In the Blog
You know it’s bad when you can offend Fox News
Ralph Nader said in a Fox News radio interview that Barack Obama has a choice, to be “Uncle Sam for the people of this country, or ‘Uncle Tom’ for the giant corporations.”
While I agree that along with our embrace of Obama as a force for change, we should remain, as always, critical and watchful of our leaders, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with the folks at Fox News that his choice of words is offensive and racist.
Basically what it comes down to is this: US Presidents, governors, senators, and officials of all stripes have been at any number of times in league with corporations, for the good or the bad of the rest of the country. We should be aware of that sort of thing, even from the new hope. But no president before has been accused at those times of being an “Uncle Tom” or some other such racially charged term.
I guess I expected better of the guy I was totally backing when he ran with Winona LaDuke against Bush the first time around.