The Wall Street Journal-20080122-What Would Dr- King Think of Politics Now-
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What Would Dr. King Think of Politics Now?
In response to John McWhorter's op-ed, "Hillary and MLK" (Jan. 16): There is no doubt that Martin Luther King Jr. was a great American. After all, his is the only birthday that we set aside as a national holiday. The celebration of the births of George Washington, the father of our country, and Abraham Lincoln, who was so instrumental in ending slavery, have been relegated to "Presidents Day." No one can question the impact that Dr. King had on the battle to end racial inequality in our country.
However, Dr. King did not hold political office nor could he introduce legislation and shepherd it through Congress. Mrs. Clinton was merely pointing out that it was Lyndon Johnson who carried on the work begun by Dr. King, which resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. To make political fodder of her remarks is a disservice to the work of both Dr. King and President Johnson. It would be well if Barack Obama quickly disavowed this issue and the media stopped fanning the flames. I agree with Mr. McWhorter that the truly important issues of the day are not racial and should be the focus of the debate over the months ahead.
William Noxon
Algonquin, Ill.
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Mr. McWhorter's analysis of the race issue recently batted between the Clinton and Obama campaigns is incomplete. The history shared by black Americans and the Democrat Party is perplexing. Despite resolute loyalty to the party by black voters, few blacks (if any) have ascended to the top ranks of the party. Now that a viable candidate seeks its nomination, race is a basis for the top contenders to object to one another. True to their shared ideology, individuals are merely components of particular groups. Individuality is impermissible. Those who do not subscribe to the group view and its mechanisms are to be cast aside. Justice Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Shelby Steele, to name a few, have succeeded without the use of the party's dominant ideology, only to be rejected, ridiculed and ostracized.
It's deeply ironic how those people have been treated while pursuing Dr. King's dream that they not be judged by race, but rather by their achievements, while their critics continue to race bait.
Hugh Nowak
Cascade Township, Mich.
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John McWhorter's defense of Hillary Clinton's bumbling statements about MLK and LBJ is interesting in that he repeats as fact the central canard of the claim: that Sen. Clinton is more experienced in guiding legislation than Sen. Obama. While it is true that Mrs. Clinton has spent more time in the Senate than Mr. Obama, this does not mean that she has the experience she claims to have.
However, since Mr. McWhorter made the claim on her behalf, I'll leave it to him to list the legislation that Hillary Clinton has written and shepherded through the Senate and seen signed into law by the president. I will note, however, that without a list of such legislation, which Mrs. Clinton has so far refused to provide, her statement amounts to just another empty claim about her experience, which, to date, seems to be all she has to offer as a reason for voting for her.
Paul Cooper
University Park, Md.
