Harkin, Grassley doubt Carter racism charge

By James Q. Lynch

The Gazette

Former President Jimmy Carter's observation that criticism of Barack Obama is racially motivated may have been misinterpreted, Sen. Tom Harkin said, but he stopped short of endorsing Carter's sentiment.

The Iowa Democrat was referring to Carter's comment that Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shouting “You lie” during Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress was “based on racism.”

“There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president,” Carter said. “Those kinds of things are not just casual outcomes of a sincere debate on whether we should have a national program on health care. It's deeper than that.”

Wilson, whose apology has been accepted by the president, has been rebuked by the U.S. House on a mainly party line vote, which Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley called “all political.”

“If it was otherwise, they would have accepted where the apology should have gone and it did go to the president,” Grassley said when asked about Carter's suggestion of a tone of disrespect toward Obama.

Both Harkin and Grassley expressed respect for Carter, a one-term Democrat elected in 1976, but neither defended his remarks.

“Quite frankly, I admire Carter who sometimes speaks truth to power, who gets to the heart of things once in awhile,” Harkin said.

Grassley said he liked Carter “as an individual,” but said the former president's remarks seemed to be part of a larger effort to marginalize criticism of Obama by calling it racist.

“People who were very supportive of the president and his programs indicated same thing that these attacks are racially motivated,” Grassley said about comment he heard at town hall meetings he held around Iowa in August.

Some of them may be, Harkin said, but that is not the overarching sentiment of those who criticize Obama and his plans. “I think there are legitimate concerns.”

Harkin referred to different “slices” of public opinion. There's a slice that wants to see Obama fail and another slice with monetary interests in maintaining the status quo, for example.

“Is there a racially motivated slice? Probably so. A thin slice,” Harkin said.