Jon Ralston on how phony accusations of racism in the political world contribute to cynicism and more racism

By Jon Ralston (contact)

Friday, Jan. 19, 2007 | 6:57 a.m.

When I heard that one of ex-UMC boss Lacy Thomas' cronies, who coincidentally has a contract with the county hospital, was crying racism and accusing Nevada of being a redneck state after his pal was cashiered, I could feel my racist impulses rising and my neck reddening.

Call me a racist redneck, but why is it whenever a member of the "black community" gets into trouble, we tend to hear that feeble cry of prejudice regardless of the relative merits of the case at hand? I don't recall any instance of an African-American politician getting into trouble here over the last 20 years - Yvonne Atkinson Gates, Frank Hawkins, Wendell Williams, Lynette Boggs McDonald - when skin color was not raised. It's a wonderful organizing cry, but only contributes to cynicism and more racism.

To her credit, during a taping of "Face to Face" on Thursday, Atkinson Gates renounced those comments by UMC contractor Bill Taylor, the Thomas friend with benefits. It is difficult for African-American politicians to assert pervasive, institutional racism in modern Nevada - no longer The Mississippi of the West. Many blacks have been elected or appointed to prominent positions - from the Las Vegas City Council to the Supreme Court.

But during that same "Face to Face" interview this week, Atkinson Gates also wondered whether CityLife columnist George Knapp was tying her resignation to Thomas' firing because both are African-American. And she also confirmed during the program that she met with a group of African-American staffers - including Thomas - right before she announced her retirement.

So that's the connection between her and Thomas - they are black? Not that she defended him before, during and after it became obvious he was at least negligent in keeping commissioners informed and at worst criminally culpable as the cops swooped down on UMC as he was being fired.

Call me a racist redneck, but maybe Atkinson Gates was vociferously defending Thomas, who was seen by many as hiding the ball on the real flow of red ink at UMC, only because he is black. She created the nexus by her behavior toward him - defending the indefensible and calling him into her inner circle before she resigned.

The real tragedy here during the two decades I have covered politics is how many African-American politicians with real potential have squandered their chances to become leaders with longevity. Hawkins, the Las Vegas councilman who held a for-profit golf tournament and invited those who came before him, had the tools to be as effective as any Chicago alderman. Williams, the assemblyman whose spectacular self-immolation was caused by a double-dipping scandal, might have been the first black speaker of the Assembly. And Boggs McDonald, the county commissioner and former Las Vegas councilwoman who lost because of residency questions, might have been a statewide or federal official someday.

Call me a racist redneck, but none of their problems had anything to do with the color of their skin. They no longer have elected titles because of their own missteps or misdeeds.

This is not to suggest that racism does not persist in Nevada or elsewhere. Of course it does. But I have often wondered if African-American politicians have benefited from their race because they have a card to play that white politicians in distress do not. And maybe certain black elected officials have been promoted to positions of prominence by whites whose latent guilt or backlash fears have motivated them more than selecting the most qualified person. Am I a racist redneck for suggesting so?

The good news is that there are young, African-American politicians here with great potential, including state Sen. Steven Horsford. I would suggest that it is incumbent upon elected officials such as Horsford to cry racism only when it's not crying wolf, to denounce those who would use the heinous charge as a rallying cry and thus diminish real prejudice when it occurs. That would be real, courageous leadership - and we have not seen that very often from this state's African-American political elite.

But perhaps I am a racist redneck for making such an observation.