U.S. Rep. John Conyers has a recent habit of throwing disreputable friends under the bus when controversies become to hot for his liking.
In 2005, he enthusiastically told Detroiters that his wife Monica was ready to serve on City Council. Four years later, when she was convicted of corruption and sent to prison, John acted like his wife and mother of his children was little more than some embarrassing distant cousin he sees every couple years at a family reunion.
This week, he runs away from Louis Farrakhan as though the Nation of Islam leader were on fire.
See, last week Conyers attended a local event where Farrakhan said bigoted and paranoid things about Jews. Conyers saw fit to condemn the minister Thursday, not so much because he was offended -- after all, he went a week without saying anything -- but because the Anti-Defamation League noticed. And the ADL didn't like it.
Let's take a look at Conyers' statement and break it down as the self-serving, insincere crisis management spin that it is.
“Last Friday, I attended a speech by Minister Louis Farrakhan at Fellowship Chapel in Detroit, Michigan. During this speech, Minister Farrakhan made unacceptable racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic statements, which I condemn in the strongest possible terms.”
A full week passed between this statement and Farrakhan's "unacceptable racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic statements." Perhaps John had a busy week and only now had time to express outrage. Or maybe his mind isn't quite as nimble as it used to be and it took him a week to process what he heard before realizing that it was "racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic."
“It was my expectation that Minister Farrakhan’s speech would focus on the many challenges facing the City of Detroit."
Why was that his expectation? Seriously. Farrakhan has made a career out of saying daffy, offensive things:
- He's compared himself (favorably) to Hitler.
- He aligned his organization with David Miscavige and Scientology, encouraging followers to take courses in Dianentics.
- He's acknowledged culpability in the environment that led to Malcolm X's 1965 assassination.
And that's before we talk about Farrakhan's long record of "racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic statements." Like any tinfoil hat nutter on a street corner, Louis Farrakhan is a crazy man who says crazy man things.
Are we really supposed to believe Conyers honestly thought that just this once Farrakhan would not be crazy and "focus on the many challenges facing the City of Detroit"? Did the congressman expect to hear how Detroiters must rid their bodies of negative thetans and build an autobahn?
"In previous days, he had discussed efforts to revitalize our city by purchasing property and investing in blighted neighborhoods. Regrettably, he used this opportunity to promote views that have no place in civilized discourse."
This is different from virtually every other time Louis Farrakhan opens his mouth how?
“The fact that Minister Farrakhan has engaged in important charitable work aimed at expanding economic opportunities for underserved communities does not excuse these statements."
No, it does not.
"I sincerely offer my apologies to my constituents and others who also may have been offended by the minister’s words.”
Ah, the classic non-apology apology to those who "may have been offended." Nothing about this apology suggests Conyers has any regret about lending the credibility that comes from half-century of public service to this paranoid bigot with a long track record of paranoia and bigotry. Nothing about this apology suggests Conyers is sorry he waited a full week to respond to Farrakhan's comments. And there's nothing in this apology to lead a reasonable person to believe he's sorry for anything other than being called out by the ADL.
When someone says they apologize to those who "may have been offended," what they are doing is not apologizing at all.
