by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright October 10, 2005
All Rights Reserved.

hooting himself in the foot, former Reagan administration education secretary William J. Bennett told a national audience on his syndicated radio show “Bill Bennett's Morning in America” that aborting black babies would reduce the crime rate. Not long ago, Bennett, the author of the 1993 “Book of Values: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories,” was outed as a compulsive gambler, dropping millions in Las Vegas casinos. “I don't know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down,” said Bennett over the airwaves, engaged in an abstract discussion about abortion and crime rates. While Bennett offered a disclaimer, “that would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally repressible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down,” he didn't have a clue about the impact.

      Blaming the media for taking his remarks out of context, Bennett defended himself, calling the firestorm “ridiculous, stupid and totally without merit.” Bennett, who received his philosophy Ph.D. in 1967 for the University of Texas, has been in the media spotlight for years, serving in both the Reagan and Bush-41 administrations. He watched his friend former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) eviscerated in the press and lose his leadership position for “joking” Dec. 13, 2002 at Sen. Strom Thurmond's (R-S.C.) 100th birthday party that the country would have been better off had Thurmond been elected president in 1948, running for the segregationist Dixicrat Party. Lott, who paid a draconic price, has struggled to regain his credibility. Bennett, a leading conservative voice, is lucky he doesn't hold elective office, while conservatives attempt his rehabilitation.

      Bennett's defensiveness and lack of contrition has only added to his problems. “I was pointing out that abortion should not be opposed for economic reasons, any more than racism or for that matter slavery or segregation should be supported or opposed for economic reasons,” said Bennett, excusing his remarks. Lott's remarks paled in comparison to Bennett's, who, after doing his best to put his remarks in context and excuse himself, admitted “and your crime rate would go down,” revealing a cynical, racist side. Even White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said President George W. Bush “believes the comments were not appropriate.” Bennett's remarks were far more egregious than former Clinton Treasury Secretary and now Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers who said that women had less native mathematical ability than men—a remark for which he's paid a heavy price.

      Conservatives have long argued that the liberal media sets dual standards of political correctness for conservatives and liberals. That wasn't the case when former Los Angeles Dodgers' General Manager Al Campanis gave his now infamous 1987 interview—celebrating Jackie Robinson's 40th anniversary of breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier—with ABC's Ted Koppel on “Nightline,” saying that blacks were bred for athletics not the front office. There was no liberal or conservative test when Campanis lost his job. Blaming the liberal media or a left wing conspiracy is a favorite defense for conservatives caught in the cookie jar. Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas) used the same playbook, when he blasted Democratic Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle for a partisan witch-hunt. There's no possible context for Bennett to explain what he meant by aborting black babies.

      Theoretical discussions about racist crime theories have no place on the airwaves. While it's true that Bennett disowned the idea of “aborting black babies,” the statement itself embodies genocidal racism. Bennett debated an idea in the best-selling book “Freakonomics,” that speculated about the relationship between abortions and crime. Denouncing the concept of “aborting black babies” as “morally reprehensible” doesn't reverse the deeply offensive nature of the remarks. “He heard our outrage and our hurt, but didn't say he was sorry,” said Bakersfield city Councilwoman Irma Carson, insisting there was no acceptable context for Bennett's words. Considering Bennett's proximity to the GOP's best consultants, his inability to recognize the basics of damage control is truly astonishing. Whether he's racist or not, a good old-fashioned apology would go a long way in putting the matter behind him.

      No character witnesses can take away the deeply offensive nature of Bennett's inappropriate public remarks. No public speaker has the right to blurt out hurtful comments without accepting the consequences. Continuing to make excuses only prolongs the controversy, no matter how well intended. “I was putting forward a bad argument in order to put it down,” said Bennett, continuing to make more excuses. “They reported and emphasized only the abhorrent argument, not my shooting it down,” blameing the media when Bennett needs to take responsibility for making utterly unacceptable comments. No celebrity can expect forgiveness when public behavior crosses the line. Whether Bennett argues pro or con, or raises someone else's outrageous theory, he can't ignore basic rules of political correctness banishing racism from the public dialogue.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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