Democrats Refuse to Back Rockefeller's Racial Attack Against GOP

Democrats Refuse to Back Rockefeller's Racial Attack Against GOP

After accusing Republicans of opposing President Obama’s agenda because he’s the “wrong color,” retiring Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) found no support among his fellow Democrats. Politico reports that “On Thursday, no Democrats publicly rushed to back Rockefeller’s assertion[.]”

Even Harry Reid, the radical and unbalanced Democrat leader of the Senate, refused to back his colleague.

“Between the two of them. I’m staying out of it,” Reid said. “I mean, it’s something I should stay out of and I’m going to.”

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), the only Republican in the room when Rockefeller made the remark, did comment. He fired back immediately:

It was regrettable and I would say it was offensive … that you would play the race card. That you would say that opposition to Obamacare necessarily must stream from some inherent racism? Very offensive. Listen, my opposition to health care has nothing to do with the race of President Obama.  It is the greatest assault on our freedom in my lifetime.

Senator Tim Scott, a black Republican from South Carolina who opposes Obama’s agenda as vigorously as any white Republican, told Politico that Rockefeller’s comments were about appealing to the “lowest common denominator” and were “inconsistent with the truth.”

Scott wasn’t sure whether offering his opinion to Rockefeller would make much difference and seemed to harbor no anger toward Rockefeller, regardless of how strongly he disagreed with him.

The president in my presence has said himself that Obamacare is a name that he likes. So to think that somehow there is a racial component to the name of Obamacare, is just ridiculous. And to think that we don’t like the health care law because of race is ridiculous.Obviously, I have no ill will toward the president because of his race. You know I just think it’s unfortunate that we find a way to try to divide and conquer. But, I can’t judge another man’s heart.

Rockefeller was elected to the United States Senate in 1985 and until 2010 was the junior West Virginia  Senator to Democrat Robert Byrd, who for nine years was a high-ranking member in the Ku Klux Klan. Less than a year ago, Rockefeller posted this tribute to “his great friend.”

UPDATE: Rockefeller’s party identification has been corrected. 

 

Follow  John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC              

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