Harry Reid Gaffe

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This was the first link that popped up, and I'm surprised no one else has started this. I haven't bothered to research it too much because, frankly, I find the whole thing funny. Reid's comments, to me, reflect less of a racist attitude and more of a serious (and reasonable) doubt that America would elect a really black black man, or one who spoke a lot of ebonics. Beyond that, though, I find it hilarious that the Democratic Party (or at least some within it) are ready to flay one of their own for such political incorrectness. All told, I honestly hope it just blows over for him. If he really does loose his seat over this, I'll feel sad.

 

I agree. In 2010 Reid is going to lose his seat the old fashioned way.

 

Is this the same guy who said he was "blacker than Obama"?

I think there are a lot of people who have made jokes or comments that later came back to bite them in the butt. I cringe at the mindset that automatically lumps such comments in with the KKK. I'll admit to you all that I have said VERY un-PC things in my life. Doesn't make me a bad person -- it makes me flawed, like every other human out there! It would be nice if people could put some kind of perspective on this sort of thing.

The fact is, as horrible as it is, I too wonder if a "dark skinned" American of African descent would have been elected. In an ideal world, it wouldn't matter -- that point has been made many times before -- but the world is most assuredly NOT ideal, and racism is still alive and well in America amid all political positions. That's a reasonable question to ask and a reasonable observation to make, even if it offends the professional offendees.*

*by which I mean people who spend their entire lives closely vetting every move by other people and getting offended by every little effing thing rather than doing anything substantive with their own lives. Such people offend me

 

That was someone different; Blago, iirc.

 

Reid was on the short list of senators who stood a strong chance of losing their seats in 2010 anyway. While this certainly doesn't help his cause, Reid was already on the hot seat before this news broke.

 

It was good old Rod. And he apologized for it, citing his comments were emotional because of his diagreement with Obama's administration policies so far. He was just trying to get on TV. He is so desperate, he will be on the next "Apprentice". What a jack@$$!

 

LKD, I think someone blacker than Obama would have to be done on a case-by-case basis. Colin Powell is the only one that comes to mind as likely, and he looks about the same to me. That being said, I firmly believe he'd be elected no matter how dark he was. Likewise, Al Sharpton isn't significantly different, and he'd never be elected (or so I dearly hope).

The real killer, though, would be a candidate that spoke Ebonics on a regular basis. One thing I can definitely say about Obama is that the man can speak well. Off the cuff he pauses a lot and uses 'umm', but at least he still sounds educated.

 

One thing true of both Powell and Obama is that they are both bi-racial, have strong ties to the caucasian side of their families (although both of Powell's parents were Jamaican, he has Irish and Scot ancestry), and neither was raised in a "black" culture so to speak. They don't speak ebonics because they never did their entire lives - it wasn't something they started doing once they entered the public domain.

 

I still don't see what the fuss is about - while the word he used is somewhat antiquated and fallen out of fashion (yeah, how atypical of a septuagenarian), I do not think it was considered a racial slur. Which Democrats exactly have been so offended? I got the impression that it was mostly a "gotcha" thing for Republicans to laugh at.

 

Actually, the reason Republicans are so upset about it is because of the double standard. If a Republican is perceived as racist he is to be run out of town as fast as possible. If a Democrat is perceived as racist, there is nothing to worry about.

Trent Lott is the example most Republicans quote.

 

their is a fair difference between making one un-pc comment and publically praising a known racist.

 

I think the only thing un-pc about Reid's comment was, well, pointing out that Obama is black and implying that it may influence how people vote! God forbid we accept reality and try to change it, here.

 

Actually the truly ironic thing about Reid's comments is who it was a reflection of. Considering that it was a given that Republicans weren't going to vote for Obama anyway, it was really Democrats and independents that Reid was calling racists.

 

And their reaction may well prove him right. I'm not sure who is stirring this, but right-wing comentators don't make news on MSNBC unless they're beinc criticized. Since this is being carried by the general media, I'm guessing it isn't Republicans or Conservatives who are to blame.

 

It's not Republicans - it is the RNC and its operatives. Snook is trying to base his reasoning on reality. The political operatives on both sides create their own versions of reality. I think the rank-and-file voter, whether Dem or Rep, doesn't really care about the issue. While the RNC and its operatives are out trying to gain as much traction from this story, the "general" media is just enjoying the political food fight.

This is from the "American Conservative," of all places:

You are ignoring the Republican/Powell portion of this thread - suddenly. If Republicans ever run a black candidate, Reid's comments may apply just as well....


http://www.amconmag.com/tactv/2010/01/15/harry-reid-hysteria/

 

Chandos, reality is that the RNC's favorite media is talk radio, with Fox being the notable exception. I believe the rest of the media enjoying the political mudslinging, but that still implies there are some Dems slinging mud, too. Otherwise, it'd be presented as partison attacks, not open criticism.

 

I'm not sure what your point is here regarding Reid, since most Dems understood the comment to mean sorta how Snook meant it, except for how starkly Snook used the term "racist." Many Dems still support Reid, and Obama has commented that despite the "unartful language" (probably the term negro), he was not in the least offended by it. If Dems and Indies were complete "racists" they never would have embraced Obama in the first place....

 

Oh, I agree, but I do find it funny how some Dems are reacting.