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First a disclaimer..I am a conservative Republican who is looking forward to voting against Harry Reid in November. But I understand the context in which he made his "negro dialect" comment He did nothing wrong in this regard..
According to the Game Changer book Reid and other Dem leaders thought that Hillary Clinton was too polorizing to be elected President. Reid correctly thought that Obama could win and asked him to run. Reid was NOT being racist when he made the "light skinned African-American without a Negro dialect" comment. He knew that the American people who would normally not vote for a black man would be comfortable with Obama.
Many of the same voters who voted for Obama would not vote for a black man with darker skin and a stronger African-American dialect. Even if the darker skinned man was more moderate than Obama the (dumb) voters would incorrectly conclude that Obama was a moderate because of his looks and mannerism while the man with darker shin was the radical leftist. So it's not Reid who is racist, he just understood human nature and how ignorant the voters can be.
First a disclaimer..I am a conservative Republican who is looking forward to voting against Harry Reid in November. But I understand the context in which he made his "negro dialect" comment He did nothing wrong in this regard..
According to the Game Changer book Reid and other Dem leaders thought that Hillary Clinton was too polorizing to be elected President. Reid correctly thought that Obama could win and asked him to run. Reid was NOT being racist when he made the "light skinned African-American without a Negro dialect" comment. He knew that the American people who would normally not vote for a black man would be comfortable with Obama.
Many of the same voters who voted for Obama would not vote for a black man with darker skin and a stronger African-American dialect. Even if the darker skinned man was more moderate than Obama the (dumb) voters would incorrectly conclude that Obama was a moderate because of his looks and mannerism while the man with darker shin was the radical leftist. So it's not Reid who is racist, he just understood human nature and how ignorant the voters can be.
Is this, "he just understood human nature and how ignorant the voters can be", just a nice way of saying some oters are racist? Regardless of that, what you're saying is that his comments were just because he needed to relate to the voters that are "dumb" or racist. I don't think so....besides that, for anybody that would actually think like that, do you think Reid's comment would make them change their mind enough to even consider voting for Obama.
Has anyone ever expressed concern for a politicians accent (New York, Boston, southern, etc.). His comment was out of line....to think it's necessary to make a comment like that (even if it's for the sake of others), you've got to be somewhat racist to think like that.....that kind of thinking stems from racism....worrying that some of the public will draw conclusions about how extreme or radical he is based on how dark his skin is. The people that came to the conclusion that he was too extreme, did so based of the company he kept (and those people are from all different races).
His choice of wording didn't help either...specifically, using the word "negro".
Quote:
During the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, some African American leaders in the United States objected to the word, preferring Black, because they associated the word Negro with the long history of slavery, segregation, and discrimination that treated African Americans as second class citizens, or worse. During the 1960s Negro came to be considered an ethnic slur.
The term is now considered archaic and is not commonly used, and is widely considered a racist slur.
I say dumb in the sense that for many voters it's style and looks over substance. This is especially true in this era because people are more shallow than ever. His wording might have been offensive but Reid was just trying to say that Obama would be marketable and attractive to voters.
As far as "negro" is concerned keep in mind Reid is 70 years old. When he was growing up negro was not considered a slur it was the most widespread used name for people of the black race. He should have been politically savy enough to know the word has long been taboo. But often times words we grow up with stick very deeply in our vocabulary. A few years ago I did some political polling on the side. One of the questions we asked was race. It was quite common for older black people to say their race was negro.. Obviously these black folks didn't mean the word as a slur..it's just the word they grew up with.
To enter this argument we have to assume that Obama had no political merit to stand on.
We could assume that there were several candidates including Obama who had political merit to stand on. Most of the other candidates had more extensive experience but didn't have the charisma and style of Obama. According to the book that started this controversy it was Reid who strongly encouraged Obama to run. Reid saw little difference in the politcs of Obama, Hillary or any of the Dems..they were all acceptable to him. What he wanted was someone who could win and that's what he got. The package is just as important as the politics and Reid understood this. He meant no harm. Republicans should quit saying he should step down, Besides he will be easy to defeat in November if the polls are any indication
First a disclaimer..I am a conservative Republican who is looking forward to voting against Harry Reid in November. But I understand the context in which he made his "negro dialect" comment He did nothing wrong in this regard..
According to the Game Changer book Reid and other Dem leaders thought that Hillary Clinton was too polorizing to be elected President. Reid correctly thought that Obama could win and asked him to run. Reid was NOT being racist when he made the "light skinned African-American without a Negro dialect" comment. He knew that the American people who would normally not vote for a black man would be comfortable with Obama.
Many of the same voters who voted for Obama would not vote for a black man with darker skin and a stronger African-American dialect. Even if the darker skinned man was more moderate than Obama the (dumb) voters would incorrectly conclude that Obama was a moderate because of his looks and mannerism while the man with darker shin was the radical leftist. So it's not Reid who is racist, he just understood human nature and how ignorant the voters can be.
I agree
[quote][quote=Danno3314;12408004]
Has anyone ever expressed concern for a politicians accent (New York, Boston, southern, etc.). His comment was out of line....to think it's necessary to make a comment like that (even if it's for the sake of others), you've got to be somewhat racist to think like that.....that kind of thinking stems from racism....worrying that some of the public will draw conclusions about how extreme or radical he is based on how dark his skin is. The people that came to the conclusion that he was too extreme, did so based of the company he kept (and those people are from all different races).
His choice of wording didn't help either...specifically, using the word "negro".
no its not racism, its realism, realism that people look at people based on looks, actions, and backgrounds
look at all the people that were afraid of JFK because he was catholic, or all the people from the left that were fearmongering at mitt romney because he is mormon
the facts are that the general population would not have voted for President Obama if he acted like a rapper punk gangster, they would not have voted fro him if he wasn't well spoken as he is, and he spoke in ebonics...these are FACTS.....it would not make him a different person, but the APPEARANCE would be drastic....the people voted for obama because he was a well spoken, articulate, educated statesman..not a street hood...and that has nothing to do with color....
and negro is ok as a term,,,please dont use wiki which is only an opinion,,, negro means black in at least a dozen languages, negro is also the shrt term for the SCIENTIFIC term of the black race...negroid.................................... .....now if he had used nigg(er)(a), then yes that is definatly racist........
First a disclaimer..I am a conservative Republican who is looking forward to voting against Harry Reid in November. But I understand the context in which he made his "negro dialect" comment He did nothing wrong in this regard..
According to the Game Changer book Reid and other Dem leaders thought that Hillary Clinton was too polorizing to be elected President. Reid correctly thought that Obama could win and asked him to run. Reid was NOT being racist when he made the "light skinned African-American without a Negro dialect" comment. He knew that the American people who would normally not vote for a black man would be comfortable with Obama.
Many of the same voters who voted for Obama would not vote for a black man with darker skin and a stronger African-American dialect. Even if the darker skinned man was more moderate than Obama the (dumb) voters would incorrectly conclude that Obama was a moderate because of his looks and mannerism while the man with darker shin was the radical leftist. So it's not Reid who is racist, he just understood human nature and how ignorant the voters can be.
If anything Reid's comment was a slur against white people, not against black people. Like most Democrats Reid thinks in terms of gruop identity and group politics and assumes that everyone does the same. It is Reid and the Dems who are fixated on skin color and ethnicity and "dialect". Most people in this country have moved beyond that but it serves the interests of the Left to keep digging up this corpse. White people, including conservatives, will vote for any person who presents views and policies with which they agree, no matter what their race or ethnicity. So Reid and his ilk truly are bigots. His contempt for the American people was on full display in his comments.
On another note, there is a certain irony in Reid's comment about dialect and putting on the dialect when Obama chooses. Reid speaks with a dialect. It's called Washingtonese. All those politicians who've been in Washington for any length of time pick it up. And the media who report on them speak it as well. You can tell someone is speaking Washintonese when they say something that sounds intelligent but means absolutely nothing. Or they can stare into the camera and utter a bald-faced lie without shame. And if someone doesn't speak the dialect he or she is called a rube. Sarah Palin doesn't speak Washingtonese and it scandalized the heck out of the Washington in-crowd. Similarly, George Bush, even after 8 years in Washington, never picked up the dialect and he was reviled for it.
First a disclaimer..I am a conservative Republican who is looking forward to voting against Harry Reid in November. But I understand the context in which he made his "negro dialect" comment He did nothing wrong in this regard..
According to the Game Changer book Reid and other Dem leaders thought that Hillary Clinton was too polorizing to be elected President. Reid correctly thought that Obama could win and asked him to run. Reid was NOT being racist when he made the "light skinned African-American without a Negro dialect" comment. He knew that the American people who would normally not vote for a black man would be comfortable with Obama.
Many of the same voters who voted for Obama would not vote for a black man with darker skin and a stronger African-American dialect. Even if the darker skinned man was more moderate than Obama the (dumb) voters would incorrectly conclude that Obama was a moderate because of his looks and mannerism while the man with darker shin was the radical leftist. So it's not Reid who is racist, he just understood human nature and how ignorant the voters can be.
I agree.
I'm sure some of us may be shocked at discussions behind closed doors among politicians discussing who they're going to spend a lot of money and time on, who best will further their agenda...it's NOT the time to *****-foot around...brutal honesty, for once, prevails.
If the Repubs had had similar conversations (about THEIR candidate)they may not have picked the "Disaster That Was Palin".
And all those who are so "shocked" at what Harry said..C'mon, what do ya think Repubs were, and are, saying about the color of Obama's skin....
First a disclaimer..I am a conservative Republican who is looking forward to voting against Harry Reid in November. But I understand the context in which he made his "negro dialect" comment He did nothing wrong in this regard..
According to the Game Changer book Reid and other Dem leaders thought that Hillary Clinton was too polorizing to be elected President. Reid correctly thought that Obama could win and asked him to run. Reid was NOT being racist when he made the "light skinned African-American without a Negro dialect" comment. He knew that the American people who would normally not vote for a black man would be comfortable with Obama.
Many of the same voters who voted for Obama would not vote for a black man with darker skin and a stronger African-American dialect. Even if the darker skinned man was more moderate than Obama the (dumb) voters would incorrectly conclude that Obama was a moderate because of his looks and mannerism while the man with darker shin was the radical leftist. So it's not Reid who is racist, he just understood human nature and how ignorant the voters can be.
You have to judge Harry's comments against the backdrop of Trent Lott.
Trend Lott praised Strom Thurmond at Strom's b-day party, saying that the country would have been better off hand Strom won the presidency back when he ran.
I don't believe Mr. Lott meant that the country would have been better off with the segregation between the races (he was trying to praise Strom at his party), yet, I see how his comments could be interpreted that way.
Mr. Trent Lott tried to apologize, yet, neither Obama nor Reid were willing to forgive him but called on his resignation.
Now, when you have Reid making a more obviously racially charged comment, we are told that there is nothing there, all is forgiven and forgotten.
When Joe Biden makes a 'clean black' comment, he too is forgiven.
I don't believe Reid is racist and I doubt people thought Lott was a racist either, but.. Lott was forced to resign and so should Harry Reid.
Hope this will serve as a lesson to politicians, don't beat up on your opponents and perhaps they too will come to your rescue some day.
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C'mon, what do ya think Repubs were, and are, saying about the color of Obama's skin....
