Remember last week and our good friend the incoming Speaker of Nevada’s General Assembly, Republican Ira “simple-minded darkies” Hansen? Turns out there’s a limit even to that as we’ve reached the “I’m sorry you people find my two decades of verbatim racial intolerance in my columns to be a problem”, I’m the real victim here” phase of the game. Jon Ralston details Hansen’s “apology”:
For the greater good of the State of Nevada and the cause I support it is necessary for me to withdraw as Speaker Designee. The tens of thousands of people who both read my columns and listened to my radio shows through two decades in the media know this has been a carefully orchestrated attack to remove a conservative Republican from a major leadership role in State government. The deliberate character assassination and the politics of personal destruction have totally distorted my views and record. Ultimately, this whole attack has very little to do with my views. The powers that be are planning a massive, more than one billion dollar, tax increase and I stood in the way as Speaker. I have already served two terms as an Assemblyman without any of these vicious attacks. It was only when I had risen to leadership that this smear campaign occurred. That is the real reason for this and it is vital the public understands that.
If it’s possible, it does actually get worse as Ralston points out.
Even in departure, Hansen played the victim Sunday, repeating what he had mewled in a Saturday email: “Politics of personal destruction win.” On Saturday, he had lamented that he had been targeted by character assassins (“Wasn’t it technically character suicide?” one wag wondered.) and he has been enabled by lunkheads and opportunists who cared more about their own influence and pocketbooks than Hansen’s political career.
But Hansen’s own pen was mightier than any of the swords unsheathed by those who never wanted him there. The release of his old columns by Dennis Myers, followed by more revelations of his contemporaneous beliefs by Anjeanette Damon and Steve Sebelius, shocked and offended even those who liked and supported him. And there was, undoubtedly, more coming as at least one TV station was/is working on damaging stories about Hansen.
Here’s the debate we should be having however:
Some have wondered why we in the Fourth Estate exposed Hansen now and did not do so earlier. Maybe we should have. But in our defense, Hansen was a backbencher who had been in Carson City for two sessions, so no one really paid attention until he was serendipitously elevated.
Pretty sure nobody gave a damn about the career of Nevada’s most awesome racist uncle until 1) he actually won the vote to be Speaker of the Assembly and 2) as Speaker his first order of business would have been taking a big steaming crap on that new Tesla battery plant in Nevada and the $1.25 billion they’re getting in tax incentives.
This would have been rather problematic for the state’s general revenues, so apparently being a giant racist asshole didn’t really matter to Nevada for 20 years until there was a good chance that the bad press and the legislative damage would have been an issue for the new guys from Cali with the money. Nice to have that delineated for us, Silver State.
Call me crazy on that one.
Belafon
I doubt that, if the news there had ever focused on him, it would have hurt his reelection, and I’m pretty sure preventing him from becoming speaker will only get him more votes in the next election.
Zandar
@Belafon: Sadly, you are not incorrect.
Face
I believe he was simply misquoted. He was lamenting all those lazy, worthless Door Keys that populate the urban center of his keyring. And then he got upset that he couldn’t clean out all the moocher, welfare Dark Eaves that exist on his urban roof.
Not his fault that all you libtards cant understand his words better.
The Red Pen
Speaking of post-racial, the Mike Brown decision is being announced at 1800 Central.
The execrable Gateway Pundit says he has a leak that that there will be no indictment. Gateway Pundit is frequently full of shit, but frankly, I think it’s pretty obvious that there will be no indictment.
One Freeper suggested that local businesses keep out looters by putting up signs saying that they are employment agencies or bookstores. Get it?
drkrick
He was a two term Assemblyman. Do they have 10 year terms in Nevada?
Citizen Alan
I just love how “the politics of personal destruction” can now achieved by “quoting someone verbatim.”
ranchandsyrup
@drkrick: he put forth his views as a columnist for the local paper starting back in 1994.
EriktheRed
Oh well, oftentimes we have to accept that even if they’re doing the right thing for the wrong reason, at least they’re doing the right thing.
Spinwheel
So any Nevadan who hasn’t spent the last 20 years calling out somebody Zandar has never heard of until last week is a racist.
That’s fair.
JPL
Zandar, I’m pleased that you are posting here again, trolls and all.
Tree With Water
Hansen is a piker. Recall that Nixon entitled a book: I Gave Them A Sword.
Subtitled: And The Bastards Used It.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Spinwheel:
And Lester Maddox never did anything wrong until those mean ol’ newspapers in the north started quoting him.
Cacti
The most telling thing about the Iran Hansen episode is this:
Nevada GOPers haven’t held a majority in the State assembly since 1985.
At the first opportunity, they chose the most hateful jerk they could find to be their leader and public face.
GOPers can’t help but let their freak flag fly the moment they’re given any political power.
Betty Cracker
@The Red Pen: The Gateway Pundit is a lying sack of shit who often pretends to have inside information that is later proven to be wishful thinking. (I believe he was the source of the fake x-rays purportedly showing Wilson’s “orbital fracture.”) But in this case, odds are that events will back up his lie. Even a man as devoid of functioning brain cells and integrity as Hoft can’t be wrong ALL the time.
JPL
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): Lester Maddox lived in a modest ranch house in Cobb County. It was on a very busy street. After his death, they had an estate sale with foam pick-axes for sale. I was with my son and we drove by. It was all I could do to keep him in the car when someone with their sick treasures walked in front of us. I couldn’t prevent him from rolling down the window to express his displeasure though.
also… We drove by because it was on the way home.
Buddy H
I read that Ira Hansen runs a plumbing business. So out of curiosity, I looked him up on yelp. The bad reviews from unhappy customers this good american tried to screw with shoddy business practices are hilarious and sad at the same time:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ira-hansen-and-sons-plumbing-sparks
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
White racists are always the real victims. What a bunch of pansy assed whiners those guys are.
MattF
But, seriously– what’s the difference between what Hansen has written and what, say, Rush Limbaugh’s been broadcasting? Limbaugh is smarter, but what he broadcasts has made racism and sexism into just someone’s opinions. Hansen’s error was to make it explicit, but otherwise I don’t really see a difference.
Tree With Water
@JPL: Years before hanging chads, Lester Maddox polled thousands and thousands of votes in San Francisco in the presidential election of 1976. It was the first election in which I cast a presidential ballot, and I had to ask a poll worker which box to check because the actual ballot was so misaligned. A lot of people didn’t ask, and to this day probably think they cast a vote for Carter.
catclub
@MattF: Limbaugh does not run for office, so the only majority that matters is the majority of listeners ( and advertisers). For elected officials, the majority of voters matters. They have more sense than the majority of Limbaugh’s listeners.
catclub
@Tree With Water:
Well, they were both from Georgia.
JPL
@MattF: The only time I listened to Limbaugh was a time he was spouting that drug users needed to be tossed in jail. That was a few weeks before he was arrested for doctor shopping and drug use.
ruemara
This is so disheartening.
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): Hey, best of luck on the interview!
JPL
@Tree With Water: 3121 Johnson Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30062 I’m not sure if that is the correct address but it’s the small ranch house. When they moved there it was farmland.
He wasn’t racist and just cuz his heirs sold symbols perceived to be racist, they weren’t. Yeah right.
Morzer
@Buddy H:
So he’s Schmoe the Plumber?
jo6pac
I love him and homiesty will the people of NVl wake up to divide and over come of all govt. so-called parties of Amerika . Nope to many dopies on cool aid. Sad
Seanly
So, the more they keep delaying this announcement, the more sure I am that Wilson just got away with murder. Maybe he and Zimmerman can go on a cross-country tour randomly killing people who look at them wrong.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Once again in America the right thing is done for the wrong reasons.
But it makes a twisted kind of sense – I assume he was after the Tesla plant because they are making hippie machines.