Capehart Attack on Bernie Sanders' Civil Rights Record Completely Backfired
http://www.alternet.org/media/how-washington-post-writers-attack-bernies-civil-rights-record-completely-backfired
How a Washington Post Writer's Attack on Bernie Sanders' Civil Rights Record Completely Backfired
Something inconvenient happened to the famed centrist pundit after the story published: the man who actually took the photo over 50 years ago came out and said he was certain it was Bernie Sanders in the photo:
"I photographed Bernie a second time after he got a haircut, as he appeared next to the noble laureate and chancellor Dr. George Beadle. Time Magazine is now claiming it is not Bernie in the picture but someone else. It is Bernie, and it is proof of his very early dedication to justice for African Americans. The CORE sit-in that Bernie helped lead was the first civil rights sit-in to take place in the North."
In light of this confirmation, Capehart reeled back his original report with a lame "he said, he said" explanation:
Bernie Sanders and the clash of memory
This is a story where memory and historical certitude clash. Where the doubt of a campaign strategist slams up against a university archive. Where the word of a proud photographer conflicts with the pride of an ex-wife and friends. Where the civil rights activism of Bernie Sanders and Bruce Rappaport collide.
Wait, wasn't this a story of a fake photo? Now it's a story of clashing memories?
---snip---
The official answer, given Capehart’s finger-wagging tone is that The Truth is important and he’s simply trying to correct the record. In actuality, it’s an attempt to undermine the two things Sanders needs more than anything right now: people to trust him and African-American voters to like him. Perhaps in some morally pedantic way Capehart believed using his prime op-ed column inches to resurrect a three-month-old story to shame a few Sanders partisans on Twitter was a good use of his pundit capital, but it’s more likely he just wanted to further muddy the waters on Sanders’ civil rights record in the run-up to the largely African-American South Carolina primary.
Jonathan is taking a beating on Twitter, third day in a row. Folks are insisting he issue his retraction. Don't think he'll comply, but people are showing no signs of letting up.
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