The other day I noted a WSJ pice that caught the Democrats playing their favorite game- race politics. Today, I see the Opinion Journal has another choice quote from Teddy Chappaquiddick:
This comes from staff talking points written for Senator Ted Kennedy to deliver to his fellow Senate Democrats urging them to oppose Miguel Estrada, the highly qualified former nominee for the D.C Circuit who happens to be Hispanic. “We can’t repeat the mistake we made with Clarence Thomas,” it said.
This revelation comes hot on the heels of this choice statement:
Boasting of his party’s resolve in the face of GOP attempts to stop the Democrats’ filibuster, Kennedy told the Senate, “What has not ended is the resolution and the determination of the members of the United States Senate to continue to resist any Neanderthal that is nominated by this president of the United States for any court, federal court in the United States.
Now I am sure that all of my liberal friends in the blogosphere will rush to state that this was not racist- after all, we know how the left has a monopoly on the meanings of words. Fair enough- I will play along. I think what Kennedy (whose career has progressed swimmingly since drowning a campaign worker 40 years ago) meant was that these guys are Neanderthals in that they are Republican, don’t have a summer home at Martha’s Vineyard, and have long strayed from the ideological plantation that has been the Kennedy fiefdom for far to long. Kennedy doesn’t think they are neanderthal because of their skin color, but because they possess some of the same mentality of the rest of the untermensch- you know, the other half of the country that doesn’t vote for liberal elite snobs.
At any rate, take a look at these pictures:
Alrighty Democrats- time for a test. What would your reaction be if ANY Republican called these folks ‘Neanderthals.’ Be honest, now.
*** Update ***
The Discountblogger confirms the double standard while attempting to amount a defense. The most absurd assertion made is that Republicans wouldn’t get a pass if they called a judicial nominee a neanderthal:
And, by the way, if Trent Lott had said the same thing, I would suspect he was not referring to the political affiliation of the judges. See, he’s got a history…
What about John McCain? Orrin Hatch? George Bush? Julian Bond and the entire DNC would be making GOP/Taliban/KKK references for years. Why, the Democrats might make references in commercials to continued church burnings or dragging black men to death if you vote Republican. Whoops- they already are doing that.
While railing against “loud mouthed conservatives,” Michael essentially states that the reason Republicans wouldn’t get a pass is because if a member of the GOP called the Democrat versions of Miguel Estrada and Janice Rogers Brown “neanderthals,” not even Michael would give them a benefit of the doubt and assume they were talking about their liberal politics- because you see, as Michael stated- Trent Lott has a history.
Thanks for perptuating the ‘common knowledge’ that all Republicans are racist- that was helpful. It isn’t being a loudmouth to point out hypocrisy. I think we both agree that Kennedy was not intentionally being racist or using racist language, but at the same time, Michael and I should be able to agree that there would be a whole different song and dance coming from the left if a Republican had made this remark- and it would not matter one IOTA what the Republican actually meant.
*** Update #2 ***
By clarifying a statement in his comments (I thought he was calling everyone who noted this situation a loudmouth), it is now clear that Michael Demmons and I agree and there is no point for you to be reading this.
*** Update #3 ***
I actually agree with Mark Kleiman on some of this post– at least the part in which he claims this is not racism and that some conservatives do seem extra quick to try to charge liberals with racism. However, I still contend that had a Republican called any minority candidate ‘a neanderthal,’ even when part of a coterie of non-minority neanderthals, the shit would hit the fan.
Where I disagree with Kleiman is that he seems to think the reason Republicans are quick to pull the trigger on charges of racism:
So conservatives have figured out what to do about it: charge liberals with racism whenever possible, and set up situations where liberals wind up opposing some individual African-American or Latino so as to be able to charge them with racism for doing so. (See index under “Thomas, Clarence, lynching charge.”)
Most Republicans ARE NOT racist, and get a little sick and tired of being branded so, particularly when the majority of the charges are so outrageous. Republicans haven’t really figured anything out vis-a-vis a strategy, but they are now just as quick to make absurd charges as our counterparts on the Democrat aisle. After all- it has worked magically for Democrats in recent years.
Also, the vast majority of the charges of racism center on simple policy differences- then the DNC ramps up the rhetoric, and before you know it, Republican opposition to an education appropriation is a blatant attempt to defund historic black colleges, or an attempt to starve minority school children. There is a reason this old joke about the NY Times headline is so funny to conservatives:
World To End Tomorrow: Women, Minorities Hardest Hit
Both parties have changed- evolved, if you will- regarding race. But just like there sure as hell are some old racists (and some young ones) in the Republican Party, there is a core of people in the Democratic party who will not only not let go of the myth that all Republicans are closet racists, but who are afraid to, politically. How close would Election 2000 have been if Gore did not get 91% of the African-American vote? Most Democrats will turn white (no pun intended) and pass out if they really think about that question.
Moe Lane
John, why do you keep trying? When it comes to race there’s one standard for Democrats and another for Republicans, and that’s just the way it is. Trying to convince the reactionaries among the Left that things have yea, indeed changed is an exercise in futility.
Michael Demmons
“because you see, as Michael stated- Republicans have a history.”
John,
That’s not what I said.
I said TRENT LOTT has a history.
Michael Demmons
And I believe I made it abundantly clear that it is as wrong for Democrats to do this to Republicans as it is for Republicans to do it to Democrats.
John Cole
Sorry- edited.
The point is the same- The Atrioses and other members of the Identity Politics left simply view Trnet Lott as an overt example of the latent racism in all of the4 GOP.
Go read Pandagon, Dave Niewert, Eric Alterman, Joe Conason, Molly Ivins. If ANY Republican uttered the word Neanderthal in reference to any member of a group that included minorities, the race card would be played. As a conservative, you should know that, whether you want to admit it or not.
My god- the most liberal Republican in the Senate, Arlen Specter, was called a racist for attacking Anita Hill’s testimony (and let’s forget that he was doing so in defense of Clarence Thomas).
You cede one inch to these race-baiters, and you are making a mistake. It is not unfair or loudmouthed to point out the fact the Democrats would have behaved COMPLETELY differently if a Republican had made the remark.
Michael Demmons
John, you’re still saying that I point out the common knowledge that all Republicans are racist. In fact, I only pointed out that Trent Lott is. And the only reason I did that was because so many people were saying “What would have happened if Trent Lott did the same thing?” I think Lott IS a racist, and would have no problem believing that, if he called a slate minority judges neanderthals, he’d probably have meant it in a racial way.
In other words, if Republicans wanted to make a point about a double standard, they could have picked a better example.
The whole point of my post was that I am sick and tired of both parties labelling each other ANYTHING when it is most likely not the case.
I think it’s junk politics – regardless of where it comes from.
John Cole
I am not sure where you are getting this Trent Lott stuff- of the seven ‘loudmouths’ you linked to, only Mark from Weapons of mass Discussion made a Trent Lott reference.
And, to make this clear- when you call several conservatives ‘loudmouths’ because they are pointing out the hypocrisy, you are in essence stating they should be quiet because there is no hypocrisy. Why is there no hypocrisy- because Republicans are racist. How am I supposed to come to any other conclusion?
John Cole
BTW- It is junk politics, regardless of which side it comes from- but you are giving the people who normally create this junk politics a pass when you give the Democrats a pass on statements they would use to villify Republicans.
Harry
Democrats use race politics because they work and they do not get a pass on it in the press. Fat “Single Malt” Ted probably meant his insult to be about class rather than race, but that makes him no better than Trent Lott in my book. To not acknowledge the double-standard or challenge race baiting and class baiting is naive and counter-productive.
I read NewsMax occaisionally and see no real problem with their reporting. NewsMax is a partisan conservative publication and makes no bones about it. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Hell I only read the Nation or Salon when I have to, and I never look at the DU. The DU has absolutely nothing of value to add to the American political debate. My time is way too valuable for that tripe. For God’s sake man there’s Georgia football, Braves baseball, women, beer, pizza and fried chicken, fine whiskies, cars, guns, and the job to be done!
It’s okay to be a open minded conservative and/or libertarian just don’t be so open minded that your friggin’ brains fall out.
Harry
That first sentence should say that the Democrats get a pass on race politics, not that they do not get a pass. I suffer from dyslexia and miss these things when I proofread sometimes.
Kimmitt
I would think that a Republican was likely being racist if he/she called the judges Neaderthals, because Republicans do not use generally use perjoratives to describe far-right conservatives.
Context matters.
Dan
Ummm, I think he was talking about conservatives. You know, people who want to bring back the good old days of child labor going unregulated by the federal government. In other words, Neanderthals. Not a racial term, but an ideological one.
David Perron
As long as it’s being inaccurate in the name of ideology, I guess it’s ok.
dave
Jesus, what a maroon. Give it a rest…
Michael Demmons
John,
I think we did agree all along. But I never changed a word of the original post. I did make an addemdum, however, but the original post is still there, word for word.
jesse
There’s a couple of problem with this – Bill Pryor and Priscilla Owen, for instance, are white. They’re also victims of this terrible liberal attack against bad judges.
This is so lame it hurts.
Alden
A republican wouldn’t call judicial candidates he didn’t like “neanderthal” for the excellent reason that in political slang, “neanderthal” means really, really conservative.
I thought everyone knew that.
A. Neanderthal
Screw you, you sorry buncha “homo” sapiens! Think “Survivor” is a game show? Try coming back here to 70,000 BC and see how long YOU survive….
ChrisL
you guys are working pretty damn hard to make this about race. but, really, you’re just coming across as a bunch of whiners.
sym
But Owen is a Catholic…another one of those groups that Democrats (especially Catholic Democratic Senators!) are supposedly biased towards.
Avedon
Well, judging by what I’m seeing here, you seem to equate the term “Neanderthal” with color, so I guess if I heard you use it this way, I’d have to assume it was racist. However, to me, the word “Neanderthal” refers to attitude and beliefs, which is something else entirely.
Or is this just another case of “Democrats aren’t allowed to criticize people of color when they disagree with them”?
John Cole
From dictionary.com
An extinct human species (Homo neanderthalensis) or subspecies (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) living during the late Pleistocene Epoch throughout most of Europe and parts of Asia and northern Africa and associated with Middle Paleolithic tools.
An individual belonging to this species or subspecies.
Slang. A crude, boorish, or slow-witted person.
For the record, I am not equating ‘neanderthal’ with color- I told you I said I did not hink it was a racist remark from Kennedy. I do, however, know full well what would happen if a republican called sveral judicial nominees (some of whom were minorities) neanderthals. And so do you.
Dan
Yes. Neanderthal, a crude, boorish, slow-witted person. Not racial. Ideological.
So what you’re saying is that if a Republican insults a black person, it’s automatically jumped on as racism, even when it is obviously not about race, while a Democrat insulting a black person, even when it is not about race, isn’t jumped on for racism by anyone except, oh, the wall street journal.
I don’t know if you have a point.
Harry
Yes, Dan, that’s exactly what he is saying. And he’s right. There’s gobs of anecdotal as well as empirical evidence to back him up.