On September 11th, 2007, while most of us were remembering what we’d lost and feeling grateful for what we had, Ben (blogging as Not Larry Sabato) was thinking (as usual) “What can I do to stir the pot?”

What can I do to pay back those mean ODBA members for their baseless attacks on my best pal, Joey? All he did was link them to a group of pedophiles for crying out loud. Those big bullies. Where’s their sense of humor? I know! Racism! That always works! I’ll show them! And everyone will believe me because I’m a Democrat, I mean Democratic (almost forgot) and they’re just a bunch of conservatives! I’ll attack Jeff Evans, the bad man trying to unseat Joey’s pal, Roscoe! Once I declare Jeff a racist, issues and Roscoe’s abysmal voting record will be overlooked and I’ll be the hero! Clients will flock to Joey! We’ll be rolling in the dough and go to Red Lobster to celebrate! I’ll order calamari… no, make that two orders of calamari……

Since Ben couldn’t link Jeff Evans directly to being a racist, I’m sure he was delighted when he discovered Chip Hairston’s facebook page listing Chip as a member of a George Wallace Appreciation Society. I’ll bet that Ben thought he’d struck gold. After all, in BenWorld, a Republican candidate must certainly be held accountable for what one of their unpaid volunteers posts on their social networking page. It would also send a message to Chip and others like him that while we want his generation involved in the political process, they will only be recognized and respected if they are Democrats. Remember, this isn’t the first (and I doubt it will be the last) time Ben and his cronies attacked a Republican college student for what they posted on their facebook or myspace page. Goddess forbid a woman and/or person of color be conservative.

Chip took the high road and the time to respond to Ben’s attack post as well as some of the heartless comments left by those bold and courageous anonymous commenters. He explained that the group was formed to celebrate Wallace’s beliefs in states’ rights, an issue which should unite rather than divide us. Speaking of the comments section, this is where Ben states that he was aware that Chip was African-American when he made the accusation. I find myself questioning Ben’s mental health a little more than usual on this one:

So Ben, the point of all this is, the courtesy of a reply is requested. What were you trying to accomplish if not to smear Jeff and embarrass Chip?

If you choose to remain silent regarding this latest stunt of yours, I’ll accept that, Ben. But going forward, you must remember: No campaign is so important that any of us have license to recklessly play the racism card as you have. While you apparently can’t see past the tip of your own nose, ego or the next election, creating division between races can have dangerous consequences. If you don’t believe me, then ask the estimated twenty thousand people who gathered in Jena, Louisiana….