White House denies role in Sherrod firing, Vilsack takes responsibility, explains

[Pirate Smile]

Official: No White House pressure on Sherrod

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this afternoon took responsibility for firing an official, Shirley Sherrod, whose appearance on video recalling her behavior toward a white farmer drew charges of racism, and whose immediate firing drew suggestions that the administration had over-reacted to an edited video clip.

A White House official told me just now that the White House backs Vilsack's decision -- but that it was Vilsack's alone. The official said the White House -- contrary to the Sherrod's charge -- did not pressure the Department to fire her.

Vilsack's statement:

Yesterday, I asked for and accepted Ms. Sherrod’s resignation for two reasons. First, for the past 18 months, we have been working to turn the page on the sordid civil rights record at USDA and this controversy could make it more difficult to move forward on correcting injustices. Second, state rural development directors make many decisions and are often called to use their discretion. The controversy surrounding her comments would create situations where her decisions, rightly or wrongly, would be called into question making it difficult for her to bring jobs to Georgia.

Our policy is clear. There is zero tolerance for discrimination at USDA and we strongly condemn any act of discrimination against any person. We have a duty to ensure that when we provide services to the American people we do so in an equitable manner. But equally important is our duty to instill confidence in the American people that we are fair service providers.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0710/Official_No_White_House_pressure_on_Sherrod.html

[xchrom]

1. I wonder why the farmer and his family focused on

In the controversial video became her friends?

Not really I don't. This is a controversy in
imagination only. Vilsack made it worse.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Vilsack is DLC

He acted accordingly.

[babylonsister]

3. Hopefully Vilsack will take responsibility for rehiring her

if this proves to be a witch hunt.

[vaberella]

5. Well I don't know.

Her comments were out of order. They start off one way which was seemingly playing up to the audience and was racially insensitive although I understand what she was saying. And of course the secondary part of her statement didn't have anything to do with the first part which should have been the base of her comment in the first place. So I find that Vilsack wasn't too wrong in asking for her resignation.

[babylonsister]

7. Here's more info...

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024811.php

snip//


Jay Bookman notes today that there's relevant information and context Breitbart's project didn't offer.

...Sherrod said what online viewers weren't told in reports posted throughout the day Monday was that the tale she told at the banquet happened 24 years ago -- before she got the USDA job -- when she worked with the Georgia field office for the Federation of Southern Cooperative/Land Assistance Fund.

Sherrod said the short video clip excluded the breadth of the story about how she eventually worked with the man over a two-year period to help ward off foreclosure of his farm, and how she eventually became friends with the farmer and his wife.

"And I went on to work with many more white farmers," she said. "The story helped me realize that race is not the issue, it's about the people who have and the people who don't. When I speak to groups, I try to speak about getting beyond the issue of race."

In fact, as it turns out, Sherrod worked so hard to help that white farmer and his family they consider her a "friend for life."

Somehow, this didn't make the cut in the Big Government clip. The far-right site has the entire video, but only released the part that served the right's purposes.

And in this case, the right's purposes are trying to spur racial animosity, taking the remarks of an African-American American official to the NAACP and removing the context, all in the hopes of generating white resentment.

The anti-ACORN crusade -- and its creative editing -- should have been the first clue that right-wing video clips released by Breitbart and Big Government may not be what they seem to be. Shirley Sherrod offers another painful reminder.

* Update: Today, the NAACP walked back yesterday's criticism, and is reportedly investigating the matter.

[Celebration]

9. NAACP

I guess better late than never, but she's already "resigned" for gosh sake.

[vaberella]

10. I saw the video and I know the history.

However, her this video can do a lot of damage nonetheless especially for future pushes of agricultural change. The unedited video I saw most of and I see where she went with it and respected her statements. However the initial part was something else entirely and as I said she was playing up to the audience it seemed for the most part.

I'm not trying to defend Vilsack here, but her statements were questionable to even me.

[Kweli4Real]

62. I'm sorry ...

But I have a real problem with your reasoning here; moreso, if you have actually seen the uneditted video as you claim.

Someone tells a transformational anecdote and you choose to hear the before part, while completely discounting the after part. That, IMHO, is far worse than what breitbart did ... clearly, by his editing, he acknowledges that her story was not "problematic" or "damaging."

[MadMaddie]

29. What was the end result though?

She helped the farmer keep his farm. So whatever she did she helped him.

We can't say that about all of the White FDA folks who continually denied helping black farmers in this country and many of them lost their farms.

[vaberella]

32. It's irrespective of what is the end result.

The first part of her statement even in context---but let's focus on the way it was promoted is going to make one question her earlier responses since it can be said he may not have been her first white farmer, he's just one of the ones that opened her eyes---since he came across as the most confrontational to her at that time.

I agree with you on the second part. Which is clearly what Ms. Sherrod said in her statements while in context. That this is not just black and white but about the "haves" and the "have not's" which is agri-business versus the small family farmer.

[vaberella]

4. People were ready to rip the Obama admin to shreds. Her statements are out of order.

I figured the admin wasn't involved, not really their thing. However, her statements if going by that was dodgy---I really take issue with it and the video did not help even in Context.

[Celebration]

8. Vilsack IS the Obama administration

Unfortunately.

She did nothing wrong.

[jenmito]

12. I think the poster meant "Obama" or the "White House." Vilsack isn't either of those. n/t

[vaberella]

16. You're much more polite than me. n/t

[jenmito]

21. I calls 'em like I sees 'em. n/t

[soleft]

27. You mean the poster was taken out of context???

:wow:

[vaberella]

31. I already explained my stance on Ms. Sherrod's statements.

And I never said anything about her being taken out of context but I have stated that even in context her statements are questionable---although I understood clearly where she was coming from.

[Celebration]

35. Have you seen the entire tape?

If it would show what she says, then in context what she said was 100% okay............."Decades ago while working for a non government entity, at first I did not give a white person 100% of my effort, but after I got to know the situation, that changed..........I transformed, was able to refer help to him, and my attitude was transformed. We became friends."

It's a great story, and it appears to have happened exactly that way. I see nothing wrong with the first part of her statement if that is the contest.

[vaberella]

51. Lordy...go here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x380116#380122

I'm not talking out of my ass----read post 6, 12, 13, and whatever else I posted.

[frylock]

40. A White House official told me just now that the White House backs Vilsack's decision

[vaberella]

15. ~sigh~

People on this site were basically blaming Obama as pushing for Ms. Sherrod's resignation. This is what was all over this board. However on the flip side I heard the entire comment and I can't say that her statements even in context aren't slightly inflammatory---and I'm speaking about early on. there were two parts to her statements that are fairly unrelated. The first part, before she goes into how she took him to a white agriculture official, is unrelated to the second part because it would make one question her record (irrespective if this dinner happened 24 years ago---I'm sure you're aware what happened with Rev. Wright when Obama barely ever went to any masses). <-----And this is what is going to be played by the media until she's basically destroyed either way. The second part I find unrelated and I think should have been where she started from in order to show the difficulty of her job.

[jenmito]

6. The farmer and his wife, the Spooners, are on CNN PRAISING Sherrod,

saying they think the person who made this tape is trying to stir up trouble and inject racism into it. Roger Spooner said he's never known anyone nicer than her nor more willing to help save his farm, which she DID save.

[tom_paine]

14. Yet we will all stand amazed as even this admission doesn't change the

"conventional wisdom" nor the National Dialogue.

It is almost certain that the RW Lie Machine and most of the rest of the Corporate M$M won't give this enough airplay, let alone start investigating and turning the National Dialogue to where it should be pointed, which is how Breitbart gets away with this when it's debunked again and again, this time with lightning speed (unlike ACORN)

Sure it's crazy, but that is almost certain as to how it will work.

I have always said that the RW takeover and absorption of the Corporate M$M is as much or more to envelop the Democratic Leadership in the False Reality Bubble as it is the American Subject Populace.

[jenmito]

18. CNN is the only network that's covering the details of the ENTIRE story...

and when I switched to MSNBC for a minute, Dylan Ratigan had "both sides" on to argue about it, and Jonathan Capehart said he thinks it was wrong to fire her after finding out the full story. Dylan the Obnoxious and the RWer took the "both sides are wrong" approach and didn't delve into the details like CNN's Rick Sanchez did.

[vaberella]

17. Which they unfortunately will. I see where Ms. Sherrod comes from.

But as I said a few times before...I also see why her statements are problematic.

[jenmito]

26. Yeah...

it's especially bad timing (which the RW timed) for Vilsack NOT to fire her. Faux already has the Black Panthers and Obama as best friends and the NAACP as a racist organization, and the teabaggers just got rid of one of their "leaders" for saying truly racist things/writing that racist letter.

[soleft]

28. This is pay back for Mark Williams

You're okay with that?

[jenmito]

47. NO. I'm NOT OK with that. I am saying they don't want to look like they tolerate

SUPPOSED "racism" (which it wasn't). And I hope that once they get to see the whole video in context the WH will tell Vilsack to rehire her.

[Yuugal]

11. I'm glad she was fired

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_xCeItxbQY

"I was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farmland, and here I was faced with having to help a white person save their land. SO.... I didn't give him the full force of what I could do."


Wow, just wow.

[xchrom]

19. You are promulgating the same lies breitbart is. Wow-just wow. Nt

[Yuugal]

20. Which lie is that? Those are HER words

She didn't want to give the guy help because he was white.

[Connie_Corleone]

22. Get the facts before posting.

She was telling the story as an anecdote about how she overcame her racial feelings. She actually spent 2 years working with the farmer to save his farm from bankruptcy and the they are good friends now. She realized it wasn't about black versus white (skin color), but about the haves and the have nots.

Also, it was 24 years ago before she was at the USDA.

The tape doesn't show her whole speech and why she was telling that story.

[xchrom]

25. This is well known now - the poster is NOT speaking out of

Ignorance of the facts.

[soleft]

23. Please educate yourself about the entire story

You may have to go to more than one source.

[vaberella]

33. There's a lot more to it than that.

I saw her what she was saying but that first part does put you off guard even when you hear the rest---because the rest is totally unrelated and gives you the struggles and how shady the agricultural department is.

[Forkboy]

34. You fell for Republican tricks. Wow, just wow.

[Metric System]

43. Context is the key.

[vaberella]

53. Even in context it doesn't fit very well; which is where I can see these freaks running with it. n/t

[Kweli4Real]

63. Vaberella ...

Stop saying "them" and "these" and "those", when your words clearly express "us" and "we." You are doing the same thing as breitbart ... making a 20+ year old transformational anecdote into a current racial issue.

[DevonRex]

13. Things are never as simple as they seem. Thanks for

the information. It seems that she did some good things along the way but blaming Obama wasn't quite accurate, was it?

[Celebration]

24. Never did I think Obama ordered this

But I blame him for appointing the idiot that did.

[vaberella]

54. Oy! So you think Obama can see the bloody future?!

I'm sure many on here and seeing his record would think this "idiot" as you call it wasn't so much of an idiot. Now he makes this decision Obama is to blame?! How does that even work?! I have to question who the idiot is here. You'd think hindsight would play a role here.

[AngryAmish]

30. This is a big screw up by White House and/or Vilsack

They believed this video and did not even look at the whole thing. They threw her under the bus for no reason.

Huge fuck-up.

We should send her roses and press to get her rehired.

[txlibdem]

36. Van Jones and now Shirley Sherrod

When will the left rally around our people against their effort to pick apart the Obama administration wherever it can.

Look at the entire video and you will see that she was calling for us to realize that it is the "haves" versus the "have nots" and band together against the evil manipulation and terrorism of the wealthy against the good and decent citizens of the USA.

[Emeritus]

37. How old is the video?

Can anyone tell me how recent Sherrod's statements are? I hear it's a 24 year old video. Please confirm.

[jenmito]

49. The video was from March. She was recounting her mindset 24 years ago,

and what the tape DIDN'T show was her going on to say that she learned how WRONG she was to have thought that way.

[Emeritus]

52. Wow. Unbelievable

As you said, Why is it wrong to regret our wrong views of the past? She should definitely not have been fired.

[jenmito]

55. The NAACP jumped to the conclusion that the video was of Sherrod talking about

something she recently did/thought. Now that they saw the unedited tape, they retracted their statement that she should've been fired and is asking Vilsack to reconsider. They said they were snookered by Faux.

[firedupdem]

38. I wish to hell Vilsack had taken the time to watch the entire speech...

they should have known something was up based on who was posting it! Dammit. As soon as I looked at it, I knew there was more to it. That woman should have her job back. This is crap.

[IndianaGreen]

44. Vilsack is Monsanto's whore. He is the one that should have been fired!

Six Reasons Why Obama Appointing Monsanto's Buddy, Former Iowa Governor Vilsack, for USDA Head Would be a Terrible Idea

Organic Consumers Association, November 12, 2008

Straight to the Source

TAKE ACTION TO STOP VILSACK'S CONFIRMATION

* Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack's support of genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops, especially pharmaceutical corn:
http://www.gene.ch/genet/2002/Oct/msg00057.html
http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/drugsincorn102302.cfm

* The biggest biotechnology industry group, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, named Vilsack Governor of the Year. He was also the founder and former chair of the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership.
http://www.bio.org/news/pressreleases/newsitem.asp?id=200...

* When Vilsack created the Iowa Values Fund, his first poster child of economic development potential was Trans Ova and their pursuit of cloning dairy cows.

* Vilsack was the origin of the seed pre-emption bill in 2005, which many people here in Iowa fought because it took away local government's possibility of ever having a regulation on seeds- where GE would be grown, having GE-free buffers, banning pharma corn locally, etc. Representative Sandy Greiner, the Republican sponsor of the bill, bragged on the House Floor that Vilsack put her up to it right after his state of the state address.

* Vilsack has a glowing reputation as being a schill for agribusiness biotech giants like Monsanto. Sustainable ag advocated across the country were spreading the word of Vilsack's history as he was attempting to appeal to voters in his presidential bid. An activist from the west coast even made this youtube animation about Vilsack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmoc4Qgcm4s
The airplane in this animation is a referral to the controversy that Vilsack often traveled in Monsanto's jet.

* Vilsack is an ardent support of corn and soy based biofuels, which use as much or more fossil energy to produce them as they generate, while driving up world food prices and literally starving the poor.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_15573.cfm

[donal dubh]

39. don't merely rehire her...

she was making a powerful statement with which I should think the President agrees. Give her a raise and talk this up.

And where is the accountability of the right? they howl for the NAACP to condemn this woman on an out-and-out fabrication but where is the outrage when they are deliberately manipulated by the media? That was such an obvious smear job I find it difficult to believe the reich-wing scream machine isn't breaking some laws...

[Uzybone]

41. agreed

[jenmito]

50. Both CNN and MSNBC have now reported that the tape was edited and that the RW

website that put it on their site edited to make it look like she was talking about views she holds now and an event that happened under this admin. They're on it! I'm very glad to see CNN and MSNBC reporting the TRUTH.

[vaberella]

56. Rare isn't it?! n/t

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[frylock]

45. yep

[IndianaGreen]

48. 'look like a bunch of spineless twats.'

They look the way they are, don't they?

[vaberella]

57. How so when it was one person in the Agricultural department who made the decision?! n/t

[seattleblue]

46. This is absurd to jump on someone for what they did or did not do 24 years ago.

Didn't President Obama himself say at the Byrd funeral that Byrd evolved and changed from his previous views? People do change and evolve, hopefully for the better. She should not have been fired and this should not even be an issue. I shudder to think about what is going to happen to politicians of 20 years from now when opponents start pulling out their silly high school and college youtube videos to use against them.

[vaberella]

58. I agree with you 100% but it was not Obama who made the decision. n/t

[glitch]

59. Damn poor research. Vilsack owes Sherrod a HUGE apology and immediate rehiring. nt

[vaberella]

60. This I agree with. n/t

[KansasVoter]

61. I don't think this is a fight we need at this point.......

It was a no win situation. I don't blame the administration.

[Cha]

64. Always something..if something's edited

it needs to be seen in its entirety...how much crap have the rw edited to make the Dems look bad.

[CitizenLeft]

65. it was just mentioned that her father had been killed by the Klan...

...which explains her initial reluctance to help white farmers. My God, can you imagine... her father's killed by the Klan, she's angry, sees the light, helps this family, and then is fired for being a racist. Wow. Just wow.

I hope she's reinstated soon. This was just... horrendous.

[bigwillq]

66. Vilsack=another great pick.

:eyes:
:sarcasm: