I realize this will sound a bit crazy, but I like Shirley Sherrod. Not like in the sense of wanting to get all warm and cuddly with her, mind you, but like her in the sense that I like Cindy Sheehan, or anyone else who puts the lie to these awful ruling class people. I have called them "they" in post after post.

Anyway, their narrative is that anyone who disagrees with President Obama is a racist, and basically anyone who disagrees with them is a racist. The "YOU'RE A RACIST IF YOU DISAGREE" meme has been so absurd for so long that it couldn't have gotten any absurder.

Until Shirley came along, that is.

It's like, it wasn't enough for her to call Andrew Breitbart a racist. In order just to tread the "I must remain relevant" water, she had to come up with a new trump card. Like not just "you're a racist!" (sorry, but it's woefully inadequate), and not even "you're really REALLY a super SUPER racist," but that's not enough either, because the word "racist" is losing its ability to get any attention at all. So she was in kind of a "what do I do to keep afloat?" situation. Trying to tread the waters of competitive, constantly escalating political hyperbole when all opposition and all enemies are by definition "racist" must be incredibly tough.

How do you come up with a super super racist racist insult of all insults?

In Sherrod's case, she had no alternative than to say "YOU WANT TO BRING BACK SLAVERY!"

Considering the totality of the dynamics, who could blame her? Put yourself in her position theoretically (if you dare), and you might have found yourself doing the same thing.

The problem is that regardless of its political necessity (and probably because of it), her charge is completely ridiculous on its face.

And best of all, it makes them look ridiculous!

So they have to keep poor Shirley off the telly because of it.

That's sad. I want her on the telly!

Despite my videophobia, I almost would have considered watching her.

So would a lot of people.

Don't ratings count anymore?

MORE:Via Glenn Reynolds, Ed Driscoll notes that Sherrod possesses (or at least has had it bestowed by Salon's Joan Walsh) a special privilege called "Absolute Moral Authority":

...because Shirley Sherrod's father "was murdered by a white farmer, and there were witnesses. And the white justice system never found the murderer guilty. She's entitled to talk about race any way she wants to."

Walsh would extend the same Absolute Moral Authority card to Pastor Bryant, a former regional president of the NAACP as well, right?

A pity, really.