Mississippi conservatives need not apply
Can a white male conservative from Mississippi be elected President of the United States?
That’s the question for Republicans, and ultimately the nation, as Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, incoming chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, headlines fund-raisers in Iowa and New Hampshire, the states that will launch the 2012 presidential campaign.
By all rights Barbour should be a front-runner for the nomination. He’s conservative, a smart strategist, well-connected in Republican circles and he’s been a first-rate governor. During Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, he was a star performer, in contrast to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco who never quite got it together.
Former RNC chairman Ed Gillespie describes him to the Associated Press as “a happy warrior who stands up for conservative principles.” He was one of those few conservative governors who rejected some federal stimulus money because of the strings attached. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Sarah Palin of Alaska, other 2012 contenders, took similar positions.
Sanford is a white male conservative from the South, too, and he can be elected President because he’s from South Carolina, not Mississippi. I don’t think Haley Barbour, no matter his credentials, can win the Republican nomination because no white male conservative from that state can be elected President for decades to come. Liberal yes, conservative no. There’s too much prejudice elsewhere in the country from potential voters who equate Mississippi with redneck politics.
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251 comments Add your comment
Redneck Convert
June 15th, 2009
8:17 am
Well, what’s wrong with redneck politics, is what I want to know? If it wasn’t for us the South wouldn’t be Republican and we would of had Al Gore as President. Wooten is just talking crazy. The rest of this country got it in for us Southreners just because a few of Those People got shot and beat up while protesting and going against Law and Order. We tried to do what’s right, like standing in the schoolhouse door when they tried to integrate us and making sure the votes of good White people counted. Now they want to act like we were all wrong.
Anyhow, we need to be talking about breaking off from the U.S. of A. and becoming the Southren States of America. We don’t need to be talking about if a Mississippi guvner can get elected President of the U.S. of A. Me, I think old Haley Barbour is about the best politican the South can turn out. He’s the closest thing to old Strom Thurmond we got. I would vote for him in a heartbeat.
Have a good day everybody.
Steven Daedalus
June 15th, 2009
8:17 am
To answer your question. God I hope mot.
catlady
June 15th, 2009
8:35 am
A liberal from Mississippi could not be elected, either. Nor from Alabama. Some prejudices run deeper than black and whie.
JF McNamara
June 15th, 2009
8:50 am
An African American with the middle name of Hussein was just elected. I think that clearly demonstrates that the American people can look past stereotypes and elect the most qualified person.
If he has a good record and fits what we need for the country, he will be elected. I think people understand its not 1960 anymore.
Rickster
June 15th, 2009
9:01 am
It’s too bad. Haley Barber was the head of GOPAC (the Republican political action committee) during the GOP’s heyday. He’s an articulate proponent of conservative policies that proved themselves during the ’80s.
It’s just too bad that he speaks with a southern drawl. Too many people will automatically discount him.
Jackie
June 15th, 2009
9:06 am
Like anyone else, anyone that was born in the and is 35 or more years of age, can run for President.
Most citizens have become more sophisticated in their selection criteria, therefore, the accumulated individual record will be the preliminary criteria.
deegee
June 15th, 2009
9:06 am
Oh, good. The Republicans are going to nominate a candidate based on the candidate’s home state and whether or not the candidate rejected some stimulus money. That should really draw the independent voter back to the republican party. Twenty percent and dwindling.
roadie
June 15th, 2009
9:12 am
When the electorate agrees with us we tend to say that the electorate is smart. When it doesn’t we tend to say it is biased against us. I agree that Haley Barber would probably lose about 45 states (and so would Mark Sanford and Bobby Jindal, Palin would lose 47) but I take that to mean that white male southern conservatives (a bit of redundancy there)haven’t shown the rest of the country that they have any ideas that interest the rest of the country.
Randyt (aka Been there, Done that, Got a Closet FULL of t-shirts)
June 15th, 2009
9:17 am
Until and unless the Republican party redefines itself and actually lives those principles, it will be hard for the party to reclaim the White House. The biggest single reason for the massive Republican defeats is that they lost vision and in the end tried making as many promises as a Democrat to try to win. Stop pandering for votes and try to find a mission statement, a vsion that you can believe in…or the whole country will go down the tubes.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
9:21 am
Haley is a great governor. I remember watching and listening to Chris Matthews tear down Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Haley let that scum bag joke of a human being have it. I hope he does run because 2 out of the last 3 democrat presidents have come from the south. It’s time we had a good conservative southerner become president.
Thogwummpy
June 15th, 2009
9:23 am
We’ve turned our representation system into a demographic hash-fest…it’s all about who can be the most appealing to victim group empathies; not about what policies are actually wise. Thusly, we get moonbats. Let’s face the fact, had Obama been a white guy…his resume would have gotten him laughed out of the Democrat primaries early on. It’s all about “look how nice I am to minorities by voting this way”, as people have this stupid idea that their vote somehow makes them enlightened than their neighbors…they ‘wear their goodness as a garb’. If you think I’m wrong, ask someone that voted for McCain how many times they’ve been automatically called a “racist” by Obama supporters—even complete strangers, for it tends to be the first thing out of their mouth.
Curious Observer
June 15th, 2009
9:25 am
Those good old boys in Mississippi took particular pleasure in revealing their savagery on TV to the rest of America during the civil rights struggle. As a result of their efforts, Mississippi politicians are forever branded as racists in the national conscience, no matter how unfair that might be. Actions have consequences, and those consequences weigh heavy on any presidential aspirations of Haley Barbour. Some Georgia politicians might consider Barbour’s situation while they are barking about seceding from the union and devising ever-more-subtle means of discriminating against minorities at polling places.
Troglodyke
June 15th, 2009
9:26 am
Depends on the way the winds blow in the next 3 years, doesn’t it?
It SHOULD be about who can run the country the best, but we all know that’s not what it’s about. Both parties pander shamelessly.
I do not believe that the reign of the white male is over, as some have predicted. So yes, to answer your question, I think so.
Wes
June 15th, 2009
9:30 am
I agree that many around the country would be skeptical – even biased – against a right wing conservative with a thick southern drawl, hailing from a state that is the butt of far too many jokes.
But biases are the nature of politics. Barbour’s difficulty would be no different than middle America’s refusal to elect politicians from “Taxachusetts,” or from the South’s conscious refusal to elect candidates who aren’t lucky enough to be from this region. Barbour will never become president, but largely because he’s just too conservative given this country’s current demographic shift. He might be too Southern too, but that’s just part of the game.
Boots
June 15th, 2009
9:37 am
The rejection of stimulus money by the aforementioned governors is nothing but posturing for 2012 — and in many incidences, denies their states of much needed funds.
Haley is a “good ol’ boy” that I’d really enjoy having a beer with, but what has he done for Mississippi or than not embarrassing them? Has he had any affect on their tragic educational rankings? Drop out rate? Has he brought business and industry (other than casinos) to his state? Does he have any positive ideas about how to deal with the economic challenges of the country other that the old song about lowering taxes on businesses and it’ll all “trickle down.”
The Republicans lost not because they’re not conservative enough, but because they were like a deer caught in the headlights — they have 20th century solutions to 21st century problems.
And, like Depass of South Carolina, can’t move beyond certain mindsets that should have fallen by the wayside 40 years ago.
Ga Values
June 15th, 2009
9:40 am
Haley Barbour maybe a Republican but he is no CONSERVATIVE, until his death bed convsrsion about rejecting part of the stimulas bill he was known for getting earmarks and taking care fo his friends. Has anyone forgotten his try to move the CSX rail line at taxpayer expense after it had just been rebuilt at taxpayer expense. Our party needs a real Conservative like Dr. Paul not another borrow and spend “Republican”
AmVet
June 15th, 2009
9:40 am
Let’s all for one moment hypothetically contend that the irrefutable and massive problems for the imploding GOP are based on failed reactionary strategies by a regionalized (read Southern) cadre of old white guys who are completely out of touch with the 21st century realities.
Hey, I’ve got an idea!
Let’s trot out Haley Barbour as the solution!
Can you say Bloodbath Part Three? Coming to an election everywhere Nov. 2012.
retiredds
June 15th, 2009
9:42 am
Jim, et. al. There are several good reasons that Barbour would have great difficulty being elected President. (1) Conservative is no longer conservative in its truest sense. Too many political hacks in the Republican Party have so misused the term that to make the claim, as many do,is meaningless. (2) Rush, Newt, Hannity, Palin, and other political opportunists have destroyed what credibility the Republican Party had. The “drill baby drill”, “my way or the highway”, the world is 6,000 years old, crowd has no credibility with mainstream America. (3) The “red state” South has lost all its clout because of its love affair with the likes of #2. (4) Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and the Gov. of South Carolina have no inspiration for younger voters. (5) The 8 years of Bush/Cheney will dog the Republican Party for at least the next eight years until a new brand of leadership and credibility of its leaders becomes more solid. (6) As long as the religious right continues to dominate the party it is doomed to second-rate status. (7) Finally but not least, the Republican message is stale. There is much more but that would be beating a “dead horse”. To say that Gov. Barbour has a heavy yoke around his neck is being kind. He might be a good man, administrator, conservative, etc. but his party lacks integrity and a view toward positive change.
Big Bucks GOP
June 15th, 2009
9:44 am
The latest act in the A.I.G. drama opens Monday when the insurance
giant takes its former chief executive to court, accusing him of
plundering a trust.
A.I.G. contends that Maurice R. Greenberg, 84, who ran the company for
decades, unlawfully took $4.3 billion in stock in 2005, the year he was
forced out as chief executive.
Mr. Greenberg and his lawyers say that those A.I.G. shares — owned by
Starr International, a privately held company, of which he is chairman
– were not held in a trust at all. As Starr’s chairman, they say, Mr.
Greenberg had the authority to sell the shares.
The government bailout of A.I.G. occurred after the main events in the
case, which revolve around the intricacies of trust and securities law.
But the trial may delve into the broader questions of who is
responsible for A.I.G’s near collapse and whether, as chief executive
of A.I.G., Mr. Greenberg was more preoccupied with financial maneuvers
than with fostering sound risk management.
For his part, he has accused the government of destroying a company
that he nurtured.
Tyler Durden
June 15th, 2009
9:44 am
Jeez, maybe if the Repugnants learned to walk the walk, they’d have a chance. Sadly, they’re now just a one-trick pony: wedge issues and the echo chamber of talk radio. If the last two cycles are any indication, we’ll actually have about 7 years to fix the Bush mess. And then, if the Democrats can’t sustain their momentum, shame on them. It ain’t like the GOP hasn’t been doing their damndest to give it to us on a platter.
Big Bucks GOP
June 15th, 2009
9:46 am
Anheuser-Busch Inbev has put its operations in seven Central European
countries up for sale, according to the Belgian daily Le Soir.
Big Bucks GOP
June 15th, 2009
9:49 am
A bankruptcy court judge in New Jersey approved the sale of the
Tropicana Casino and Resort to a group of creditors led by Carl C.
Icahn.
Big Bucks GOP
June 15th, 2009
9:49 am
The billionaire financier George Soros, speaking a banking conference
Friday, said that credit default swaps were “instruments of
destruction” that should be outlawed.
Boots
June 15th, 2009
9:50 am
Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter et al spoke openly about their disdain for McCain and McCain spoke openly about his lack of understanding regarding the economy. On the verge of a global financial meltdown, McCain reaches out to fortify his deficits by selecting Sara Palin as his running mate and Joe the Plumber as his economic advisor.
This is why so many “thinking white guys” voted for Obama. At least he’s bright and articulate and, even with his lack of experience, didn’t fly off and select some obscure governor as his running mate.
Big Bucks GOP
June 15th, 2009
9:50 am
Hartford Financial Services Group’s shares fell Friday after the big
property and life insurer said it would take as much as $3.4 billion of
federal bailout money and sell up to $750 million of common stock to
bolster capital after large losses on investments.
Big Bucks GOP
June 15th, 2009
9:52 am
The U.S. health-club operator Bally Total Fitness Holding has reached a
deal with lenders on a plan to help it exit bankruptcy.
Bo Chambliss LOBBYIST
June 15th, 2009
9:57 am
Haley is my type guy, we can do business together, got to get back to work dad & I are shaking down banks this week.
In 1991, Barbour helped found Barbour & Rogers, LLC[5], a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm, with Ed Rogers, a lawyer who formerly worked in the George H. W. Bush administration. In 1994, Lanny Griffith (also a former Bush Administration appointee) joined the firm to form Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, LLC. In 1998, Fortune magazine named Barbour Griffith & Rogers the second-most-powerful lobbying firm in America.[6] In 2001, after the inauguration of George W. Bush, Fortune named it the most powerful.[7] The firm has made millions of dollars lobbying on behalf of the tobacco industry.[8]
Bo Chambliss LOBBYIST
June 15th, 2009
10:02 am
little more from Wikedia, man Saxby & I are rolling in the money this week.
Barbour has been accused of personally profiting from Hurricane Katrina recovery.[45] Barbour is an owner of the parent company of lobbying firm Barbour Griffith & Rogers Inc., and he receives a pension and profit-sharing plan benefits from it.[45] The lobbying firm has lobbied the state to give recovery contracts to its clients.[45] Some of the proceeds of the firm’s lobbying activities are deposited into Barbour’s investment account.[45] According to Barbour’s attorney, a blind trust executed in 2004 prevents Barbour knowing the composition of his investments in order to eliminate any conflicts of interest.[45]
Barbour has also received criticism for his refusal to approve a bill to increase the cigarette tax and decrease the grocery tax passed the state House of Representatives. Mississippi currently has the third-lowest cigarette tax and the highest grocery tax—while being the poorest state in the country. Barbour stated that the lack of revenue generated after the tax swap would quite possibly result in bankrupting the state government which was already fragile due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The House of Representatives could produce no figures to dispute this assertion. Also, in his successful 2004 campaign, Barbour ran on the platform that he would veto any tax increase.[46] The criticism was compounded by the fact that he broke his anti-tax pledge by advocating higher hospital bed taxes.[47]
Fred Thompson’s campaign finance investigation found that Barbour, as RNC chair, was involved in illegally raising money from overseas sources.[48]
In September 2008, Democrats accused Barbour of trying to influence the outcome of the 2008 Senate race by placing the candidates at the bottom of the ballot. Since Mississippi electoral law mandates the placing of federal elections at the top of the ballot, Barbour was ordered by a circuit court to comply with the ballot laws.[49]
Farsider
June 15th, 2009
10:04 am
Barbour on the surface has many strengths. He is a skilled political operator within the national GOP. His resume is fairly impressive, for a Republican. But his drawling, good ‘ole boy persona will turn off more voters than it attracts. And frankly, being from the 50th-ranked state in many if not most categories does not help.
steve-o
June 15th, 2009
10:09 am
I think Haley Barbour would be a great choice! It’s about time we had a woman president!
Nick Wright
June 15th, 2009
10:11 am
No one from Mississippi can get elected President because it is generally accepted as the worst state in the country, and with good reason. It’s last or near last in education, health care, quality of life, and much more, and Barbour has done nothing to turn it around.
Also, considering there hasn’t been a President from South Carolina since Andrew Jackson, I wouldn’t say Sanford has any home field advantage. As an SC native I remember a while back when they were considering new license plate slogans and “Thank God For Mississippi” was considered, because otherwise SC would be last in everything.
Lauren
June 15th, 2009
10:12 am
Haley Barbour has done nothing to improve things in little ol’ Mississippi so why would we have any reason to believe that he could improve things for the whole nation? Though the fact that he could not improve things for Mississippi may not be his fault. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
Silvio
June 15th, 2009
10:18 am
If Haley Barbour is such a great idea then why didn’t they run him in 2008? You Republicans are just offering up the same old ideas and trying to pass off people you did not even consider yourselves last year as some kind of new, great idea today. It’s pathetic! No wonder you are about as popular as a bad case of the runs!
jconservative
June 15th, 2009
10:25 am
Haley Barbour can win the Republican nomination. That is not the same as winning the general election. If he can find some way to gain the votes of the under 30 crowd – 66% Obama – and the college educated over $225,000. income whites (65% Obama)he can win the election. I do not believe any Republican has a chance with any minority group.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
10:32 am
Well, I see our undercover RedNeck is at it again, trying to make Southerners look like antediluvian cave people of trailer park genre. He is so obvious that it makes you wonder where this liberal hick (who is no hick) really hides out. But who cares? He’s just a laugh in.
Now, some of you others are suffering from Civil War hangovers. The real South lived through the tough times, got better, and moved forward. Southerners kept their pride in the South and moved to make America stronger.
Unfortunately, those who cannot make it on their own, found the South as a good excuse for their own failings. They still run around implying that the South has nothing to offer because THEY can’t make it in the South (nor could they in the North, West, or East.) They parade their own prejudices as universal while they are only personal and detrimental.
Grow up, folks. If Haley Barbour can prove his credentials, he ’s IN. He has strong character, successful experience, and knows that a trillion dollars is a trillion dollars and not a brush off with a few little “cutbacks to save”.
A southern accent is great and a speech in a southern drawl is more real than an acquired Harvard accent led by a teleprompter. Give me a sweet magnolia anytime over a cold Maine clam or a west coast wahoo.
Our country gets better with all of us working together. Try being positive. Reading this blog is sometimes like listening to bullfrogs in a pond, big hellowing blowhards all the time.
Give it up! Move forward! The time has come.
catlady
June 15th, 2009
10:33 am
Is there ANYONE who believes if Obama had been from Mississippi he would have WON??!!?? I think we have finally reached the point where color of skin is not as “bad” as being from the South, in terms of electability. Maybe that is progress?
Deb
June 15th, 2009
10:35 am
Here’s a novel idea – why don’t we support the existing President and try and this country back in order, rather than start speculating and campaigning for the NEXT president!!!! Geez, this one’s only been in office for six months! Isn’t everyone alittle tired of listening to campaign speeches??? Mit Romney was on This Week with George Stephanopoulos; another show was speculating about Palin. Are we really going to start talking 2012 Presidential campaign already?????
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
10:42 am
Bo Chambliss LOBBYIST is married to Churchill’s Mom. Like RedNeck, they work for the DNC’s undercover exploit section.
Farsider
June 15th, 2009
10:45 am
Perhaps Mr. Barbour wants to do for the entire USA what he’s managed to do for the great state of Mississippi. There’s a happy thought.
Copyleft
June 15th, 2009
10:46 am
Oh, goodie. A 3-1/2 year long presidential primary.
Yeah, America’s gonna be all OVER this debate….
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
10:46 am
NO, dear Catlady, that is a manufactured prejudice brought against the South by ignorant people.
ray
June 15th, 2009
10:51 am
The South will rise again, and leave in its wake all those multi-colored, multi-whatever liberal losers who try to pass themselves off as Americans.
It’s time for us to stop being oppressed in our own land.
Reebok
June 15th, 2009
10:56 am
He could be nominated in 2012, but he couldn’t win…not because he’s from Mississippi, but because he’s a Republican. The GOP is going to be stuck in the political wilderness as long as their leadership is made up of hacks, has-beens, and radio hate-mongers.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
11:00 am
Hmmmm..I see some of you want to dump on Mississippi, a beautiful state. Would you like to go the negative way and point out the “misgivings” of a few other states? Nazi-like training camps in Idaho and Montana, killers in Kansas, crooked governors in Illinois, ineffectual governors and mayors in Louisiana, sexual infidelities in N.Y. & N.J, raging debt in California…you could make a long list if you tried.
ONCE MORE..try being positive for a change. You MIGHT like it!
One Voice
June 15th, 2009
11:00 am
The reason why all Republican candidates seem to come from the deep south is that that’s the only place the Republican party still exists. As a socialist Democrat, I think the Republican party should be renamed the “Confederate Party”. It is a pretty accurate moniker, and given the sentiment for secession in Texas and Georgia, it’s a title a lot of Republicans would probably embrace. As long as Republicans offer no solutions (except their their already-failed tax cut, pray, and bomb the world strategy); are lead by Limbaugh, Steele, Coulter, Palin, Hannity, Bachman, O’Reilly, etc.; and have their ideological bidding done by American right wing terrorists who murder people, they will continue to shrink into a less and less relevant minority status. The Confederate party’s decline will continue at the very least through 2016. I’m glad to see it, considering how deficient they are in principle, ideas, and simple logic.
catlady
June 15th, 2009
11:07 am
Dusty, I agree about the ignorant people and “manufactured prejudice”–a great phrase. It’s just that there are SO MANY of them ignrnt people! And they vote, just like we (the non-ignrnt) do.
I firmly believe that if Obama had had even a slightly Southern accent and hailed from the Deep South, he would NOT have won. In fact, he would not have been the nominee. In this current time, being from the South is at least as much a negative as being a woman, manufactured or not. Now, you and I know that being a Southerner and a woman is really a plus, but the rest of the country does not see that.
The GOP is going to have to very carefully pick its next nominee. Perhaps it is good that they are starting now.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
11:09 am
Ok, gotcha, so Barbour is a “victim” to the “prejudice” of being from Mississippi.
It has NOTHING to do with (nothing WHATSOEVER!) his aide in 1982 being overheard by the press complaining about “the coons.” And Barbour’s rebuke that “if you’re not careful, you’ll be reincarnated as a watermelon and be at the mercy of those blacks.”
YES, he’s a VICTIM of a STEREOTYPE that has absolutely NO basis in reality.
*eyesroll*
PoliticalMan
June 15th, 2009
11:13 am
What’s a conservative. What does Barbour want to conserve? He’s not one of those who wishes to force-feed religion to all of us or will defend to his death the right for fat-cats to screw the rest of us economically. Probably not, because he would be a radical and not a conservative.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
11:14 am
One Voice,
You are one of the usual bullfrogs bellowing on here. Example: the Confederate Party! Oh that is SOOO positive!! Are you also going for the Burn & Stain Sherman Party of libs? Why not? You want to fight the Civil War again which puts you over 150 years behind!.
Think postively, honey. P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E-L-Y!
williebkind
June 15th, 2009
11:15 am
I am glad many of you on the left admit to prejucices. That sure says alot about moderates and coming together. Of course it is ok for liberals to be not only prejudice but to act on it and discriminate.
Like “One Voice” said,
“I’m glad to see it, considering how deficient they are in principle, ideas, and simple logic.”
Principle? How many asbolute truths reign in the liberal party’s tenure?
Ideas? Like drilling for more oil? Like believing the Constitution is not a living document so liberals can have more varieties of sex.
Simple logic? Like raping a child and you get 1yr in jail but killing a cat and you get five years. Now that is logic and principle roled into one.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
11:16 am
BEST. VIDEO. EVER. IF ANY CONSERVATIVE WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT, THEY NEED TO WATCH THIS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoeuh-EGj7s
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
11:18 am
I can’t speak for where Dusty or catlady live, but in Augusta, GA, good ol’ fashioned white-on-black racism is not only alive and well, it is the defacto law of the land.
Just two years ago, our black housekeeper (yes, we have a housekeeper; I know that makes me a pinot-grigio-sipping elitist) couldn’t get breakfast served to her at Duke’s, a relatively well-known diner for the locally connected. Her only crime was being black and not a lawyer. Good thing she works for one, though. Duke’s offered a nice settlement. Which was good because I’m not sure she could have won. Most judges patronize and adore Dukes.
But hey, land of equality, right?
optimist
June 15th, 2009
11:23 am
The republican party will continue to fail until it returns to its roots of 1. Less Government is Best 2. The States can do it better i.e. decentrilization 3. True equality for all citizens 4. Keep politics out of private lives i.e. legislating morality – that is what the church is for….
You know back when the GOP stood for “Grand Opportunity Party” not “God’s Own Party”
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
11:23 am
sane jane, that is just terrible. But what is your point besides racism being alive and well? Haley Barbour has nothing to do with your comments.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
11:24 am
optimist, I agree with most of your points.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
11:25 am
sane jane,
Hold up your right hand and say that you have never heard of a single bigoted statement from a Democrat.
Barbour was probably “joking” as we have heard how a comedian suggesting rape of a 14 year old daughter of Palin was just a joke!! Ha ha !!
I don’t like such jokes. I am sure that no black person has ever made a joke about a honky, ‘cuse me, white person. Keep digging dirt, plain jane. Aint nobody perfect! I am working for POSITIVE today. So try something new for a change.
catlady
June 15th, 2009
11:26 am
Sara Jane, I am certainly not discounting racism of any kind. We would have black/white racism where I live but there are no blacks here. However, the white/Latino racism is alive and flourishing. No lawyers around here will take up for the Latinos, however.
Back as recently as 1974 I was not allowed in an eatery here because I am FEMALE. I was told, “Miss, you will have to wait outside and we will bring you your food. Ladies are not allowed in here.” I was dumbfounded.
fearless fosdick
June 15th, 2009
11:28 am
Dusty you are a real hoot….
“sexual infidelities in N.Y. & N.J…Are you calling out Giuliani? Why not add…Georgia (Gingrich) Louisiana (Vitter) Texas (DeLay) Florida (Foley) I bet I could name all 50 states!
“Nazi-like training camps in Idaho and Montana” Absolutely, and these neo Nazis all ascribe to the Ku Klux mentality of the deep south.
“killers in Kansas” Yes maam….A total republican state!
Dusty in other words your nonsense is pointless…get a new schtik …..
catlady
June 15th, 2009
11:31 am
And in 1975 I was grilled about a mortgage my husband and I wanted. Since I was the main breadwinner, the bank officer wanted to know what kind of birth control I was using, because they didn’t want to loan the money if I was going to get pregnant and (maybe) have trouble repaying the loan.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
11:31 am
Everybody has been influenced by their upbringing, and statements like “coon / watermelon” indicate Haley Barbour’s character on the matter.
Compare it to, say, Mike Huckabee. Who not only *defended* Obama when Rev. Wright was being pilloried, he defended Wright too! His quote was something like “growing up in the segregated south, you saw people being forced to drink from other fountains, sit at other counters… you have to admit, it might put a chip on their shoulders. A BIG chip on their shoulders. So you gotta cut them a little slack and recognize that blacks might have a right to some lingering anger…”
I know I’m paraphrasing (i.e., butchering) that quote, but it really made me stand up and applaud Huckabee for that perspective. And I’m as liberal as they get. It was just refreshing to hear from a conservative.
Eagle83
June 15th, 2009
11:34 am
Some said that an African-American from Chicago could not get elected either.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
11:34 am
Congrats, plain jane..
You found one. Now we know that the whole of Augusta and the South is a hotbed of racial discrimination against your black maid and all black people. That is why so many black Americans enjoy the South and continue to move here.
Of course it was wrong at Dukes’ and of course it is being corrected by one and all because the South does not believe in discrimination.
May I ask from whence you come? Seems like this is your first view of an act of discrimination. I would love to know from what perfect part of the country you have made your descent.
williebkind
June 15th, 2009
11:35 am
Sane Jane: So how is that any worse than liberals discriminating against southerners. It only applies when it fits your liberal agenda.
You have AG Holder who is a bigot and allows blacks with clubs intimidating voting booths. That is ok? Right? Since it is liberals doing it there is no law broken. It is really principled just like ONE WORD said.
You do have Byrd in the senate do you not? You libs always have to make a racist out of everyone below the Mason and Dixon line. And you are guilty of the same. You are simply a liberal hypocrite.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
11:35 am
The bigoted Democrats I know often don’t seem to realize it, and practice the form of “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” I know I’m stealing a wingnut phrase, but there’s some truth to it. When you expect people NOT to achieve because of their race/circumstance, it’s just as bad as the wingnutters who screech “Where’s the birth certificate!?!?” on the street corner…
DB, Gwinnettian
June 15th, 2009
11:37 am
I know I’m paraphrasing (i.e., butchering) that quote,
Google is your friend.
http://www.kcrg.com/explorepolitics/?feed=bim&id=16833291
“I grew up in a very conservative south, and I think that you have to cut some slack, and I think I’m probably the only conservative in America who is going to say something like this, but I’m just telling you, we’ve got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told you have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie you have to go in the backdoor when you go the restaurant.”
“Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and have resentment, and you just have to say, I probably would too.”
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
11:39 am
sane jane, racial slurs are horrible no matter what color. I’ve heard many blacks refer to white people as crackers. I have been called an Uncle Tom and a sell out by my own race. It comes from both sides because people are prejudice. If you want to blame someone, blame Satan himself. He created sin. I would also add that the Democrats have not done a lot to help blacks advance in America but still, it comes down to individual hard work. No party or government is going to replace hard work.
AmVet
June 15th, 2009
11:40 am
jane, what are you? Some sort of revisionist history nut?
We all know that it was essentially old white male southern “conservatives” who marched along MLK Jr. We all know it was generally old white male southern “conservatives” who risked life and limb (and sometimes were murdered) helping get black voters registered. We all know it was basically old white male southern “conservatives” who teamed up with LBJ to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We all know it was mainly old white male southern “conservatives” who joined Harry Truman in desegregating the military and voted for the 24th amendment to the Constitution.
Next you’ll be asking us to believe it was really northern Democrats and young white and non-white progressives/liberals from non-Dixie environs…
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
11:42 am
DB, Gwinnettian, as a black man I look at the past and learn from it. Look at MLK for instance. The man was killed because he wanted the same America that white people had. Now look at his family today. The most selfish, joke of a family in Atlanta. I have many black friends and family members who just want money plain and simple. They don’t want to work for it they just want it handed to them. Shame on them.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
11:44 am
How is calling me “plain jane” constructive? I thought you were, like, thinking positively. We can disagree, Dusty, but I’ve never called you names. Even silly ones.
To answer your question, I was born & raised in Augusta, GA. And being the child of relatively well-to-do means, I grew up around the kids of other local-well-to-do’ers.
These people must have assumed I shared their prejudices, because they put them on display so often. Usually “behind closed doors”, i.e., “no black people around.”
And just for the record, while I am plenty liberal, I would *never* identify myself as a Democrat. What a sad-sack bunch of losers they are in general. I’m more Libertarian than anything, but don’t really fit into one neat box.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
11:46 am
AmVet, more Republicans voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act than Democrats.
By party
The original House version:[9]
* Democratic Party: 152-96 (61%-39%)
* Republican Party: 138-34 (80%-20%)
The Senate version:[9]
* Democratic Party: 46-21 (69%-31%)
* Republican Party: 27-6 (82%-18%)
The Senate version, voted on by the House:[9]
* Democratic Party: 153-91 (63%-37%)
* Republican Party: 136-35 (80%-20%)
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
11:48 am
lol AmVet. I heart you.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
11:48 am
Fearless Fosdick,
Keep bellowing in the frog pond of perpetuity. The South brought about Nazi activity in Idaho and Montana, killers in Kanasas? Yeah. sure…..
Are you too old to “accent the positive…eliminate the negative”?? It is worth a try. Go for it!!!
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
11:53 am
AmVet, I heard Pat Buchanan almost singlehandedly carried the water for civil rights’ marchers in the Nixon Administration.
And PB’s appearances on the noted white-supremacist radio “The Political Cesspool”? I’m sure he was just taking the contrarian viewpoint. Devil’s advocate, if you will…
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
11:56 am
Eli Whitney,
Good words from a thinking man.
Rod
June 15th, 2009
12:01 pm
Well is he a good conservative who believes in saving money?if not is he like Bush who believed in spending every last penny we don’t have? These questions are moot. Anything can happen. Barack being elected proved that. I am a black man who is 45 yrs and I never thought I would live to see the day when a mixed race person of African and White background would be elected President. I want to be a Republican sometime but the party is Dino -Diversity in name only. Steele being the head is not making me want to join the party as long as Limbaugh is the de facto head. I wanted the party to privatize part of Social Security, expand the school voucher program and set up term limits. Well not much of that happened in all their years in power. These career Senators and Reps need to be in their seats for a limited amount of time(6yrs and 8yrs max). How in the H–ll can you work for the people when you are trying to get money to campaign to keep your job. Now that system is a hot mess.com
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:02 pm
Dusty, the problem with racial issues stems from too many ignorant liberal white folks who feel the need to speak for blacks. For years blacks have been stereotyped into one group of people who can’t fend for themselves and want the government to bail them out. I look at a lot of black people as a tragedy of government. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans I looked in horror at the welfare villages of New Orleans and how most of those people didn’t have a clue as to how to fend for themselves. All while blaming President Bush and overlooking YEARS of democrat control of LA. Ray Nagin should have been shot on sight by the National Guard.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:04 pm
Rod, I’m also a black man and I do understand your problems with the GOP but again, you have to stand up for yourself, work hard and make great choices. Democrats have done nothing but keep blacks in bondage. I’ve heard more Democrats say racial comments than I have the modern day GOP.
Rod
June 15th, 2009
12:04 pm
FYI to all those who talk about the Republicans supporting the civil rights. The new Repubican Party is just the old Democratic Party after most of the good ole boys(The Wallace,Dukes and Westmoreland types) left and became Republicans.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
12:05 pm
AmVet,
What can I say? Was that really you at 11:40 or did you mean what you said?
If so, I forgive you for usually calling me a member of the bovine family on many occasions or one of your usual compliments. That would be P-O-S-T-I-V-E! Amazingly so.
One Voice
June 15th, 2009
12:07 pm
Dusty,
What’s not to be positive about? We have a Dem in the White House, Dem control over the House and Senate, and a New YoRican female about to be on the bench of the Supreme Court. We’ll soon be disentangled from the monumental Iraq mistake that GW created; we’re on the road to economic recovery and healthcare reform. All great things. I think that your party turning into the Confederate Party and being the party of American terrorists is also a good thing: It will only make the choice of the American people clearer. Every day your ideology loses relevance. That’s a very positive thing. Very P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
12:09 pm
Eli, take a look at those numbers again.
Perhaps you meant percentages?
Because the gross numbers show that more Democrats voted “yes” than Republicans every time the bill hit the floor. In the House. In the Senate. In the House voting on the Senate’s bill. THESE ARE THE STATS YOU (!) PROVIDED.
If you’re going to compare “69/39″ and “80/20″, you might want to acknowledge that you’re comparing Yes ratios WITHIN their respective parties… not between them.
Obama is a nerd/Tom petty is the coolest
June 15th, 2009
12:10 pm
Anyone that cherishes personal liberty, who believes in the rule of law, who despises corruption, and has the roughly equivalent cognisance of a squash would never vote for a republican. Ditto Democrat.
One quarter of American voters are gourd-heads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d-INlhhZ6c
AmVet
June 15th, 2009
12:11 pm
jane, thank you!
And vis a vis The Civil Rights Act of 1964, let’s get down to brass tacks shall we?
The vote by party AND region.
Note: “Southern”, as used in this section, refers to members of Congress from the eleven states that made up the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. “Northern” refers to members from the other 39 states, regardless of the geographic location of those states.
The original House version:
* Southern Democrats: 7-87 (7%-93%)
* Southern Republicans: 0-10 (0%-100%)
* Northern Democrats: 145-9 (94%-6%)
* Northern Republicans: 138-24 (85%-15%)
The Senate version:
* Southern Democrats: 1-20 (5%-95%) (only Senator Ralph Yarborough of Texas voted in favor)
* Southern Republicans: 0-1 (0%-100%) (this was Senator John Tower of Texas)
* Northern Democrats: 45-1 (98%-2%) (only Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia opposed the measure)
Northern Republicans: 27-5 (84%-16%) (Senators Bourke Hickenlooper of Iowa, Barry Goldwater of Arizona, Edwin L. Mechem of New Mexico, Milward L. Simpson of Wyoming, and Norris H. Cotton of New Hampshire opposed the measure)
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
12:12 pm
I sure wish it had been fashionable among Republicans to be critical of Bush when he was actually in office, not after he safely finished his second term.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:12 pm
sane jane, you should go back and count the numbers of each party. Democrats outnumbered Republicans.
Democrats: 248
Republicans: 172
Democrats: 67
Republicans: 33
Democrats: 244
Republicans: 171
fearless fosdick
June 15th, 2009
12:13 pm
Dusty….That’s not what I said….If you can’t read, I would guess that is a result of your upbringing?
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:13 pm
AmVet, yeah, and NO ONE IN THE SOUTH IN EITHER PARTY VOTED IN FAVOR OF IT!
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
12:14 pm
lol Rod… it’s like nobody here can google “Dixiecrat.”
Southern racist Dems became Dixiecrats. And then when Goldwater came along in 1960 they just said “ahh, screw it. We’re Republicans now.”
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:15 pm
AmVet, funny you mention Robert Byrd. Robert Byrd was a member of the KKK for over 20 years. He used the word NI%%ER on national television. Now, I don’t know of ANY Republicans to have ever said that word on television.
Dusty
June 15th, 2009
12:16 pm
Dear jane,
After reading your posts, I dropped sane for plain. But that was better than “refrain” or no gain or pain or whatever. Sorry to offend such a member of the “well-to-do” but from plain I will refrain.
You may call me “Darling Dusty”. Sometimes I am “well-to-do” and sometimes “not so hot”. Ah…such is life.
That reminds me of “Burger King” for some reason. Lunch time! See ya later!!
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:16 pm
Rod, yeah but George Wallace had a big fat “D” after his name when he was governor of Alabama. It’s so damn funny to see you libs try to rewrite the past and blame the current GOP for racism.
Why don’t any of you blame Africa for selling their own people into slavery?
clyde
June 15th, 2009
12:17 pm
The Republicans have to nominate someone and Haley Barbor is as good a sacrificial lamb as anyone.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:17 pm
sane jane, I did some research on Barry Goldwater and I can not find one shred of evidence that paints him as a racist. Seems to me that people on this blog have a lot of pent up racism towards white people. AmVet included.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
12:19 pm
Uhhh, Eli, I *am* looking at the numbers. Perhaps *you* should tighten up your language and be a wee bit more specific.
You said: “more Republicans voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act than Democrats.”
That’s patently false. Your own numbers show it.
We THINK what you MEANT to say was (something along the lines of) “More Republicans voted Yes per capita (i.e., a larger percentage within their own party) and Democrats voted Yes (within the Democrats’ own party).”
Without that qualifier, it sounds like you’re comparing gross numbers. Words matter, you know. Language matters.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:19 pm
clyde, before Barrack Obama, the democrats didn’t have any answer to the GOP. Hillary would have been beaten by Mccain if she were the nominee. Now, as a black man I can tell you for fact that Obama won solely on race. White people felt guilty and blacks only vote black when a black man/woman is on the ballot. Hell, just listen to ole Shirley Franklin and past Maynard Jackson speeches. Those two are were as racist as racist comes.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:21 pm
sane jane, I see you were not a math major, were ya! More democrats voted against Civil Rights Act than Republicans did. Take the numbers and examine them please. It’s really quite simple and the percentages have been added to help you out.
Eli Whitney
June 15th, 2009
12:22 pm
sane jane, are you black? If not, then you really can’t say a whole lot about race matters. As a black man, I can tell you that I know a lot more than you will ever know about race problems.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
12:23 pm
But, like AmVet pointed out, the CRA of 1964 didn’t break along (D)/(R) lines; they broke along geographic lines.
In 1964, southern legislators were still emboldened to be brazenly racist. Period.
That’s why, in 1969, Buchanan could still freely advise Nixon to avoid Coretta Scott King and refer to MLK as a “divisive figure, a fraud, a demagogue and possibly worse.”
@@
June 15th, 2009
12:24 pm
My guy is operating on the QT right now, Jim. He’s a northern conservative. I’ve seen him go toe to toe with several dems leaving them with the “deer in headlights” look. He’s even gotten some of the liberal pundits acknowledging “He’s good!” while pressuring the opponent to answer the question.
He once left a “dim” congressman with no other response other than to say “But we (dems) are advocating the same fiscal policy that George Bush did when it comes to ????.” The look on that “dim’s bulb” said it all — “Dang! shouldn’t have said that” while my guy just stood there smiling.
At this point, I’m not revealing names but he’s got it all.
We shall see. 2012 is a long way off.
sane jane
June 15th, 2009
12:26 pm
Eli, I didn’t dispute that “more Democrats voted against the CRA than Republicans did.” (because that’s true)
That’s also not what you said. What you said was ‘More Republicans voted FOR the CRA than Democrats did. (That is false)
Your grip on the numbers seems to be tenuous at best. And your inability to distinguish between vote tallies and their percentages is more than a little disturbing…