Posted by
Mike Bates on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 1:48:19 PM
On CNN's absurdly named Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull program yesterday,
network political analyst Roland Martin again tailored his "facts" to support his liberalism.
He, former Bush staffer Ron Christie, and CNN political analyst Gloria
Borger were discussing Attorney General Eric Holder and his America is
"a nation of cowards" speech:
MARTIN: Ron, in the Black History Month -- Ron, in the
Black History Month speech he gave, he acknowledged yet when you talk
about in terms of not reaching the Promised Land in this country right
now. White women make 77 cents on the dollar compared to a white male.
African-American men, 72 cents, black women, 68 cents, for the exact
same job. So don't sit here acting as if somehow we have reached
equality when it comes to gender and race. He was simply being honest.
And Martin would have been simply honest if he hadn't claimed women
and blacks earn significantly less than white males "for the same exact
job."
The Census Bureau figures apparently cited by Martin are, as noted by John Leo in U.S. News & World Report in 2005, "a raw number, not adjusted for comparable jobs and responsibility."
Even the National Committee on Pay Equity doesn't
assert wage inequality for identical jobs is a widespread problem, but
rather contends it is the result of the types of employment held:
Many women and people of color are still segregated into
a small number of jobs such as clerical, service workers, nurses and
teachers. These jobs have historically been undervalued and continue to
be underpaid to a large extent because of the gender and race of the
people who hold them.
Wage disparities exist for many reasons. Martin's misstatement
blurs the discussion. Then again, that may be why he's so valuable a
member of the CNN team.