An Inclusive Litany

8/21/00

Interviewed on NBC's "Today" show on August 7, Louisiana Senator John Breaux said, "I think people don't care so much where [Senator Lieberman] goes to church on Sunday, but just that he has the moral values and principles to lead this country."

But apparently not everyone is on board. As soon as Vice President Gore's choice for a running mate was announced, Lee Alcorn, the president of the Dallas chapter of the NAACP, announced his qualms over the radio: "I'm concerned about, you know, any kind of Jewish candidate, you know. And I'm concerned about the Democratic Party. I'm sick of the Democratic Party taking the African-American vote for granted. If we get a Jew person, then what I'm wondering is, I mean, what is this movement for, you know? I think we need to be very suspicious of any kind of partnerships between Jews at that kind of level because we know that their interest primarily has to do with, you know, money and these kinds of things." Just before being fired, Alcorn complained that his comments had been taken out of context. To provide that context, he essentially repeated himself.