Letters to the Editor: The simple reason Republicans picked Herschel Walker — celebrity, controversy, and “Herschel” — to run against Barack Obama was because he was an African-American.
What does it take, after all, to get one of the most prominent African-Americans in American history to run against a black man? Obama was not merely running against a black man. He was running against a black man who was the current president of the United States.
Obama was not only running against a black man. He was running against the current president of the United States as a black man.
The other obvious reason Republicans did not pick Johnson was that he was white. To Republicans, it was irrelevant that Johnson was the first African-American to have served as president of the United States. To Republicans, it was irrelevant that Johnson was the last. To Republicans, it was irrelevant that Johnson served four terms as president. To Republicans, it was irrelevant that Johnson was the first Democrat to be elected president.
As for the current president of the United States, Democrats have been trying to make the point that his race, as well as his religion, have nothing to do with his ability to serve in the office of the presidency.
The reason Republicans did not pick Obama was because, even though Obama is president, he is but a human being. Obama is a man, not a president. The reason Republicans did not pick Johnson was that he was a human being, not a president. His time in the Senate was but a shadow of the office of the presidency. His time in the Senate was merely that of a senator.
Democrats have been making the point that his race, as well as his religious faith, have nothing to do with his ability to serve in the office of the presidency. What do you expect Republicans to think about any of that?
They would think that he was one of their own. They would think that because he was an African-American, that he was qualified to be president of the United States. They would think that because he was Jewish, he was disqualified from serving as president. They would think that because he was Catholic, he was disqualified. They would think that because he was a man of a certain faith, he would not be the right man for the office.
That, dear readers, is why Republicans did not pick Johnson.
Johnson