Tag Archives: GOP

Oklahoma GOP Leader Gets “Jewed Down” On A Price

Oklahoma Republican House Majority Leader Dennis Johnson

Oklahoma Republican House Majority Leader Dennis Johnson

The Republican outreach to minorities continues! The new Republican party wants non-white citizens to understand that they aren’t just the party of old, white guys. The GOP is now opening the tent wide for people of all creeds and colors.

Continuing that effort, Oklahoma Republican House Majority Leader Dennis Johnson used his time during a floor debate to discuss effective strategies for small business owners.

“There’s such a thing called niche marketing,” he began. “You find out what you do better than somebody else and that’s what you market.”

I’m with ya, Dennis. Niche Marketing. I got it.

“Then you get the reward of success. People come back to you,” he continued. “They like the service they get, and they don’t ask me—they might try to Jew me down on a price, that’s fine. You know what? That’s free market as well.”

Facepalm.

The “new” GOP wants to reach out to people of all colors but they simply can’t stop their true inner feelings from surfacing.

Immediately after this comment, someone hastily whispers to Leader Johnson and he turns back to the mic to apologize.

“I apologize to the Jews. They’re good small businessmen as well,” Johnson said with a laugh.

Double facepalm. They still don’t get it.

In a later interview with The Oklahoman, Johnson explained that it was a term used in his youth that somehow bubbled up out of nowhere. He said that the comment “came out of one of the wrinkles of my brain and it was not something that was intentional.”

Hmmmm… Where have I heard that before? No one has to convince me that, deep in one of the wrinkles of their brain, Republicans are racists.

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Republican County Commissioner Says He Isn’t a Racist Because He Has a Black Friend

County Commisioner Jim Gile - Saline County Kansas

County Commisioner Jim Gile – Saline County Kansas

Here we go again. Another old, white Republican elected official forgets that he’s not among his cronies and utters another racist comment on the record. Republican Saline County Commissioner Jim Gile used the term “nigger-rigging” during a commission discussion about hiring an architect to work on a county building.

County residents immediately started calling for his resignation which forced Mr. Gile to apologize.

The Salina Journal, a local newspaper, reported the incident like this:

In a recording made by County Clerk Don Merriman of the study session, Gile, who is white, can be heard to say the county needed to hire an architect to design the improvements rather than “nigger-rigging it.”

His comment brought laughter from others in the room. Salinan Ray Hruska, who attends most commission meetings and study sessions, asked Gile what he said.

“Afro-Americanized,” Gile replied.

“He’s like that congressman from Alaska,” Commission Chairman Randy Duncan can be heard to say of Gile’s comment.

Gile told the newspaper that he knew the term he used from when he was growing up and that he meant to say “jury-rigged.” He also insisted that he is not racist, noting that he “has a black friend” that he considers close enough to be a sister.

“I am not a prejudiced person,” Gile went on to say. “I have built Habitat homes for colored people.”

Come on, Jim. You slipped up and spoke in language you ordinarily reserve for talk among your old, white friends. Just admit it and quit. Staying in the public eye is just going to remind us all that Republicans are racists.

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Republican Congressman Used to Hire 50 to 60 “Wetbacks” to Pick Tomatoes

Racist U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska

Racist U.S. Rep. Don Young addresses a Choose Respect (ha!) rally in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, March 28, 2013, in Juneau, Alaska. (Becky Bohrer/AP Photo)

With it’s recent “autopsy” and declarations of the necessity to re-brand itself to a more diverse set of voters, the Republican Party is just days into their campaign to put lipstick on their pig. They have no desire to change their positions on any of the policies that lost them the 2012 election, but they do want to stop saying what they think when other people can hear what they are saying. Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, has declared that Republicans need to stop saying “stupid” and “idiotic” things in public. Well, already an elected Republican Congressman has shown that a lot of GOP members just can’t help themselves.

In an interview with public radio station KRBD, Representative Don Young of Alaska launched his appeal to bring more Latinos into the “Big Tent” of the Republican Party. “I used to own — my father had a ranch. We used to hire 50 to 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” he said. “You know, it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now.”

In a released statement, Representative Young did not apologize but instead explained that the phrase was simply ingrained into his being because he used it when he was growing up. That’s right Don. You used the term “Wetback” (a derogatory term for Mexican migrant workers) because you have always used it… Because you’re a racist.

“I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in central California,” he said. “I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.”

It was a racial slur back then and still is today, you ignorant fool. But Don Young doesn’t see it that way. I argue that most Republicans will take his reason for using the slur as perfectly acceptable… And that is why I continue to believe that Republicans are racists.

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Chairwoman of the Yellowstone County Republicans Exposes Her Racism on Facebook

Jennifer Olsen, chairwoman of the Yellowstone County Republicans and co-founder of the Montana Shrugged Tea Party group, shared an offensive and blatantly racist photo on her Facebook profile… Right after a post about a roast she was cooking in a crock pot. One of her 1000+ friends quickly grabbed a screenshot and it went viral within hours after appearing on a right-wing blog that also thought the picture funny.

Jennifer Olsen Racist Facebook Post

Jennifer Olsen’s Racist Facebook Post

To see the entire screenshot, visit this post on the Montanafesto blog.

Jennifer Olsen quickly deleted the post when the attention started pouring in and now has come out to deny that she posted it. The standard “I was hacked” excuse poured forth. The problem is that Facebook has very sophisticated security these days and a hacker doesn’t get in just to leave the password unchanged and leave her be. Facebook also messages those who use Facebook mobile to make them aware of hacking attempts. The photo was also posted from the mobile phone associated with her Facebook profile. That cannot be hacked without physical control of the phone. It’s time she just admitted her mistake and moved on.

This is just another in a long list of Republican leadership on varying levels showing brazen disrespect for this African-American President. The fact that she’s a Tea Party Republican should surprise no regular reader of this blog.

My plans for a Friday night: Step 1: Post a racist photo making fun of the President. Step 2: Post about my roast and how I hope it tastes as good as it smells. Step 3: delete and deny. Step 4: Prove once again that Republicans are racist.

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Former GOP Executive Director Todd Kincannon’s Superbowl Toilet Humor

Well, the election is over and the GOP has been in utter chaos ever since. I was thinking that maybe the vitriol towards the President would lessen but, sadly, I was wrong. I took a couple months off just to re-prioritize and get all the hate out of my head for a short time. I was hoping for a much longer break but, alas, the media demands that I get back to recording the underbelly of today’s Grand Ole Party. Well, let’s get to it.

Todd Kincannon, former Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party, kicks off 2013 with some of his world-class Twitter humor.

Todd Kincannon - Trayvon Martin Tweet

Todd Kincannon – Trayvon Martin Tweet

First, we’ll go ahead and assume that Ravens fans now hate him. Let’s see… Who else might? Maybe Trayvon’s parents (who are mourning his loss on what would have been his 18th birthday today) and just about any parent who has ever lost a child. To bag on a dead kid is about as low as it gets… Especially when the insult is dripping with racism.
However, it turns out he’s NOT a racist after all!

todd-kincannon-not-a-racist

Todd Kincannon is NOT a racist after all.

See? It’s all better everyone. It was just a tasteless joke but certainly not racist! Case closed. Wait… You’re still talking?

Todd Kincannon hates Natalie Holloway too.

Todd Kincannon hates Natalie Holloway too.

Oooooh damn. How deep are you going to dig this hole, Todd? Any other dead people’s graves that you want to defecate on while you try to prove you’re not a bigot?

Todd Kincannon hates yankees too.

Todd Kincannon hates yankees too.

Oh I see. That clears it all up. Problem solved! Todd is NOT racist. Why? Because he hates Americans from north of the Mason-Dixon line more than he hates dead black kids.

What the hell is this all about? Why would a prominent member of the South Carolina GOP go on a crazed Twitter rant like this? Is he an idiot? Is he stupid?

Todd Kincannon is smarter than all of you.

Todd Kincannon is smarter than all of you.

Nope. He’s no idiot. He’s the smartest (and most humble) guy we’ll never have the privilege of meeting or hearing from again. Even self-proclaimed genius Republicans can’t help but being racist, insensitive fools sometimes. When are all of the “good, honest Republicans” that I keep hearing about going to stand up to idiots like this and stop being victims of the guilt-by-association that harboring fools like Kincannon in their party creates?

Todd Kincannon is currently the Chairman of the Simpsonville Election Commission of Simpsonville, South Carolina.

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GOP Meltdown 2012: Mapping Racist Tweets from the Presidential Election

Data-mapping experts from the Floating Sheep blog mapped geo-located Tweets containing racist language during the build-up to the US election. I’m sure the results will shock you. Concentrated racism in the South? No way! As a resident of Georgia and having watched the campaign as it affected my neighbors, my only surprise is that Georgia wasn’t #1. I guess that’s part of what makes Alabama and Mississippi such magical places! Click here for details and methodology behind this image.

Geo-located Tweets using racist language, mapped by state and exact location. Click for larger image

Geo-located Tweets using racist language, mapped by state and exact location. Click for larger image

And, for those of you that only watch auto racing for the accidents, here is a sampling of the racist Republican twitterverse’s reaction to Election 2012. Prepare yourself for all of the grammatical and spelling errors that you have come to know and love from poor, uneducated right-wing loonies! Enjoy!

Racist Tweets - Presidential Election 2012

Racist Tweets - Presidential Election 2012

Racist Tweets - Presidential Election 2012

Racist Republican Tweets

Racist Republican Tweets

Mapping Racist Tweets in Response to President Obama's Re-election

Racist Tweets in Response to President Obama's Re-election

Racist Tweets in Response to President Obama's Re-election

Racist Tweets in Response to President Obama's Re-election

Racist Tweets in Response to President Obama's Re-election

Ane we could go on and on… After all, Twitter Republicans are the most vocally racist of them all!

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Romney Rally Fail: Put the White Back in the White House!

"Put the White Back in the White House" T-Shirt at Romney / Ryan Rally.

“Put the White Back in the White House” T-Shirt at Romney / Ryan Rally.

This Getty Images photo from a Romney / Ryan rally in Lancaster, Ohio on Friday has gotten a lot of attention. I wonder why? This Romney supporter not only felt comfortable enough in this crowd to wear a t-shirt saying “Put the White back in the White House” but he wanted to spike the ball by adding a Romney / Ryan sticker to the top of the message.

A Romney spokesperson commented that the shirt was “reprehensible and has no place in this election.” That being said, the Right-wing Media leaped to Romnney’s rescue claiming that this guy was a Democratic plant and that the photo was taken outside. There is absolutely no evidence of a plant (but what else can you say just weeks before the election) and it was later proven that the photo was indeed taken inside of the event.

This is certainly no surprise, and I’m sure the man got mad props on his wardrobe choice from his fellow Republicans, but what terrible timing. Didn’t anyone tell him that the GOP really wants to downplay the race issue until after election day? Guess it doesn’t matter to this guy. The important thing to him is getting his message out by preaching to his racist choir.

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Why I left the GOP – An Insider Comes Clean

George W. Bush

This week, Salon.com published an article by Jeremiah Goulka that was an unexpectedly good read. I feel I should share this piece as it discusses a subject that I find particularly fascinating….  The refusal to admit to yourself when you’ve been fooled and how it relates to so many in the Republican Party.

This is the story of how in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and later in Iraq, I discovered that what I believed to be the full spectrum of reality was just a small slice of it and how that discovery knocked down my Republican worldview.

I always imagined that I was full of heart, but it turned out that I was oblivious.  Like so many Republicans, I had assumed that society’s “losers” had somehow earned their deserts.  As I came to recognize that poverty is not earned or chosen or deserved, and that our use of force is far less precise than I had believed, I realized with a shock that I had effectively viewed whole swaths of the country and the world as second-class people.

This is not your typical party switching story as it crosses over into the subject of this website.  It helps me get closer to answering questions that I have been asking myself for years.  Why do so many Republicans not understand their advantages?  How can good Christian people be so callous towards the poor?  How did a party with a proud history of fighting for civil rights take such a racist turn?  It’s also a very interesting read.

Many people see the wider spectrum of reality because they grew up on the receiving end.  As a retired African-American general in the Marine Corps said to me after I told him my story, “No one has to explain institutional racism to a black man.”

Jeremiah Goulka writes about American politics and culture. His most recent work has been published in the American Prospect and Salon. He was formerly an analyst at the RAND Corporation, a recovery worker in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.  Check his story out.

On a website with such an unpleasant theme, it’s nice to post something that gives you a little hope every once in a while.

“Why I left the GOP” on Salon.com. Originally published at TomDispatch.com.

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