Jim Devine writes: >> that said, I don't know if it fits Allen West or not, but it's common >> for white folks -- including conservatives -- to cultivate black >> spokespeople who agree with them, simply to avoid the "racist" label >> (either in the eyes of the public or their own). For example, I can >> see no other reason why Thomas Sowell has been able to publish so many >> books and get so many honorariums. He's quite mediocre as an economist >> and a writer. And why did Michael Steele become chair of the GOP? And >> why was Clarence Thomas able to join the Supes?
The theory presented is that the TP is racist. You appear to be saying that the very fact that the TP (or conservatives) go out of their way to favor minorities evidence the theory. What is the test that would disprove the thesis? There is clearly a conservative fascination with black intellectual conservatives, precisely because they are black and rare. I would argue that it is conceptually no different, at worst, than the Leftist fascination with a guy like Norman Finklestein when it comes to Israel. However, to the extent your criticism is based upon Sowell's mediocrity, that doesn't work, because that is not how conservatives think of Sowell. Sowell has been a public intellectual for more than 30 years and nobody on the conservative side thinks of Sowell as a mediocrity, or that they are condescending to Sowell by reading his articles and books. With respect to Thomas on the Court, no different than Obama appointing Sotomayor. David Shemano _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
