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Why the Tapes Matter

Since a recorded conversation of Gov. Schwarzenegger making casually racist and sexist comments about a Latina legislator surfaced last week, nearly everyone in the political establishment and the media has rallied to his defense, or dismissed the comments as not newsworthy. For the record, this has included: every mainstream political columnist, several major elected Democratic leaders including, unbelievably, the Latino Speaker of the Assembly, and dozens of "political strategists" both named and unnamed.

Why is this?

I don't think it is actually because there is any question about whether what Schwarzenegger said on those tapes was casually racist. Refering to someone as part of a group of people who are "all very hot" because of the "black blood" and "Latino blood" coursing through their veins reflects the structural racism that no one can deny exists in California. The gaping hole in leadership on this matter is the only thing I can come up with.

Schwarzenegger does not get a free pass on this because no one is surprised that he would say such horrifying things, or because he is a "coarse" bodybuilder and former actor (thanks a lot, Matier and Ross, great analysis). He is the Governor of the largest and most diverse state in the nation. His rhetoric on taxes, immigration, higher education and labor unions, the policies he has pushed on those issues, and the ones he has prevented through his vetoes, only reinforce this structural racism. So have the comments and voting record of Republican Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, incidentally, who was the subject of Schwarzenegger's racist and sexist remarks.

Why are we, as a society, and especially among those of us engaged in trying to make change through politics, so afraid to have this conversation? How on Earth can the Speaker of the Assembly say the governor “has always been very respectful toward Latinos”? Even Republican Abel Maldonado knows that's not true.

In fact, the only person willing to show any kind of leadership on mp3gate was Phil Angelides, who rightfully said that the Governor's comments were a disgrace and show a pattern of offensive and inappropriate speech and behavior towards women and people of color. That statement, however, was promptly mocked by the media and is now lost in the flurry of stories trying to blame the Angelides campaign rather than Schwarzenegger for this mess.

Regardless of what all the pundits and the media say, that is the kind of leadership we need in California if we are going to create a place that is livable for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.

We have a long way to go. It starts with a conversation.

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