Last week, Spike Lee was interviewed by Vulture magazine and he was asked specifically on his thoughts on the Presidential election and Mitt Romney. Lee, never one to turn from controversy or hide his opinion, said that the election will be close but that it is Romney's faith which could lead to a loss in November.
A portion of the interview is below:
How do you think President Obama is doing?I support him; my wife and I gave a benefit for him at our house. But I think this election is going to be close. Bottom line, there are many people in America who look at themselves and say, “Am I better now than I was before?” It is going to be tooth and nail, and I think it is going to get nasty. But, in my opinion, if they are trying to bring up Reverend Jeremiah Wright again, they are really reaching. I hope and pray that people are not going to go for the Willie Horton okeydoke.
Do you think people will?
I got faith that they won’t. Honestly, though, the big question is, I think there will be a block of people saying, “I cannot vote for a Mormon.”
Are those people voting for Obama instead? That seems unlikely.
They got a tough decision: Obama or a Mormon. Their beliefs got them between a rock and a hard place.
What do you think of Romney?You know what’s funny? I met him in an airport, Reagan National Airport, and we said hello. It was, like, two, three years ago. I was just in D.C. and he was there and he said, “What’s up, Spike?” and I said, “What’s happening, Mitt?” We were in line getting something to eat. So I said what’s up and shook hands. I think it is going to be very, very, very close.
The radio crew took issue with a few points in Spike's argument, specifically his lack of faith in the American people and his invocation of Willie Horton.
Horton was a convicted felon who was sentenced to life in prison for murder. However, Massachusetts allowed inmates serving life sentences without parole weekend furloughs where they could leave the prison. Horton did not return at the end of his furlough, and twice raped a woman after knifing and restraining her fiance. President George H.W. Bush used the incident in campaign ads to attack Massachusetts Governor and political opponent Michael Dukakis who had defended the program.
"Willie Horton was a criminal, a murderer that was released because they were letting convicted murderers go away for the weekend from prison," Stu exclaimed. "That is a legitimate policy to criticize."
Glenn, meanwhile, said that despite America having periods of bigotry, in every case those periods have been overcome. Prejudice against Indians, African Americans, the Japanese and more have all existed but been stopped by the American people.
"We've conquered a lot of it. A lot of it. Look at how far we've come as a nation," Glenn said.
"Thomas Jefferson was right: The people are going to screw it up from time to time, but in the end they will get it right. We got it wrong on slavery, but in the end we get it right. We get it right in the end. We always do. Trust the people. Our time as a country hating people because of skin color and descent or religion is over," he said.
You can get Glenn's full response HERE
Corey Comperatore's firefighting gear outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images
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