Kelly Anne Conway Sends Obama To The Back Of The Bus

On Friday's Larry King Live show, Republican strategist and owner of The Polling Company, KellyAnne Conway, stated that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were

"arguing about whether she should let him sit on the back of the bus of her presidential ticket."

Even by CNN standards, with its ample chicanery and spin, Conway's remark was brutal. Larry King's nightly program, usually more schmooze than news, was plunged to a Limbaugh-like low. Gratefully, Democratic strategist and Obama supporter, Jamal Simmons, was on hand to challenge Conway. Taking the high road, Simmons said:

"Larry, we have to address that. We have to address that. This 'back of the bus' comment is really beyond the pale. I think Senator Clinton, whatever our disagreements are between the two candidates, Senator Clinton has never done or said anything that would imply that she would rather have Barack Obama sit in the back of her campaign bus."

KellyAnne Conway, who holds a law degree from George Washington University and clearly understands the power of language, appeared surprised that her racist taunt wasn't jovially accepted by her host and fellow panelists. She was inordinately comfortable interjecting Jim Crow as a natural part of her dialogue. It was only after Jamal Simmons' immediate response that Conway knew she was in trouble. She countered unsuccessfully with:

"No, as V.P. As V.P. You're not paying attention. As V.P."

No amount of deflecting by Conway could detract from her callousness. Aside from radical conservative radio hosts like Ohio's Bill Cunningham, who recently incited an audience on behalf of John McCain, and bloated bigot, Rush Limbaugh, Conway's brand of hate speech has been kept pretty much out of the fray.

Sadly, that all changed last evening. KellyAnne Conway lowered the bar on civility --even for corporate media. Larry King was clearly disturbed by Conway's 'back of the bus' assault. He asked her if she had actually used the term and what she had meant when she used it. But King's simple question was not a true rebuke. Conway's racism deserved a strong on air condemnation from the host -- not the off-camera chiding that was likely to come. At 74 years old, Larry King should have witnessed the inhumanity and disgrace of Jim Crow throughout his youth and adult years. There was institutionalized racism in Larry King's native New York, and in Florida where he worked early on. White Americans weren't blind to the injustice. They just didn't suffer its pain -- at least not directly.

The fact is, all members of an unjust society are affected by its injustice. Conway's reference to 'back of the bus' should have inspired an instant reprimand from King, who holds an exalted position at CNN. Over the past seven years, in the administration of George W. Bush, historical errors have been repeated. Among them are the erosion of civil liberty. The imbalance of Bush's Unitary Executive has skewed the remaining two Branches of Government -- in particular, the Legislative Branch, which continuously succumbs to the Executive. But while the Congress is caving, The People are not. The People want change. Yet change won't come if America permits the revival of degradation. Terms like "back of the bus" have no place in our civil discourse.

Two years ago, on the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, I visited the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. At the Museum, I sat on a REAL Montgomery Bus. On that bus, in the very front row, sat a life size sculpture of the great Rosa Parks. Turned around in his seat to face Mrs. Parks was a life size version of the bus' white driver. Every few minutes, a booming voice filled the bus -- supposedly that of the driver -- commanding Mrs. Parks to get to the back of the bus. But the sculpture of Mrs. Parks sat regally, proudly and bravely in her seat, clutching the purse on her lap. It's an astonishing and overwhelming experience. The entire museum is breathtaking.

When I returned to Los Angeles, I shared my experience with a brilliant playwright friend, Joanne Morris -- a powerful African American woman who understood how deeply I was moved by my experience at the Museum. Joanne, an inspired, insightful artist, took my experience and created a theatrical rendition I was fortunate to perform this year for Dr. King's birthday.

The Civil Rights Museum should be required attendance for every American and every visitor to America. It should certainly be mandatory attendance for KellyAnne Conway. KellyAnne Conway should be forced to face the images of the tortures and the hangings and the beatings and the injustices that are vividly, painfully and necessarily displayed throughout this American historical treasure. KellyAnne Conway should sit on that same Montgomery bus in the presence of greatness and come to understand what a minor insignificance she is.

If you are disturbed and appalled by KellyAnne Conway's racist tactics, please let CNN know. Racism, particularly on the public airwaves, must not be permitted to occur. Call the CNN comments line at: [phone] or click here to e-mail the Larry King Live show.

Follow Linda Milazzo on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LindaMilazzo

Comments

[Devilsh]

Sorry not buying it as a racist comment. More of a flub. I would be shocked if the Obama team makes a fuss. "Back of the bus" lexicon in the context of the discussion isn't really racist. A poor choice of words maybe but racist? Really? REALLY?

[StephenSmoliar]

The idea of employing the "usual feedback channels" to either THE LARRY KING SHOW or all of CNN reminds me of one of my favorite lines from Walt Kelly's POGO: "I'd write a nasty letter to the mayor if he could only read!" That strategy is likely to lead to anything more than a gratuitous thank-you letter. The only way to protest is in the marketplace. In this case the way to do that would be through a mass boycott of King's program. This would quickly devalue the slots for commericals in his program, and that is the only language that CNN executives understand! (Needless to say, if you can pull that off for King, think of what you could do for those other CNN broadcasters who claim to offer something more substantive than schmoozing!)

[LindaMilazzo]

Mr. Smoliar....

You've suggested a marketplace methodology to boycott Larry King Live. Are you taking it upon yourself to lead the way -- or are you merely using your comments to ask others to do the work?

If you believe you can energize the activist community to boycott Larry King Live, then lead the way. Otherwise you're merely using your comment to dampen the simpler and more possible exercise of contacting the show and voicing opinion. Whether or not you choose to believe it, media does listen to criticism when they hear enough of it.

There are way too many like you, Mr. Smoliar, who ask others to undertake campaigns that require organization and leadership -- who never do the leading and organizing themselves. So, I ask you, Mr. Smoliar -- are you volunteering to lead the way in the boycott you champion by formulating a campaign to make it happen -- by spreading the word and engaging the activist community to follow your lead? Or did you make your comment and just go about your day?

One further point -- Since the campaign you encourage takes an enormous amount of work and collaboration -- why not put your effort toward more egregious culprits than Larry King Live? In this case, the Larry King show featured an inflammatory bigot in the form of KellyAnne Conway. However, King, himself, although he wasn't pro-active in addressing her racism, is benign compared to culprits like Lou Dobbs, Chris Matthews, Glenn Beck, every face on FOX and conservative radio hate spewers like Limbaugh, et al.

I suggest to you, Mr. Smoliar that you use your campaign to go after them rather than Larry King who isn't in no way a hate monger himself. However, Mr. Smoliar, something tells me you won't be undertaking a commitment to lead the way in the efforts you encourage. Talk is easy. Work is hard.

I suggest rather than discouraging the phone calls and emails I suggest, you take the time to do those simple tasks yourself. They will accomplish more than the campaign you're not likely to wage.

[StephenSmoliar]

I decided that the best way to sort out all these issues was with another blog post, which can be read at:

http://therehearsalstudio.blogspot.com/2008/03/observing-and-acting.html

[ruffmama]

OMG! I saw that and at the moment I was shocked. And I remember thinking at that time that the media outlets would surely be abuzz the next day over it and we would see and hear the fallout from that comment for days, but alas, this is the very first I have read about it anywhere.

[jalowe1957]

If you miss him from the back of the bus
and you can't find him nowhere
just go on over to the front of the bus
he'll be driving over there.

He'll be driving over there
he'll be driving over there
just go on over to the front of the bus
he'll be driving over there.