Representative Lynn Jenkins' Remark About "Great White Hope"

Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)


You will note that immediately prior to this post, I posted an article on Diane Watson's claim last night in Los Angeles that President Obama's opponents are motivated by a desire to defeat him because he is black. I strongly disagree with that statement. Not that there are not some people like that out there, but that Watkin's has chosen to smear all of Obama's opponents with the same wide brush is despicable, unfair and inaccurate. Yet, at the same time, were I to ignore the news that came out today about a comment made by a Republican congresswoman, I would be intellectually dishonest.

Today, it was revealed that on August 19, Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) told a crowd of her constituents in Topeka that the Republican Party needed a "great white hope" to oppose the Obama policies. For some strange reason, it has taken a few days for the remark to be publicized. A Jenkins spokesperson has said that the congresswoman apologizes for a poor choice of words, but that no racial intent was involved.

Well, I don't know, but if Jenkins didn't imagine that the left would jump all over that, she must be too stupid to hold public office in the first place. Now that the story is out, you know that Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Rick Sanchez and Rachel Maddow are going to beat that like a drum. "There it is, folks. Proof positive that the Republicans and their town hall stooges are all a bunch of racists."

Rep. Jenkins is going to have to do some public explaining. The cameras and the microphones will be beckoning. She should also apologize for putting her party and her supporters in a negative light. Her comment was outrageous, and she should have known the connotation it carried. Our side should be bigger than our opposition (who will never condemn Watkins for her remarks)and acknowledge it.