Classism Joins Racism and Sexism in This Fetid Election

Ruben Navarrett Jr. on Oct 2, 2016

Yet when Lord mentioned Love, another panelist -- former Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod -- smiled and said this, in a dismissive and condescending tone: "He was [Obama's] body man. He was the guy who carried his bags and stuff. So let's not get carried away here ... "

Catch that? According to Axelrod, who supports Clinton, Love was just "the guy who carried [Obama's] bags and stuff." Given that Love is African-American, that comment was really inappropriate.

Here's what Axelrod was really saying: This isn't a credible source. This is a little person, an insignificant peon. Nothing to see here. Don't bother listening to him. Listen to me. I don't carry people's bags. I shovel verbal manure on TV. That's more honorable.

This may come as news to Axelrod, but Love graduated from Duke University with a degree in political science and public policy and then went on to get his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

I await the outcry from the diversity police, those overly sensitive, politically correct monitors of personal behavior who quickly label people "racist" when they step outside the line. Axelrod did just that.

Granted, the Democratic strategist is not running for president, and he doesn't have a documented history of racism.

But what he said, and how his fellow panelists just brushed it off, tells us a lot about why people have so much disgust for the media and the spin doctors that now pollute it.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.