I was just watching a CNN news/commentary show, hosted by John Sciuto
I tuned in during the part where Sciuto, in the course of discussing the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) convention which ends this afternoon, showed a picture of the hall it is taking place in. The picture was shot from the back of the room and what you see is a huge number of empty seats, with a smattering of people toward the front.
Mr. Sciuto informed us that the picture was taken during a discussion of how CPAC could attract minority voters to the cause – the obvious implication being that CPAC members either did not care at all about minority voters – read that Black people – or thought it was useless to try to attract them.
Then, several minutes later, Sciuto had CNN\’s National Political Reporter, Peter Hamby, on. He again showed the photo – and, this time, asked Hamby, who was covering the convention, whether there was any story behind the empty seats (unlike the previous showing, when he gave no indication it was anything but what it appeared to be).
Only then did we find out, via Mr. Hamby, that a) the picture was taken during a lunch break, and b) in any event, the hall was “cavernous” and the seats in the back had never been filled at any time during the convention.
But by then, of course, the perceptual die was pretty much cast. Most people already had it etched into their being that CPAC, as a group, does not like and/or does not care about minorities/Black people.
Am I wrong to finish this blog by saying “mission accomplished”? You tell me.
