Harry Reid in hot water over quote

[Ch2tf]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

When all is said and done, if you lean conservative and say this type rubbish, you really must have meant it. When you lean liberal and say this type stuff you didn't mean it and all is forgiven. The double standard and hypocrisy speaks for itself.

Now President Clinton has reportedly stated to Sen. Kennedy something to the effect that "in years past he (then Sen. Obama) would be serving us coffee." This was during the 2008 Presidential Bid by then Sen. Clinton. But he really didn't mean it.

I'm not sure that I agree. In keeping with the tone of the quote, Had a conservative said what Reid said, I would have assumed he meant it, and as with Reid, he meant it as well...and it is true. Obama is palatable to some white people in politics on both sides of the aisle in part because of what Reid stated.

I personally hadn't heard of the aforementioned Clinton quote so I can't comment much on it, but again it is a true quote. However, having little context with the Clinton quote, something about the quote itself doesn't sit right with me. It could be a factual observation, but within a certain context it can also be a thinly veiled insult.

[Ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

I personally hadn't heard of the aforementioned Clinton quote so I can't comment much on it, but again it is a true quote. However, having little context with the Clinton quote, something about the quote itself doesn't sit right with me. It could be a factual observation, but within a certain context it can also be a thinly veiled insult.

^^^It is mentioned in the same book "Game Change" that the Reid quote was found.

If a conservative said what Reid said, whether it is true or not per your contention, he/she would have been forced to give up his leadership post by those who are giving Reid a pass. Thus the double standard.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

^^^It is mentioned in the same book "Game Change" that the Reid quote was found.

If a conservative said what Reid said, whether it is true or not per your contention, he/she would have been forced to give up his leadership post by those who are giving Reid a pass. Thus the double standard.

I doubt that. Not to mention, the example being bandied around about Trent Lott is like comparing apples and oranges. Sorry, wishing that Strom Thurmond had won the race for president, a segregationist who would have made sure that the civil rights movement had never taken place, is not the same as assessing the likelihood that a light-skinned black man would be able to win an election for president.

[Ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I doubt that. Not to mention, the example being bandied around about Trent Lott is like comparing apples and oranges. Sorry, wishing that Strom Thurmond had won the race for president, a segregationist who would have made sure that the civil rights movement had never taken place, is not the same as assessing the likelihood that a light-skinned black man would be able to win an election for president.

You know the media, the CBC and the NAACP would be all over this if Sen. McConnell or Baynor had said it. Still a double standard IMO but I have said my piece and counted to three.

[moe.ron]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

You know the media, the CBC and the NAACP would be all over this if Sen. McConnell or Baynor had said it. Still a double standard IMO but I have said my piece and counted to three.

Why would the Canadian be all over McConnell or Baynor?

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I doubt that. Not to mention, the example being bandied around about Trent Lott is like comparing apples and oranges. Sorry, wishing that Strom Thurmond had won the race for president, a segregationist who would have made sure that the civil rights movement had never taken place, is not the same as assessing the likelihood that a light-skinned black man would be able to win an election for president.

I completely agree. I was kind of startled that they thought there was really a comparison between the two incidents.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by bignasty

Thurmond was a Democrat when he ran for President.

And you've made our point. No matter what party you are, no one will stand up for you as a out and out racist.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by bignasty

If that is the case then what do you think about Reid accusing the Republicans of being racists when they said NOTHING? Since when does opposing healthcare make you a racist? Is healthcare a race? You probably did not hear about the accusation since it was not covered on Tyra or Oprah.


Reid also accused the Republican party of because Strom Thurmond supported segregation. The flaw with his moronic statement was that Thurmond ran as a DEMOCRAT.


Reid deserves all the criticism he is getting.

Opposing healthcare may be racist if you are opposing it because you don't want to use taxpayer money to help black people. I don't really care who Reid accuses of being racist. That is NOT what we have been discussing. As for what party Strom Thurmond ran under for president, it was a REPUBLICAN (ie Lott) who waxed poetically about the fact that he lost. In actuality, he ran as a Dixiecrat, anyway. Harry Truman was the Democratic candidate. Check your facts. Thank you.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by bignasty

The flaw with his moronic statement was that Thurmond ran as a DEMOCRAT.


Reid deserves all the criticism he is getting.

Party lines means nothing.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I doubt that. Not to mention, the example being bandied around about Trent Lott is like comparing apples and oranges. Sorry, wishing that Strom Thurmond had won the race for president, a segregationist who would have made sure that the civil rights movement had never taken place, is not the same as assessing the likelihood that a light-skinned black man would be able to win an election for president.

I agree with this completely, and it seems odd to me that anyone even tries to make the case that the situations are similar.

You think the assumption is that people's political memories are so short that they won't remember what Lott actually said?

I think that there is a frequently a political/media double standard is assessing people's (D vs.R) motives when they say/do something racially questionable (but not as overt as Lott's), but Reid's comment isn't the one to try to exploit for this point.

And hadn't discussion of Biden's basically saying the same thing during the campaign already exhausted all the points that can be made about the content of the comment minus the specific use of the word "Negro" in Negro Dialect.

Random Question: for a while, people talked about "Ebonics," sometimes when they legitimately meant African American Vernacular English which at one point was referred to a Black English or Black Vernacular English. Was there a time when people referred to BVE or AAVE as "Negro Dialect"? Was Reid just lapsing into the terminology in vogue when he was in college for the very specific thing he meant: Obama's use of consistent use of Standard English in contrast with AAVE? Someone using "Negro" in 2009 IS weird and might be suspect, depending on the speaker, and I wonder why Reid used it.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by bignasty

I read the first page of the thread again. What is really funny is you complained about the Trent Lott comparision BEFORE anyone made a Trent Lott comparison. There was no Trent Lott comparison.

What does Trent Lott have to do with anything?

Do you think the term "negro" is appropriate?

I brought it up because it was the first argument made by Steele as to why Reid should step down. If I have to explain that to you, you haven't been keeping up with the whole controversy. In the end, whether or not Reid steps down is irrelevant. He will answer to his constituents which last time I checked do not include you or me.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I brought it up because it was the first argument made by Steele as to why Reid should step down. If I have to explain that to you, you haven't been keeping up with the whole controversy. In the end, whether or not Reid steps down is irrelevant. He will answer to his constituents which last time I checked do not include you or me.

^^^ Duh!!!

You know he has nothing else better to do than to try and start half assed arguments on GC.

I wonder if he realizes how tired his wanna be rabble rousing racist schtik is now.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

^^^ Duh!!!

You know he has nothing else better to do than to try and start half assed arguments on GC.

I wonder if he realizes how tired his wanna be rabble rousing racist schtik is now.

Yeah, the only reason I'm responding is because I'm bored. There's nothing on TV, and my husband is actively trying to annoy me!

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Yeah, the only reason I'm responding is because I'm bored. There's nothing on TV, and my husband is actively trying to annoy me!

You arent watching 24?????

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by bignasty

Is that like Reid crying racism because the Republicans would not vote with him on healthcare? Since he did not vote with the Republicans does that make Reid a racist?

Is the term "negro" acceptable?

Now you're making no sense at all...and no, using the word "negro" is not acceptable in my book. Never said it was.