Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What A Bunch Of Racist Hicks Here In South Cackalacky

At least according to my representative, Jim Clyburn. Let me just say that this is not at ALL what I had planned to write about this morning. I was going to write about the Senate Finance Committee voting on a bill that hasn't even been written out yet, more a theoretical bill, if you will (thus, IMHO, dereliction of duty - how can you vote on a bill that is not written down???). And I was going to add in a video of Doug Elmendorf of the CBO testifying before the Senate that the CBO doesn't KNOW how much money the Health Care Reform Bill wil cost in terms of taxes, debt, etc.

But then, my fellow NQ writer/friend, LisaB, alerted me to a story I missed in my own home town paper while I was out of town, which she found at Michell Malkin's site. Now, you may recall that I have no love lost for this man who repeatedly stabbed the Clintons in the back before our primary last year, painting them as racists for stating actual facts (like that it takes a president to sign a bill into law - one would THINK a US Representative would be aware of that, but apparently, Rep. Clyburn does not know that). So, I was not at all surprised that he claimed in a recent Post and Courier article that Michelle Obama won't come to SC because we're all a bunch of racists and too hostile. Oh, how I wish I was making this up:
U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Friday that a conversation with White House staff left him with the sense that a hostile environment in South Carolina is keeping the first lady from visiting.

The high-ranking South Carolina Democrat said he has received more than 100 invitations for Michelle Obama. But this summer when he brought one of those requests to her staff on behalf of his alma mater, South Carolina State University, Clyburn said her security was an issue.

The conversation came after former Richland County GOP activist Rusty DePass suggested on Facebook in June that an escaped zoo gorilla was not harmful because it was probably one of Mrs. Obama's ancestors. DePass' comment was coupled with a remark in July from U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, a Republican. DeMint said that beating the president's health care plan would be a 'Waterloo' moment for Obama.

Congressman Joe Wilson's 'You lie!' outburst during Obama's joint address on health care reform last month didn't help either, Clyburn said.

'A lot of it has to do with the fact that the climate in South Carolina just is not good, and that's a shame,' Clyburn said at a roundtable discussion at his Columbia office.

'I do believe it is keeping her away from this state,' he said.

The congressman said the first lady's family connections in South Carolina and her fond childhood memories from Georgetown County left many excited at the possibility that the Obamas would vacation on the coast here. Her security must be guaranteed before that could happen, Clyburn said.

DePass said Clyburn's comments were off base.

'The idea that people in South Carolina are hostile to the Obamas is poppycock,' he said. 'That's utterly ridiculous.'

I concur. Just more race baiting from Rep. Clyburn. Oh, I am so proud that he speaks for me - NOT. But there's more:
DePass apologized before the South Carolina Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for his Facebook comment, and reiterated that apology

Friday. He also said that his history with the Republican Party included reaching out to minority voters and trying to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse dome.

Wilson's office also said Clyburn was wrong.

'Congressman Wilson respectfully disagrees with Congressman Clyburn's assumption,' Wilson spokesman Ryan Murphy said in a statement. 'He believes the people of South Carolina would welcome the president and the first lady should they decide to visit our great state.'

Neither the first lady's press office nor the Secret Service provided comment for this story. DeMint's office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pat Caddell of Hanahan, an expert on public opinion polls and a Democratic strategist, said South Carolina surely has racists among its residents, but racism isn't the prevailing sentiment. 'The Democratic Party will blow itself up if it keeps assigning things as racist,' Caddell said. (Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-926-7855 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.)

Sigh. I have to tell you, I am pretty damn sick and tired of being called a racist because I live in South Carolina for starters, but for any, ANY, questioning of President Obama's policies (or lack thereof). For Rep. Clyburn to claim that the First Lady isn't coming here, even though she has FAMILY here, because it's "hostile" just makes me, well, "hostile!"

I had to read some of the comments at the end of the article to see what some of my fellow Palmetto State residents had to say. Three in particular caught my attention. The first is obviously in response to another comment:
treasured wrote:

regulardude...Please give us a break!

Was Obama's negative remarks about the US to other countries patriotic?You get respect when respect is earned.

Just because he is the President does not mean that we have to agree with him and like you, we can voice our opinions and our concerns.

There have been many concerns about this President and they have not just been from SC.You are just reading articles from a SC paper.What is the difference in your remarks accusing us of not respecting the President and you obviously not respecting your own state that you insist on living in?Must be something you like about it.

I have grown children and I have a young child. As it stands right now, they and their children will have to pay back for many years all the money that Obama has dished out in his so called stimulus plans.

Now, if you want to sing his praises, well and good, but don't call the rest of us unpatriotic if we don't agree with what he is doing.That is our right as Americans.

And this one:
caberchucker wrote:
Yeah, that makes sense that she's "scared" of the hostility in SC. Oh wait, didn't the Obamas and Oprah have to move their rally to USC's stadium while campaigning, so they could accomidate all the people? Nevermind, I guess that never actually happened.

Uh yeah, evidently not.

And finally, this one, which I think really hits at the core of this charge by Rep. Clyburn:
wonderdog wrote:
Clyburn is embarrassed because he got snubbed by the Obamas, so he made up this nonsense to make it appear that it's somebody's fault. If he can get enough people to buy into that BS, maybe he can convince himself, too.

Now that the Obamas have no more use to them after he played his role as patsy during the campaign, why should they deign to do anything that might help him in some way? But yes, so much easier - for Rep. Clyburn, that is - to blame it on the very people who sent him to D.C. Nice, really nice. Can't wait to see what he calls us next!

7 comments:

Logistics Monster said...

Rev - what a racist you are! ..and I'm a right wing domestic terrorist...we make such good pals.

Anwhoooo - wanted to drop an interesting link for you and to also tell you that you will be able to get your healthcare at the DMV soon - it's that lovely?

Stop by again soon!! Toodles!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmkpC3RU8KA

Logistics Monster said...

forgot to drop this - it has a link to the 262 page markup of the Baucus bill and the Kennedy/Dodd bill included.

http://logisticsmonster.com/2009/10/14/get-your-healthcare-plan-at-the-dmv/

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Dang - I left you a comment, LM - I don't know what happened to it!

Anyway, I said I'd stand with you any day of the week, LM - any day!

Thanks so much for the link - I can't believe that abt the DMV. For real?? Sheesh...

I come by your place EVERY single day, LM! I LOVE your site!!

Thanks for the video, too. I'm going to go take a look now!

Logistics Monster said...

Many Mahalos for your continued patronage Rev! I try to inform and make people smile so that we can get through the looking glass together.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

And you do it very well, LM. Seriously - I read your blog every morning. One of the very best things abt doing this writing is getting to know people like you!

Btw, I saw this morning that there are some major health issues going on in Hawaii right now. I hope you and your family are okay!

Arturo Ui said...

Sorry Amy, but South Carolina has an extremely troubled racial past. Whether it was the "state's rights" racial demagoguery of John Calhoun pre-Civil War, or S.C's notorious status as the first state to secede from the union over slavery, or Strom Thurmond's evil Dixiecrat/racist legacy, or the state's obsession with the Confederate flag, yeah, there is a lot of racial baggage tied to South Carolina.

That's not for Michelle Obama to sort out--it's for South Carolina to sort out. I understand that many, even most, white South Carolinians are not racist. I understand that of course, you are not a racist in any way. Those facts do not set aside centuries of the institutional bigotry that many South Carolinians have championed for generations.

Oh, yes, it would nice to say that is all behind us now. And that would be a possibility, were it not for current South Carolina Republicans like Rusty Depass comparing Michelle Obama to a monkey.

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/06/15/south-carolina-republican-compares-michelle-obama-to-escaped-gor/

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Hey, Arturo - Long time no see! I hope you are well.

Michelle has family in this state. Obama campaigned here, and didn't seem to have any problems (remember? With his "cured homosexual" companion, Donnie McClurkin?) SC has a LARGE AA population. Um, Clyburn was ELECTED in this state, after all.

This is race baiting plan and simple. To continue to characterize SC as more racist than any other is just laughable. And insulting.

I lived in Chicago, for instance, and the kids I worked with - largely Hispanic - would not travel to parts of the city for fear of their life because of their ethnicity. Chicago, and Boston (particularly Southie), are two of the most racist cities in which I have ever lived.

But yes, by all means, continue to paint Southerners, and SC in particular, us as a bunch of racist yahoos. That really helps your argument. (A little research into the Civil War might be in order, too. Yes, SC was the first state to secede, but it was not just abt slavery. It was a far more complex issue than that. Most people agree that the Civil War wasn't fought just over slavery - how else could Gen. Grant have slaves after the war if that was the case? It had a lot to do with Northern imperialism over the South, and economics in general. Not to defend slavery in any way - it was/is abhorrent.)

This racism card is already playing thin - and to use it at the drop of the hat to characterize anyone who doesn't agree with Obama is diminishing its power and importance. When something DOES happen that is racist, people will shrug it off because this term has been overused, and is designed for one thing - to stop all conversation.

If all states were judged by the assholic statements of one or two people, we would all be in trouble, wouldn't we?