; don’t start screaming when editorial cartoonists draw them as well,” also calling Cruz’ kids “fair game.”
This cartoon was depicted in response to two tongue-in-cheek, Christmas parody ads the Cruz campaign had published recently.
Let’s put this in proper perspective. Cruz is a Latino and the son of a Cuban immigrant. Cruz’ father fought in the Cuban revolution and fled to Texas from the oppressive communistic regime of Fidel Castro. Cruz’ daughters trace their ancestry to Latino roots and The Washington Post decides to depict them as monkeys.
Can you imagine Barack Obama’s daughters being depicted likewise? It’s amazing that the siren of racism hasn’t been sounded as of yet. Or is it?
To be fair, the Post did pull the cartoon. Fred Hiatt, the editorial page editor, made a statement saying, “I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.”
Racism is only a one-way street. Sorry conservatives; you don’t get to make the same claims that liberals do because you do not possess the moral authority to levy a claim of racism.
Your white privilege is an automatic disqualifier and for you to think otherwise is laughable and outrageous. Forget that Cruz is Latino, as well as Rubio, and Carson is an African-American.
Despite the fact that Latinos, Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians and other minority groups help make-up the ranks of conservatives, the liberal media considers them synonymous with unsophisticated, politically incorrect, bitter-clingers with a Bible under one arm and an assault rifle under the other.
Here are a few examples of the one-way street that bans conservative motorists from access. Clarence Thomas, appointed to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush, was excoriated by the liberal media amid claims of sexual harassment by Anita Hill.
This amounted to an attempt by Democrats to discredit Thomas from being qualified to serve on the bench and the media accomplices were all too willing to oblige.
Nothing was proved of the allegations; however, Thomas and his wife were subjected to a living nightmare no person would want to experience.
Herman Cain experienced the intense focus of the media elite at the time he began gaining widespread support in the polls during the race for the 2012 GOP nomination.
Tales of Cain’s infidelity and his Uncle Tom status were crafted by liberal media and in conducting a simple Bing.com search you can find 37 stories on Cain’s purported scandals on the first five pages by liberal news websites.
Other minority conservatives have faced lopsided, biased criticism from the liberal media such as Mia Love, Condi Rice, and current GOP candidate Dr. Ben Carson. Now children of conservative politicians are being depicted as monkeys on a leash dancing to a pied piper tune as if anyone that listened to this tune would magically be turned into one and the same.
Yet, don’t claim racism; you have no right. That’s what some call, “fair game.”
Michael McDaniel is a political commentator who has been covering election politics in Iowa for over a decade. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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