Julian Bond, Race-Baiting Huckster

In a speech last night NAACP Chairman Julian Bond compared Republicans to Nazis and called Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell "token" blacks. He once again compared Republican policies to the Taliban continuing a theme he's expounded on since the beginning of the Bush administration. Along with demeaning those who suffered under Nazi Germany or Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Bond also continues to make the case that Republicans should not take black "leadership" in America very seriously. The "Nazi", "Taliban", and "token" rhetoric only further diminishes any interest Republicans may have in whatever points "civil rights" organizations are trying to explain. You want to have a dialogue with a Republican? Good luck if you start off by calling him a Nazi.

Furthermore, calling Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell "tokens" is a sign of willful ignorance, incompetence, or an unskillful attempt at labeling them as race-traitors. I think we can assume that Bond did not rise to NAACP Chairman through ignorance or incompetence so it must be something else. The main point that lies behind Bond's assertion is that any black American that does not adhere to the Democratic or NAACP line is a traitor to the black race and a willing pawn of racist Republicans. Without going into why the Republican agenda is not racist (which would take much more space and time than I care to take right now), Bond also ignores the approach that President Bush has had toward minorities in his administration. Not only has Bush appointed more minorities and women to federal positions, he has appointed more to more significant positions than any of his predecessors, including President Clinton. Officials such as Rice, Powell, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales were not chosen because they were minorities, they were chosen because they were highly qualified individuals who share a common political philosophy with the President.

Chairman Bond is simply upset that any black would dare to disagree with the NAACP. Were the NAACP to foster discussion between blacks of differing political persuasions, black Americans would exercise much more political power in the United States. As it is today, civil rights "leaders" such as Bond, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson have much vested interest in keeping the vast majority of blacks in the pocket of the Democrats. The party keeping blacks on the plantation is the one that takes 90% of the black vote for granted.