The Pink Flamingo :: Defending Steve Cohen - He's a Decent Guy (Even If He Is a Liberal Democrat)

Here is a copy of the Steve Cohen - KKK ad that has allegedly been removed from YouTube. I don't know how long it will be up. Tinker has removed it from her site. This is par for the course with Tinker who has been hitting Cohen with a barrage of anti-Semitism for months. The most tragic aspect of this? Cohen has endorsed Barack Obama who refuses to come to his defense, saying it is just a primary. Obama is now the head of the Demoratic Party. John McCain quickly decries anything that might be construed as the least bit racist. Too bad his opponent can't do the same thing. Then the Video of Cohen Kicking a Reporter out of his House.

Steve Cohen is one of the most liberal members of Congress. For twenty years he has been a very good neighbor and friend to my sister and everyone who lives on their street. Like my mother said, this evening, after seeing the clips, "There's not a racist or vicious bone in that man's body. He's a very decent person." (Cohen can't help it that he's a liberal Democrat).

It all has to do with a racist ad run against Cohen and Emily's List supporting opponent Nikki Tinker. Tinker remove the ad from YouTube after it received national publicity and did the necessary damage to Cohen.

"...In an interview, Mr. Cohen acknowledged his role in the controversy over the park in 2005 when he was on a downtown development board, which included proposals to remove a statue of Forrest and his remains, which are buried in the park. Mr. Cohen opposed the renaming, and the proposals to rename that park and others fizzled, having failed to garner support even from some high-level black officials. “I am a fan of the community not getting unraveled over the removal of a pair of bodies,” Mr. Cohen explained this week. He called the advertisement linking him to the Klan “about as improper as one could ever fathom.” He added. “It’s not like Nathan Bedford Forrest was inviting Jews over to celebrate Seder.” Referring to Ms. Tinker, Mr. Cohen said: “She’s trying to drive black votes to her side and to make this a rallying point for African-Americans. I think it’s totally backfired.” Ms. Tinker did not respond to phone messages. A campaign aide, Glenn Rushing, said in a brief interview: “The ad does not link him to the Ku Klux Klan. It makes it clear he voted against removal of the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest.” Myron Lowery, vice chairman of the Memphis City Council and one of Mr. Cohen’s black supporters, called the advertisement irresponsible. “Mr. Cohen does not have those values,” Mr. Lowery said. “His values have been rooted in this community, for diversity and respect for individual rights. This man’s record is impeccable. He has been a strong supporter of African-Americans.”..."

This election cycle Cohen has been subjected to a constant and almost unending stream of anti- Semitism from his opponent, Nikki Tinker. The most recent version has allegations of KKK associations, simply because he is white and refused to go along with the idiotic idea to disinter the remains of Nathan Bedford Forest from a Memphis park!

"...Cohen's campaign pushed back vigorously on the ad, holding a press conference Saturday with many black politicians and elected officials showing their support. "To take someone like Steve Cohen, with his reputation and experience in this community and to suggest he has any association with or should be juxtaposed to the Ku Klux Klan is outrageous," said Jerry Austin, Cohen's campaign manager. Bailey recommended raising the issue late in the campaign this year to show that Cohen, who last week got his apology for slavery through Congress, is insensitive to efforts in July 2005 to remove what are to many the hated symbols of the Confederacy. Cohen voted to oppose a resolution before the Center City Commission to disinter the remains of Forrest, the Confederate general linked by many historians to the early days of the Klan, "notwithstanding how he understands how strong some of us feel about it and what it symbolizes," Bailey said...."

From the WPost Blog

'...if you thought race was an uncomfortable issue in the Democratic presidential primary, wait 'til you get a load of what's going on in the Democratic primary in the Memphis area's 9th District of Tennessee, where a shockingly worded flier paints Jewish Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) as a Jesus hater. "Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen and the JEWS HATE Jesus," blares the flier, which Cohen himself received in the mail -- inducing gasps -- last week. Circulated by an African-American minister from Murfreesboro Tenn., which isn't even in Cohen's district, the literature encourages other black leaders in Memphis to "see to it that one and ONLY one black Christian faces this opponent of Christ and Christianity in the 2008 election."..."

There is a bottom line here. Steve Cohen is my sister's friend. He's a nice guy. No one deserves to be treated to such a barrage of racism, no matter what religion or color. It's too bad the party he so loyally supports doesn't have the courage to come out and defend him for fear of upsetting some racial balance. Looks like Republicans are the ones defending Cohen. I know some of this man's friends. They are NOT racists. Neither is he. There is no excuse for this behavior. There is no excuse for Barack Obam not to defend one of his most loyal supporters. I guess he's not thrown Steve Cohen under that bus.

Dime con quien andas y te digo quien eres.

08 Bloggers Alliance