Nelson Graves continues to whine

Submitted, letter to the editor
Published: November 6, 2008

Still whining after all this time. I made a small wager with a friend that regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, Nelson Graves would find some way to take a jab at white people. In his column Thursday (“A moment to celebrate”), he didn’t disappoint. As the only columnist pictured with a perpetual scowl on his face, it’s beyond me why this newspaper keeps this old curmudgeon around.

Not three paragraphs into his message, he is surprised that it wasn’t a landslide given President Bush’s low approval rating. Graves obviously hasn’t paid much attention to the polls showing that his beloved Democratic, do-nothing Congress has maintained an even lower approval rating. Then, after commending John McCain for a nice concession speech, Graves provides us with a history lesson dating back 400 years to the horrors that befell his brothers and sisters.

As for your white co-workers, Mr. Graves, I can safely bet they don’t want your empathy. I can assure you that without a large amount of financial and media support from the white community, Obama would still be a senator. The white Republican people around my water cooler were disappointed, to be sure, however they were not calling for anyone’s demise or recounts or rioting in the streets.

Your party and your man now run the machine. Democrats have been crying for the last eight years, so here’s your chance to show us something, and for God’s sake don’t ever let me hear again that “it’s Bush’s fault.”

Although I disagree with most everything Mr. Graves has to say, I do respect his right to say it. He will likely continue to spew his toxic rhetoric and I will continue to use his column as liner for a birdcage. It’s about the same make-up.

Phil Witry
Waynesboro