Slideshow: Political scapegoats ‘thrown under the bus’
SLIDESHOW - Many of these individuals were caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and served as convenient scapegoats for some larger political agenda...
The Urban Dictionary defines the term “throw under the bus” as: “to sacrifice some other person, usually one who is undeserving or at least vulnerable, to make personal gain.” In the Obama administration, for example, green jobs czar Van Jones, ACORN, and now U.S. Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod were thrown under the bus. But the practice did not begin with the Obama administration. Throwing people under the bus, especially within the context of racial politics, is a time-honored tradition.
Metaphorically speaking, the political landscape is strewn with the victims of such bus-related incidents. Many of these individuals were caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and served as convenient scapegoats for some larger political agenda. Others did or said something that was twisted, misconstrued and used against them. Still, in other cases, their wounds were self-inflicted. With that said, theGrio takes a look through some pre-Obama moments in modern politics, at a mix of race-related bus victims.
WATCH ‘MORNING JOE’ COVERAGE OF THE SHERROD STORY:
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