Video: The Best of Pat Buchanan (lately)

I hope Pat Buchanan keeps talking, but not because I agree with him or anything.

Video: Brian Williams high lites parts of recently released Nixon tapes

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

What some Republicans appear to be doing in their spare time

Update, Tuesday, June 16, 2009:

An apology was made by Sherri Goforth. I certainly cannot speak for anyone other than myself, but I am going to accept it period. Thank you Sherri.

“I also want to make it clear that it was forwarded to me from an acquaintenance with absolutely no political party ties and who is outside the Tennessee Capitol Hill arena. I should have deleted it upon receipt.

“Again, I am deeply sorry and offer a sincere apology to anyone offended.”

“I want to offer my deepest apology regarding the offensive nature of the email forwarded to several of my colleagues. source: Think Progress

I love Tennessee. It's a beautiful state with some pretty wonderful people. The true colors of some in the GOP are showing though.

Sad. Pathetic. Sad.

This is as disgusting as a the South Carolina GOP activist comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla.

Earlier today, a legislative staffer forwarded well-known West Tennessee blogger Newscoma, a picture they had been sent from another staffer. It's supposed to be an "historical keepsake photo" of the Presidents. But no picture of President Obama--instead, just a "spook." source: This Week With Barack Obama

La Raza, the "Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses"?

Republican Tom Tancredo, has been on television telling us all how bad Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court is because of membership in La Raza, which Tancredo decries is a racist Hispanic organization, referring to La Raza as the "Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses".

But as this video of both President Bush and John McCain publicly praising La Raza illustrates, the only comparison involving the KKK that Tancredo should make is between himself and a Grand Wizard. source: Jed Lewison at DK

To be fair, Mr. Tancredo isn't the only one making extreme claims about Judge Sotomayor.

Via Think Progress (by way of BarbMD at DK):

SHUSTER: Mr. Tancredo, do you agree that the Obama administration hates white people?

TANCREDO: Oh [sighs], I don’t know. But I’ll tell you this –

SHUSTER: You don’t know? In other words, they might?

TANCREDO: What do I — I have no idea whether they hate white people or not!

There's also G. Gordon Liddy.

He calls her a racist too. Keep it up guys.

LIDDY: Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when she’s menstruating or something or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad.... source: C & L

To the back of the bus and beyyyyoooonnnndddd! (think Mr. Lightyear)

I am White. I have never been asked to go to the back of the bus. Granted, I drive a 72-passenger flat nose/pusher almost every day so I'm in control of things on the bus, but sheesh.

Mr. T can't answer the question but I will. For the record, I don't think President Obama hates White People. I don't think he hates people in general. I can't look into his heart or peer into his mind that's for sure, still I really doubt that he has all that much time and/or energy to spend hating people anyway.

I look at his kids and his wife. Nah. Not haters. They look like lovers to me.

The Day in 100 Seconds

It is Friday, TGIF, I just wanna say, Sotomayor, highly qualified, a racist, divided, how to combat Judge Sotomayor, an opportunity to be serious, she's racist, 100% racist, reverse racist, kind of offensive, I'm a blue collar SOB, Woa!, take a step back here, son of a butcher, for kids at home, not how you win elections, race based justice at the expense of white males, care about civil rights, equal justice under law, hostility and bigotry, toward white males, working class guys who voted for Pat Buchanan, serious questions, serious stuff, that woman, stop breathing, no discrimination, between two angry white men, Friday, happy time, dancin' on the ceiling

Tom Tancredo in spiked heels? Yuck! Thanks a lot Sanchez!

One sentence in one speech in eight years says Eric Boehlert of Media Matters, for Tom Tancredo that makes Sotomayer a racist, even though the context in which she was speaking is left out of the racist repetition.

After listening to Tancredo, he really represents the style, tenacity and repetition of the Republican Party that won a lot of elections and wielded held a great deal of power and control over the all branches of government.

Take a little something-something and repeat it with great passion over and over and over again, (especially, if there is no basis in truth, no facts to be found) until it becomes 'true' in the hearts and minds of many people.

They always loves them some nuance too. Where there is nuance there is a Republican attack line.

Supreme Court Nominations: Creating a 'Hot Button Issue'

This was the closing paragraph from the post at Think Progress. I'm thinking it should be at the beginning for this post.

Remember, Tancredo is the lawmaker who called Miami a “third world country” because of the number of Latinos there, criticized presidential candidates for “pandering” by participating in a Spanish-language debate, and accused immigrants of “pushing drugs, raping kids, and destroying lives.” He said the issue of immigration is “whether we will survive.”

On The Ed Schultz Show, former Republican House member Tom Tancredo said that he doesn't care about the IQ of Judge Sotomayor, and he hasn't read any of the cases she ruled on, but because of remarks she made during a speech (the context of which brings a slightly different dimension to the words that Tancredo rattles off), she's a racist.

For more on the speech in question, see also below the video.

Creating a 'Hot Button Issue'

There is also analysis of the context of Judge Sotomayor's remarks that is being largely left out of this television discussion (because they can and nearly have to because of time constraints, commercials, and trying to talk over each other) which Media Matters addresses:

In fact, contrary to the suggestion that Sotomayor was commenting on the general judicial ability of Latinas and white men, Sotomayor was talking specifically about "race and sex discrimination cases." From Sotomayor's speech, delivered at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law and published in 2002 in the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal: read more here

Valparaiso Officials Speak Out Against Recent Racist Attacks

This article comes from my local newspaper. This is my City.

Along with this annoucement in today's paper, comes this article head line:

'White Power' spray painted on Jackson Township barn

VALPARAISO | Calling the recent series of racially motivated incidents in the city "an affront to our good name and the values to which we aspire," Mayor Jon Costas on Friday urged all residents to speak out against acts of intolerance.

Costas made the statement at a news conference, where he was joined by Valparaiso Schools Superintendent Michael Benway and Ivan Bodensteiner, chairman of the city's Human Relations Council. The conference was held to address four incidents in February and March in which racial slurs, vandalism and other apparently racist acts were committed at a business, at the high school, at a home and on a person's car.

[snip]

Benway said the schools are committed to the celebration of "cultural diversity as an essential element to the success of a pluralistic, democratic society."

"This commitment is directed toward the elimination of racism and the removal of cultural barriers to include intentional or unintentional discriminatory practices in classrooms, schools, offices, extracurricular activities and other workplaces," Benway said.

[snip]

Costas concluded by urging residents "to find opportunities to reach out in good will and build friendships with others who may be of a different race, nationality or creed. If you do so, we will have a stronger city, and we will leave a more valuable legacy for our children."

President Obama needs to take a trip to King County, Texas where 8 people voted for him

John McCain walked away with 93.2% to Barack Obama's 4.9% of the vote in King County, Texas. I think it would be a real hoot if President Obama made a stop one of these days to visit the folks in King County, Texas.

King County has more voters registered as Democrats, but still a landslide voted for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Some of the residents said it was a matter of trust and the McCain-Palin ticket was deemed to be more trustworthy.

Maybe the 8 people who actually voted for him would come out of the closet if he paid them a visit.

President Obama's picture removed by 'customer request'

I'm making President Obama's picture really big and bold for this article.

Take that!

Colordo Springs Gazette - President Barack Obama's picture was removed this week from a Presidents Day sign at the Peterson Air Force Base commissary after customers complained that the image did not fit the holiday commemorating the birthdays of past presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

The head of the local NAACP and a commissary employee say it was blatant racism. source: The Huffington Post

President Obama's picture is welcome on this blog, and it doesn't matter if he is purple, red, yellow or chartreuse.

I feel like a freakin' mother hen right now.

Not that that's a bad thing, but I am only three years older than the President for goodness sake.

We have a President who is not a pasty white guy. I am a white woman (who loves a lot of pasty white guys in her life by the way), still I find this not only totally refreshing, but it comes with a bonus. President Obama understands the complex issues that he is making decisions about.

He's smart. Imagine that?

Grow up and get with the program.

Olbermann honored at 2009 HRC Dinner, New York

source: The Political Carnival

GOP CD of 'Barack the Magic Negro' fame, also mocks the Latino population

There they go again, or maybe that should be rephrased to 'still'.

source: Daily Kos

We all know and love former Tennessee GOP Chair Chip Saltsman as the guy who distributed the CD with the song "Barack the Magic Negro". Overlooked in the hoopla over that racist song was another song on that CD -- The Star Spanglish Banner:

It's nice seeing two of the top candidates for the RNC chairmanship show their true colors. Chip Saltsman openly mocks blacks and Latinos. Katon Dawson admits he became a Republican because he was forced to go to school with black kids during desegregation. Saltsman and Dawson personify the kind of disdain for our nation's pluralistic diversity that has relegated their party to rump regional status.

I'd rather the GOP didn't produce stuff like this, but if they are going to, I suspect theu will find themselves on the side of another losing election cycle.

Kos also includes these gems of research data in his post.

• The size of the Latino voting population should be kept in perspective alongside other subsets of the electorate. An estimated 11.8 million voters were of Latino ancestry, compared with 17 million African Americans, 19.7 million veterans, 23.6 million young people, 45 million conservatives, and 34 million born-again white Christians. source: Center of Immigration Studies

• The Latino population, already the nation's largest minority group, will triple in size and will account for most of the nation's population growth from 2005 through 2050. Hispanics will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 14% in 2005.
  

• The non Hispanic white population will increase more slowly than other racial and ethnic groups; whites will become a minority (47%) by 2050 source: Pew Hispanic Center

I've also heard somebody in the Republican party on my television blathering about Democrats pushing social programs so that they can win more votes and maintain permanent control of the branches of government.

That would be bull. We don't choose to be Democrats because we are in love with social programs or excessive taxation. We are Democrats because somebody has to fight for the bottom and the middle, and for many of us the GOP isn't on our side.

We want to work. We want to earn. We want a living wage for our labor.

Democrats have advanced social programs in order to lift people out of poverty not to win elections, but because we believe in the principle of looking out for the common good and opportunity for the least among us.

The fact that corporate CEOs paid themselves lavishly in bonuses last year, while their companies failed, and many took corporate welfare by way of the TARP funds, is another shining example of how the deck is stacked against everyday Americans.

Bonuses and golden parachutes has been an ongoing practice for many years. CEOs have been getting paid lavlishly whether or not their companies were successful. The economic catastrophe is just shedding a giant ray of light on something that is nothing new, but an ongoing outrage.

Joliet, Illinois: Two charged with aggravated battery, mob action, committing a hate crime and resisting a police officer.

Innocent until proven guilty, but apparently in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Saturday, January 03, 2009 | 6:36 PM

Twenty-six-year-old Lucas M. Bailey of Wilmington and 26-year-old Jerry Bryant of Joliet are charged with aggravated battery, mob action, committing a hate crime and resisting a police officer.

source: ABC News 7 Chicago

Puff The Magic Dragon makes a come back - Co-Author of the song, Peter Yarrow doesn't like it one bit

I have not blogged about the 'satirical' (as the some conservatives refer to it) song that has been going around within the Republican party, as well as fodder for blogs on both sides of the political spectrum, the lyrics of which are to the tune of 'Puff The Magic Dragon'.

Well, until now I haven't.

The song 'Puff' which was made famous by folk group Peter, Paul & Mary, was co-authored by Peter Yarrow, a member of the singing group. Yarrow responds on The Huffington Post.

The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, "Barack the Magic Negro" is not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme. It flies in the face of America's deeply held hope for a new era in which common ground and mutual respect characterize the exchanges between our national leaders.

I and my co-writer of "Puff," Lenny Lipton, have been eagerly awaiting an end to the mean-spiritedness, outright disrespect and bigotry that was commonplace prior to this last presidential election. What might have been wearily accepted as "the way it was" in the campaign, is now unacceptable. Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not -- and taking a children's song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.

It is almost unimaginable to me that Chip Saltzman who sent the CD, would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree. source: The Huffington Post

• Celebs Talk Politics
  
  
  
  
  
  

The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, "Barack the Magic Negro" is not only offensi...

The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, "Barack the Magic Negro" is not only offensi...

And that's all I have to say about that.

The End.

Well, except for please enjoy this classic old favorite from my childhood.

The Political Carnival

Election Aftermath: From happiness to fear as racism in America rears it's ugly head again

This blog post draws awareness to the fact that all is still not well in America. Unconscionable. Wrong. Ghastly. Evil.

We watched as the McCain-Palin Campaign spewed the rhetoric, validated the hate inspiring e-mails that were propagated.

Many of us fought back in whatever ways we could. We talked to our friends and our neighbors. We confronted people's fears over the telephone and tried to dissuade and convince people that the lies and rumors were not true.

It doesn't matter to me whether it can be proved that the actions of McCain-Palin on the campaign trail contributed to this or not.

It certainly didn't help, and in that respect, it contributed.

Racist Terrorism Follows Obama Victory

By Casey Gane-McCalla November 11, 2008 10:57 am

Most of the post-election reaction to Barack Obama’s presidential win has been beautiful. People from all backgrounds, races, cultures and religions are elated to see such a good, decent, inspirational man become President. Many are proud of the historical significance of the United States electing a leader of African descent after the turbulent history of blacks in America.

There has also been a significant racist backlash in the wake of the election results. Which is not surprising. After seeing videos of the hate mobs attracted to McCain-Palin rallies, I politely declined an offer to cover election day in Pennsylvania or Ohio out of fear of being attacked by some angry bigot.

One of my greatest fears after the euphoria faded was that the irrational Republican crowds who were drilled into believing that Obama was a terrorist, communist, Muslim traitor would continue their anger toward the President-elect and his supporters. The campaign was heavy with racial undertones, from Rush Limbaugh’s racist rants to Sarah Palin turning a blind eye to someone yelling the N-word at a rally.

Sure enough, a few pathetic racists and violent extremists have been lashing out. Since election night, there has been a string of disturbing firebombings, assaults, and incidents of vandalism directed at African-Americans.

A black church in Springfield, Massachusetts burned down on election night. While I would like to believe it was totally unrelated to racism or Obama’s triumph, I am fearful that it was. If this was a hate crime in liberal Massachusetts, it is a painful reminder of the destruction and terrorism that greeted the civil rights movement, in particular the bombing that killed four little girls in a church in Alabama.

A black family near Pittsburgh had their car torched right outside their house, while they were watching Obama give his victory speech on TV. Before the cowardly arsonists burned the car, they tossed the family’s Obama yard sign through a window and spraypainted “Obama” across the trunk. The blaze almost caught the family’s house on fire, leaving them afraid for their safety in a home where four generations of black Pennsylvanians have lived.

This can only be seen as an act of terrorism. Instead of a burning cross on the family’s lawn, there was a burning car, symbolizing the torching of our new African-American president. Car bombings are something you’d expect to happen in Iraq, not America.

There was another election night incident in Staten Island, New York where a 17 year-old Muslim, African-American male was beaten with baseball bats by a group of white men who repeatedly yelled, “Obama.” This brings back memories of Yusef Hawkins who was chased and beaten by an angry mob in Bensonhurst during the summer of 1989, which resulted in his death.

Ali Kamara, beaten on election night

At North Carolina State University in Raleigh, four students admitted spraypainting an entire campus walkway with racist and violent threats including “Shoot Obama” and “Kill that nigger.” As disgusting as that display of bigotry was, it was encouraging to see nearly 500 students and school officials including the chancellor rally against the hate. In Austin, Buck Burnette, a back up center for the University of Texas football team, wrote on his Facebook page, “All the hunters gather up, we have a Nigger in the White House.” Burnette promptly apologized and was kicked off the team.

Like the examples set by NCSU and the University of Texas, we all must condemn any post-election outbursts of hatred or intimidation. While Obama’s presidency is a great thing for the nation, it may trigger what remains of the lunatic racist fringe to resume their old tactics of bombings and assassinations. Already the FBI and ATF have broken up two plots to kill Obama, each originating with radical white supremacist groups.

Clearly, this election was a statement on how much progress black Americans have made in this country and how much tolerance, acceptance and even admiration whites have for an African-American candidate like Obama. The cynic in me would like to talk about how far we have to go to reach a truly colorblind society, but the optimist in me prefers to consider how far we’ve come.

I actually thought we’d see even more hate crimes both before and after Obama’s victory. Rather than being standard among whites, blatant racism in 2008 has been marginalized. This is not to say average white people don’t have their own prejudices and stereotypes, but the dehumanizing bigotry that defined America during the Jim Crow era is now discredited. Just like Bloods and Crips don’t represent most black people, and Al Qaeda doesn’t typify the Arab world, bigots and white supremacists do not in any way showcase the general feelings of today’s Americans.

But terrorism perpetrated by radical racist extremists must be taken as seriously as attacks from radical Islamic extremists. We must condemn the culprits and support the victims just as we did during 9/11. Our country has matured considerably, enough to enter the age of Obama, but the fight against racism is not over. We cannot tolerate the acts of a lunatic fringe still caught up in the outdated philosophy of white supremacy.

To send a check to the rebuilding fund for the church that was burned down in Springfield, MA:

Macedonia Church of God in Christ, c/o Greater Springfield Council of Churches, 39 Oakland St., Springfield, MA 01108

Donate to the charitable fund set up to support the car bombing victims:

Whiteside Family Relief Fund, c/o First National Bank of PA, 4140 E. State St., Hermitage PA 16148

(Casey Gane-McCalla is a writer, rapper, producer and actor, and the assistant editor for NewsOne)

The Latest Outrage editor Erik Ose, a blogger from Chapel Hill, North Carolina who also writes for the Huffington Post contributed to this report.

for source - click here

SaxbyChambliss: Proud of the Energized Racists and Biggots in the Republican Party? Huh?

I'm not exactly sure what these folks think is happening. If Barack Obama were a candidate who sucked the big one, I doubt that folks, no matter what color they are, would be so energized to vote.

I don't deny it is a historic candidacy, especially for the black community, but Saxby Chambliss would do well to enter the realm of the 21st Century and bring his 'energized' folks with him.

On Wednesday, the chairman of the Hillsborough County, Florida Republican party forwarded an e-mail to several hundred party members that warned of “‘the threat’ of ‘carloads of black Obama supporters coming from the inner city to cast their votes.’” While the McCain campaign condemned the email, the sentiment does not appear to be isolated. As Tapped notes, earlier this week, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) proclaimed that the the “rush” of African-Americans to the polls has “got our side energized“:

“There has always been a rush to the polls by African-Americans early,” he said at the square in Covington, a quick stop on a bus tour as the campaign entered its final week. He predicted the crowds of early voters would motivate Republicans to turn out. “It has also got our side energized, they see what is happening,” he said.

Similarly, Chambliss has been warning his “predominantly white base” in North Georgia, “The other folks are voting.” read more here