Year: 2008

Georgia GOP Rep. Lynn Westmoreland Outs Himself As a Racist

Jon Ponder

Rep. Westmoreland, who co-sponsored a bill to post the 10 Commandments in the Senate and House, can’t recite the Decaloguge. (Transcript below.)

Any notion that the segregationist mindset died with former N.C. Sen. Jesse Helms this summer should be dispelled with news that in an interview with the The Hill newspaper in Washington last week, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia referred to Michelle and Barack Obama as “uppity“:
“I’ve never heard that term used in a racially derogatory sense.”
– Rep. Westmoreland

Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.

“Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity,” Westmoreland said.

Asked to clarify that he used the word “uppity,” Westmoreland said, “Uppity, yeah.”

Republican have been using the label “elitist” to describe Obama as a codeword for “uppity” throughout the primary season.

As if more proof were needed that Westmoreland is not only an old-fashioned hater and a class A dumbass, now he is denying he knew that “uppity” is a epithet historically used by bigots to refer to African-Americans who dare to try to rise above servitude:

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The Existential Meaning of Palin’s Hairdo

Trish

Palin’s head: Proof of evolution?

We’re not the only ones wondering about Sarah Palin’s hair thing. And yes, before I go on, I know that no one criticizes mens’ hairdos, at least aside from the price of them, if as in John Edwards’ case, they cost $400.

Palin’s bun screams, “tiara holder!”

Sarah Palin’s updo is a mixed bag. The bangs are modern: not too thick and nicely swept to the side. But the bun, to us, screams “tiara holder.”

“It doesn’t look presidential, or even vice presidential,” said Christopher Hopkins, author of “Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45” (HCI Books, $22.95). “Hair pulled back can be very sophisticated, but the way she’s doing it is more Frederick’s of Hollywood, like ‘I’m going to pull my glasses off and let my hair down and look sexy.’ “

Exactly! But what really bothers me is that bump at the back of her head. What’s that all about? Weirdly misshapen skull or fashion statement? Or is there finally evidence that dinosaurs are part of the evolutionary chain?

Harrop: Dysfunctional Palin Family is Poster Child for Conservative Values

Trish

Just as black people using the N-word is different from white people using it, so criticizing a woman is one thing when a man does it and something else when a fellow female does. So we’re giving columnist Froma Harrop a pass on pulling no punches over Sarah Palin.

Besides that, we agree with her.

Harrop: “Palin supporters insist that her out-of-control home life will resonate with many American families. Yes, if they’re from Mars or perhaps on welfare.”

Until now, one could counter the Democrats’ argument that a McCain presidency would amount to a third term for Bush. After all, McCain is a deficit hawk…Many pro-choice voters were willing to overlook McCain’s generally anti-abortion stance on the belief that he didn’t really care about the issue. And the widespread concern regarding McCain’s age could have been assuaged by the choice of a competent vice president.

Then who does McCain pick for vice president? A 44-year-old who parades her dysfunctional family as a poster-child for conservative values. Who has virtually no foreign policy experience. Who as mayor of an Alaskan town of 6,700 hired lobbyists to reel in $27 million in federal pork. That’s $4,030 of the U.S. taxpayers’ money per resident. We thought McCain wanted to close down the trough.

But let’s face it, Palin wasn’t selected for her policy stands, she was chosen for her social ones. And they deserve some scrutiny.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has five children, but she waited until they were grown before she ran for high political office. Palin returned to the job three days after giving birth to a special needs child, all the while her 17-year-old is entertaining a lover. And what about plans to have the girl wed the stud, author of some very unromantic remarks on Facebook? Note that she’s been pregnant for five months and still no matrimony. These nuptials couldn’t be a last-minute political move, could they?

Palin supporters insist that her out-of-control home life will resonate with many American families. Yes, if they’re from Mars or perhaps on welfare.

Ouch! But Harrop’s larger point is a good one.

What a McCain presidency now promises is another four years of Terri Schiavo and other artifacts of the cultural right. You remember Schiavo’s husband having to fight the Bush administration and Republican Congress to remove his wife — in a vegetative state for 15 years — from life support. It’s four more years of national humiliation as our leadership undermines the teaching of evolutionary science, and if something happens to John McCain, opposes stem-cell research.

One tries to untangle McCain’s political calculations. The Schiavo case, creationism and similar excesses appeal to a passionate but small slice of the electorate. They are one reason voters are booting Republicans out of power. So while some religious conservatives may be “energized” by the Palin pick, most everyone else is revolted.

Raddatz: Press is Paying So Little Attention to Bush He’s Happy to See Us

Trish

The Republicans’ omissions of praise at their recent convention for the man who’s been president the past eight years earned him the nickname, “He Who Must Not be Named.” The character Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter books is the original HWMNBN, a being so bent on death and destruction, and so feared, that his name must not be said aloud. Indeed, the many senators and couple of governors who pulled out of appearing at the convention seemed to share the view of the Potter wizards and witches. Not only were they not speaking Bush’s name — or McCain’s, for that matter — they didn’t even want to be in the same room.

ABC’s White House reporter, Martha Raddatz, knows how they feel. In blogging about a press conference today, she tried to figure out why her fellow journalists took so little interest in what Bush does, did, or will do, especially with the release of Bob Woodward’s new book. In it, the Bush administration is exposed as spying on Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al Malaki. There are also questions about Bush’s sagacity and understanding of what Iraq occupation leaders tried to tell him about “conditions on the ground.”

“The press is paying so little attention to Bush that he actually looks excited to see us when he ventures out. The briefings are so sparsely attended that practically everyone there could get a front row seat.”

…with those excerpts in hand I headed into White House Press Secretary Dana Perino’s briefing this morning ready for fireworks…I asked the first question about the book, zeroing in on the spying charges, which Perino had clearly come prepared to answer.

“I would just point to the fact that we would not comment on any of the assertions in the book regarding the allegation that you brought up,” Perino said confidently…She threw in a few lines defending the president, and then answered a brief follow-up, bracing for more. It didn’t happen. Perino seemed as surprised as I was. Reporters quickly moved onto Secretary Rice’s trip to Libya and the Pakistani elections.

…the most likely reason is that President Bush is a lame duck. Take it from me. The press is paying so little attention to him that he actually looks excited to see us when he ventures out. The briefings are so sparsely attended that practically everyone there could get a front row seat. I spent my first two and a half years covering the Bush presidency filing stories for World News almost every day. But with a riveting election, and a withering economy, the White House just isn’t garnering the attention it used to. I can only imagine what the remaining few months will be like.

But here is the problem for me: In terms of television coverage, the only difference between being a lame duck president and covering a lame duck president? Lipstick.

Palin Cut Funding for Alaska’s Special Needs Children by 60 Percent

Jon Ponder

At her speech before the Republican National Convention, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made this heartfelt-seeming claim, via CBS News online:

Palin: “To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”

Sarah Palin might have changed her mind on this one recently. However, a comment here notes that Palin actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62 percent. Budgets: FY 2007 (pre-Palin), 2008, 2009 (all pdfs).

Analysis from Momocrats:

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Putnam Lies About His Greenness While Sending Junk Mail on the Public’s Dime

Buck Banks

adamputnam.jpgThe St. Petersburg Times reports that U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL), recently sent out a mailer listing his efforts to lower gas prices and use environmentally friendly, domestic sources of energy.

Since he didn’t mention that he’s up for re-election this November, he was, according to House ethics rules, able to use taxpayer dollars to send his piece of junk mail to more than 600,000 constituents.

University of South Florida political science professor Susan MacManus noted, though, that in economic down times, voters tend to cast a jaundiced eye at such uses of public funds: “When people get stressed in their own pocketbooks, they expect government to do so too, and they watch government spending more,” MacManus said.

One problem with Putnam’s piece of junk mail is it’s junk, the second is that it touts his environmental leadership and the third problem is that he”leads” by padding his resume, not by example:

The mailer lists 13 points under headings that declare he’s working to “promote renewable energy” and “encourage energy efficiency.” It states that he supports researching clean energy sources, using environmentally safe energy to reduce carbon-based emissions, and building nuclear power plants.

In reality, however, Putnam’ playing fast and loose with the facts:

The League of Conservation Voters gave him Putnam five out of 100 points on its 2007 environmental scorecard. The low score came from his votes on 20 issues. He got negative marks for everything except his vote against offshore drilling.

Another group, the Republicans for Environmental Protection, analyzed 15 votes and gave Putnam 13 out of 100 on the 2007 congressional scorecard.

In three recent House votes on energy- or environment-related bills, Putnam voted against the environmentalists’ positions 66 percent of the time:

  • On the Udall Amendment that would require 15 percent of retail electricity sales to be generated from specific renewable resources, Putnam voted no.
  • On an amendment would have removed a nonbinding expression of Congress’ opinion in the bill that supported mandatory policies for reducing greenhouse gases, Putnam voted no.
  • The only one he got right was a no against drilling for oil off Florida’s coast at 25 miles or farther, but his reasons were that the bill gave Florida no control or participation in the decision.

Let’s review: Putnam prints and mails a chunk of tree to more than a half-million people that lies about his environmental track record. Sounds like he’s right on track for re-election.

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

“The media doesn’t understand life membership in the NRA; they don’t understand getting up at 3 a.m. to hunt a moose, they don’t understand eating a mooseburger, they don’t understand being married to a guy who likes to snowmobile for fun. I am not surprised that they don’t get it. But Americans get it. A mooseburger means she is like one of us. She is not some jackass who’s ‘gone Washington.'”

— Congressman Adam Putnam (R – Bartow), trying to explain GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin

Diddy’s Right about Black People in Alaska – and Arizona

Trish

People Magazine photo of the Diddys with their twin daughters at home. Which is not in Alaska. Or Arizona.

We came under some criticism after we posted a P. Diddy video in which the performer/producer/clothing designer/etc. declared war on the McCain/Palin campaign. Reacting to McCain’s choice of running mates, Diddy said, “John McCain, you are bugging the eff out. There’s no black people in Alaska.:

Commenter Debbie took exception. “Is it a slow day for providing news that you are resorting too this guy ?!? He represents nothing worth talking about & is not known for morals or integrity in his own life.”

I won’t debate Puffy’s personal life (although it’s always hard to argue with success) but he does seem to be on to something. There really are no black people in Alaska. Or Arizona. According to a 2006 U.S. Census estimate, black people are rare in both states.

Alaska Arizona
Whites 70.7% 87.3%
Blacks 3.7% 3.8%

There’s only one place African-Americans are scarcer than McCain’s and Palin’s home states: the Republican party.

Of the Republicans’ 2,380 delegates, only 36 are black, a 78 percent drop from the GOP’s 2004 convention and the lowest number in 40 years, according to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Kentucky and Indiana have no black delegates or alternates at this convention. Four years ago, Kentucky had two black delegates and Indiana three.

Black leaders in Kentucky and Indiana — and even some white officials — said that’s a problem for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, and a long-term issue for the party.

“When you march into St. Paul without one African-American delegate, then you are saying: ‘We don’t have anything to offer African Americans,’ ” said Al Brown, who in 1992 was the first black chairman of the Jefferson County (Ky.) Republican Party.

Forgive me for asking, but what does the Republican party offer blacks? For that matter, what does it offer me? Or you? Somebody help me here, I got nothing.

Heart Tells McCain/Palin to Stop F*cking Them Over

Trish

You know you’ve hit a classic rock station as you punch the seek button when you hear the 1977 Heart hit, “Barracuda.” And probably the last thing the song connotes in your mind is the Republican party.

Heart cried foul after the first time the song was played at the Republican convention, in Sarah Palin’s honor on the night of her speech. When it was played again after McCain’s speech, the Wilson sisters issued a cease and desist notice to the McCain campaign.

“The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission,” [an email issued by Heart] read. “We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored.”

Nancy Wilson: “Sarah Palin’s views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women”

But after McCain finished his speech accepting the GOP’s presidential nomination tonight, Palin joined him on stage, and the song was used again: Heart’s “Barracuda” played as balloons fell. With that elephant in the room, Heart’s Nancy Wilson felt compelled to personally respond. “I think it’s completely unfair to be so misrepresented,” she said in a phone call to EW.com after the speech. “I feel completely f—ed over.” She and sister Ann Wilson then e-mailed the following exclusive statement:

“Sarah Palin’s views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song ‘Barracuda’ no longer be used to promote her image. The song ‘Barracuda’ was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The ‘barracuda’ represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there’s irony in Republican strategists’ choice to make use of it there.”

Ironic indeed. With Palin’s creds so seriously in doubt that the McCain handlers are barring her from direct contact with the press, it seems an odd song selection. While most of us hum through a majority of the indecipherable lyrics, we can all belt out the chorus:

If the real thing don’t do the trick —
No? You better make up something quick

Heart was preceded by Jackson Browne in resorting to lawsuits to get the McCain campaign to stop distorting their work.