Can’t Help Themselves

We know they seem to be predisposed towards this sort of thing, but does the Republican party think its a good idea to hold a party where they’ll be hanging and beating a black politician in effigy?

UPDATE: Looks like it may be a hoax.

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57 Responses to “Can’t Help Themselves”


  1. Gravatar Icon 1 mr.curmudgeon

    I only posted about this in the comments down the page, after it was all over Kos and Atrios, since in reality, I reeeeeeeally wish this info hadn’t made it onto the blogs. I’d much rather have the guy who discovered this story to have made his way to the party, taking pictures of a Republican congressmen beating a “lynched” black leader in effigy, with a stick.

    Priceless commerical, right there. What was that Hillary was saying about “plantations” again?

  2. Gravatar Icon 2 Leroy Brown

    Man, I like to give the benefit of the doubt, but if this is real… Christ, even if you felt this way how could you be so STUPID as to publish it? It’s like dressing up like Hitler, you know someone, someday will just kick your ass over it. Dumb, dumb, dumb…

  3. Gravatar Icon 3 Quaker in a Basement

    I guess it “should be noted” that the people who called attention to this party were all Democrats, right ian?

  4. Gravatar Icon 4 Quaker in a Basement

    Hunh.

    What happened to all those folks who were here a little while ago telling us that GOPers aren’t racists?

    For some reason they got quiet all of a sudden.

  5. Gravatar Icon 5 JWG

    I don’t blame the partisans…they “Can’t Help Themselves.”

  6. Gravatar Icon 6 mjb

    Maybe OW is not near a computer. But I suppose that justified you in using the no balls slur. I’m sure that won’t stop you from claiming that liberals are only ones hurting america with their personal attack rhetoric.

  7. Gravatar Icon 7 Brandon

    What’s funny is when charges are made that some people tossed Oreos at Michael Steele, Oliver waits for the story to be corroborated before believing the charges (certainly understandable given the gravity of the charge) but takes something like this and runs with it without corroborating anything in it.

  8. Gravatar Icon 8 JWG

    I suppose now we’ll be getting “fake but accurate” comments?

  9. Gravatar Icon 9 Jay C

    Of course JWG. Oliver doesn’t have the balls to say, “Sorry, this was wrong.”

  10. Gravatar Icon 10 mjb

    The only source for the oreo story was Steele himself. Again, do you think the winger bloggers, if the shoe was on the other foot, would have taken it at face value or do you think they would have started the meme that the story was planted or fake? (think schiavo and political strategy memo which the wingers immediately proclaimed a plant from the left but which was admitted to later by a Republican senator)
    And save your self-righteous “I don’t condone when either side does it”, because you support a side which does it to a disgusting degree, so admit that it doesn’t matter to you and that it’s ok when your side does it.

  11. Gravatar Icon 11 JWG

    It’s a hoax. Take a look at The Bistro at 316 N Main, Bloomington, IL.

  12. Gravatar Icon 12 mjb

    There was no doubt the invitation came from the RNC. Seems like enough to post on. Do you think any winger blogger would hesitate for a second should the tables be turned?

  13. Gravatar Icon 13 Brandon

    “Maybe OW is not near a computer.”

    Still no excuse for him to take something like this and automatically accept it as fact.

    Just goes to show how much of a shrill partisan race-baiter that he is.

  14. Gravatar Icon 14 Brandon

    Of course it may be a hoax.

    But don’t let that stop you, lefties.

  15. Gravatar Icon 15 JWG

    mjb, are you using the “Clinton Defense”?

  16. Gravatar Icon 16 Brandon

    “There was no doubt the invitation came from the RNC. ”

    And there no doubt that the email about allegeded unauthorized use on my PayPal account came from the paypal.com domain. Does that mean PayPal sent the email?

    Not necessarily. Because they’re asking for my account information. And I know the actual PayPal company never asks for that information. So I can only surmise that the reply-to address was spoofed.

    I’m guessing an RNC address was spoofed in this email as well.

    Also, you discount the Michael Steele story because his campaign is the lone source of the charges. As I mentioned in my previous comment, this is quite understandable on your part. What I’d like to know is why you’re willing to believe this story when the lone source of the charge is one of Kos’ Kidz?

  17. Gravatar Icon 17 Oliver Willis

    Unlike the right wing bloggers out there, I don’t give the pretense of being a media organization. I’m guy with website, and don’t pretend otherwise.

    I do find it hilarious that you expect more from me than from Fox News, etc.

    The story had the odor of truthiness too it.

  18. Gravatar Icon 18 Quaker in a Basement

    Brandon, I didn’t notice any of the conservatives speaking up until after Kos called it out as a probable hoax.

    Whassa matter? Weren’t you sure?

  19. Gravatar Icon 19 mjb

    What do you mean by the clinton defense?

  20. Gravatar Icon 20 Leroy Brown

    And this is why I said IF this is real…

  21. Gravatar Icon 21 JWG

    it isn t like conservatives have an awesome track record for their racial sensitivity, is it

    Fake But Accurate.

  22. Gravatar Icon 22 Brandon

    “When someone commits a crime, you look at the records of known criminals first. I updated the post with the possibility it may be a hoax, but it isn t like conservatives have an awesome track record for their racial sensitivity, is it?”

    So that excuses the fact you didn’t vet this claim, first?

    You work for a media watchdog organization so you should have some semblance of journalistic standards from which to operate from before accepting a story like this as fact. And don’t pretend you didn’t originally accept this as fact, Oliver.

  23. Gravatar Icon 23 Oliver Willis

    Still no excuse for him to take something like this and automatically accept it as fact.
    When someone commits a crime, you look at the records of known criminals first. I updated the post with the possibility it may be a hoax, but it isn’t like conservatives have an awesome track record for their racial sensitivity, is it?

  24. Gravatar Icon 24 JK

    Even if it was a hoax, friends, there’s a reason why some of us thought it might not have been.
    ;)
    JK

  25. Gravatar Icon 25 Frank_D

    It would certainly be a lot more fun if they really dunked Jesse Jackson….

  26. Gravatar Icon 26 mr.curmudgeon

    Of course it may be a hoax.
    But don t let that stop you, lefties.

    Or in the words of the righty goddess Ann Coulter, “”That’s just a joke.”

    Can’t you guys take a joke?! Jeez.

  27. Gravatar Icon 27 pgg2

    Brand Democrat - get pissed first, think later.

    Great plan!

  28. Gravatar Icon 28 JWG

    What do you mean by the clinton defense?

    “Clinton” did it too. In this case, “it s ok when your side does it.” That response gets attacked repeatedly around here (usually for good reason).

    there s a reason why some of us thought it might not have been.

    Fake But Accurate.

    I didn t notice any of the conservatives speaking up until after Kos called it out as a probable hoax

    Well, I didn’t access the Kos link until after the 4th update was already on there, but I put up the link to the Bistro BEFORE the update about it being an “alternative” bar. It wasn’t hard to locate…if one bothered to do some minimal investigation. Therefore, I’ll take some credit for calling this out as a hoax before all the facts were presented at dailykos.

  29. Gravatar Icon 29 Jay C

    It s just a way of not addressing the point that the right has a lot of splainin to do about why people would assume that story was correct.

    I’ll address it: You’re idiots.

  30. Gravatar Icon 30 mjb

    This fake but accurate thing is irritating. It’s just a way of not addressing the point that the right has a lot of splainin to do about why people would assume that story was correct.

  31. Gravatar Icon 31 Ryland

    Silly liberals, there’s no racism in America anymore. Your hysterical claims just blah blah blah the wrong side of history blah blah blah voted for it before he voted against it blah blah blah Hitlery Clinton blah blah blah tyranny of the minority blah blah blah, so therefore you’re stupid.

  32. Gravatar Icon 32 factcheck

    Difference between liberals and conservatives? That wouldn’t have been corrected on a conservative site. It would have just sat there and become part of “common knowledge” for wingnuts, like Steele throwing the cookies (where is the retraction?).

  33. Gravatar Icon 33 mjb

    Jay, as satire your post is just slightly less funny than Ryland’s.

  34. Gravatar Icon 34 ian

    Oliver, where is the outrage on this: http://www.democrats.org/page/event/detail/stateoftheunionwatchparty/4jvzd

    Oh I forgot, you’re a partisan hack, my bad.

  35. Gravatar Icon 35 mjb

    Or Ian’s

  36. Gravatar Icon 36 JWG

    your post is just slightly less funny than Ryland s

    Wasn’t Ryland ripping into conservatives?

  37. Gravatar Icon 37 JWG

    That wouldn t have been corrected on a conservative site.

    Hmmm…do you have an example you can link to?

  38. Gravatar Icon 38 Wilbur

    Stick around, JWG. If you follow these pages you’ll soon see some right-wank, perhaps even yourself, referring to to long-discredited allegations against democrats, such as Gore-invented-the-internet or Gore-brought-up-Willie-Horton-first, such as travel-gate and file-gate, and the Foster murder and Whitewater. Perhaps I missed something but I haven’t seen a single right-wing site apologize for or retract the contemptible lies told against Kerry in the last election, from the Swift-boat smear to the half-truths about his defense voting record.

    This particular lie did have “truthiness” to it. If you were skeptical of it, it wasn’t becuase you thought Republicans would never do such a thing, but because you thought that they’d never be dumb enough to publicize it under the RNC imprimatur. Because we all know Republicans who not only would, but have done such things. If you really don’t know a such people, Frank, you have lived a very sheltered life indeed.

    And I’m wondering, now that Oliver has retracted the post, if Jay will have the balls to retract his comment about Oliver.

    I never will understand people who come on someone else’s blog just to insult them. What a prick move!

  39. Gravatar Icon 39 Wilbur

    Ian went to a lot of troubleto put a fake SOTU party up on the democrats.org site. Unfortunately for him, only in rightwing caricatures do Democrats moan about the stupidity of the electorate then pair off for random “coupling”.

    In contrast, the notion that Republicans would engage in the symbolic lynching of a prominent black leader has what your eighth-grade English teacher would call “verisimilitude”.

  40. Gravatar Icon 40 Zappa

    What is up with IAN’s link? I don’t get the point -

    the Bistro looks nice though…

  41. Gravatar Icon 41 Leroy Brown

    “Hmmm& do you have an example you can link to?”

    What about the swift-boat nonsense? In the cases of both Kerry and Murtha, wasn’t it proven that they both did in fact earn their medals? Last I heard, Brent Bozell and CNSnews were still trying to prove that Kerry spent Vietnam sleeping with Jane Fonda and plotting Nixon’s assassination… Never an apology for either of them.

  42. Gravatar Icon 42 Frank_D

    If you really don t know a such people, Frank, you have lived a very sheltered life indeed.
    No, Wilbur, I haven’t led a sheltered life. You’re just an idiot who thinks you can tell me about my life, when you don’t know me. As Jay C has said, I know Democrats that are racists, but I don’t believe that “Democrats are racists” because of it. That would be absurdly anecdotal.
    The weekly “Republicans are racists” thread is elsewhere today. No, I logged on to say that Jesse Jackson would make a lousy pinata — if you busted him open, filet mignon would come out.

  43. Gravatar Icon 43 Wilbur

    Frank, I’ve never said that all republicans are racist. Some are racist, some exploit and pander to racists in their own party, most of the rest are neither racist nor pander to racists but are racist-enablers for remaining silent or equivocating on things like the Willie Horton issue, the Reagan-in-Philadelphia issue, the Bob Jones issue, the sea of white at the repub convention, etc.

    Meanwhile, I thought you had said that you had never met a racist republican. All I was saying is they’re not too hard to find.

  44. Gravatar Icon 44 Frank_D

    First, there is no equivocating on the Willie Horton issue — it was first used by Al gore against Michael Dukakis. The Democrats own it. If the Republicans used it, too, then both parties share it.
    If you define racism as I do — that blacks are inferior to whites, and deserve less simply because they are black — then I know very few racists, Democrat or Republican.

    It’s only when you get tangled up in things like Affirmative Action (to oppose it is racist), school vouchers (to favor them is racist), the death penalty (to favor it is racist), speaking at Bob Jone University (speaking there is racist); that things get twisted.

    One can’t define racism as “acknowledging the existence of different races,” and then say, “Let ’s talk about race.”

  45. Gravatar Icon 45 mjb

    You must not have read every other time on other threads that we’ve had to correct a troll about Willie Horton. Now before you read the following helpful link, think about why Rush, Hannity and the Winger blogs would lie to you about this, then think about why you want to believe it so badly. Then think about why you are so sure as to say “there is no equivocating” on this issue. I have my suspicions, but you need to answer it for yourself.
    No go here: http://mediamatters.org/items/200411100007. and here: http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh110102.shtml.
    Here’s a sample:
    “Is it true? Did Al Gore  bring Willie Horton to the American people? Did Al Gore  bring Willie Horton into that race? Only in the dysfunctional world of our deeply devolved public discourse. What actually happened in 1988? In one of 45 Dem debates that year, Candidate Gore challenged Candidate Dukakis to defend a Massachusetts furlough program under which convicts serving life sentences without hope of parole were released on weekend passes. In particular, Gore noted that two furloughed prisoners had committed new murders while on weekend leave. (Willie Horton was not one of these convicts.) The program was almost impossible to defend. But Gore only mentioned the program once, and he never mentioned any prisoner s name; never mentioned any prisoner s race; never ran any TV ads on the topic; and never used any visuals. More specifically, he never named Willie Horton, or mentioned his specific crime (Horton committed a brutal rape while on leave). In the Bush-Dukakis general election, the Bush campaign and an independent, pro-Bush group made extensive use of the Horton incident. In particular, the independent group used visuals of Horton which seemed to emphasize his race (he was black). In later years, as he neared his death, Bush campaign director Lee Atwater apologized for his own conduct in pushing the racial aspects of the Horton matter.”

    And Bob Jones University is racist. To go out of ones way to speak there over other universities says something about the speaker, that he’s either ignorant of that fact or somewhat condones the ban on interracial dating.

  46. Gravatar Icon 46 Quaker in a Basement

    it was first used by Al gore against Michael Dukakis.

    Wrong again, Frank.

    In one–just one–of dozens of debates, Gore challenged Dukakis’ prison furlough program. Never mentioned Willie Horton. Or his victim. Or his crime. Never ran any TV commercials with scary pictures of Mr. Horton.

    That was all Lee Atwater’s handiwork, of which he repented before he died of brain cancer.

  47. Gravatar Icon 47 Frank_D

    Riiight — the Democrats — good guys that they are — only mentioned the prison release program. That’s certainly not racially tinged, now is it?
    And at least Atwater repented. Do you think Gore will do the same when he’s on his deathbed? He’d better be dying a long time — he’s got a lot to repent for.

    Speaking of smears, how about the “sea of white at the republican convention”? If only 2% of black folks support Bush, where would the black faces come from? You wouldn’t be implying that blacks were excluded, would you? And I noticed you didn’t address the other issues, did you?

    Why not?

    Do you at least get a little money in return for your soul?
    Wilbur, save the drama for your Mama…

  48. Gravatar Icon 48 factcheck

    But of all the Christian colleges in the South (there are dozens, if not hundreds), Shrub’s handlers picked the ONE well known for its racist policies. The Bob Jones university whose chancellor referred to Catholicism as Satanic. The Bob Jones University that was funded by the Klan.

    At the very least, it was racially insensitive, at the most, it was a clear signal to the racist base.

    This BJU visit was planned- Shrub had the chance to cancel it, or cite “scheduling conflicts”. Instead, he put up his middle finger and spoke there anyway.

  49. Gravatar Icon 49 Wilbur

    Thanks, Frank, for coming through with an example of what I just promised to JWG: Republicans unapologetically repeating long-discredited smears.

    And I know, because I’ve seen it on this site, that you have had what Quaker points out to you here pointed out to you before. Yet you continue to repeat the smear.

    That makes you not just a repbulican, not just a racist-enabler, but a deliberate liar.

    Not all Republicans are liars, but you are.

    Are you paid to do it? Do you at least get a little money in return for your soul?

  50. Gravatar Icon 50 Frank_D

    mjb: To go out of ones way to speak there [BJU] over other universities says something about the speaker, that he s either ignorant of that fact or somewhat condones the ban on interracial dating.
    This is what I’m talking about. Unless you speak at every college in the country, you have to choose one “over the other.” I’m not buying your “either / or” construction, by the way.

    How about this one? You’re speaking at Bob Jones University, because, in spite of the fact that there is a restriction on interracial dating, it is a fine school, and you want to reach out to college - age southern Christian kids?

    It couldn’t be that, could it?

    Of course not, you’re the lefties… You make the rules, you define the terms, you decide everyone’s motives.

    In the last half hour, I became a racist - enabler and a liar. The “liar designation” is particularly remarkable, because it precludes falling back to the “mistaken position.” I can’t go there, because the accuser recalls something I don’t: That my mistake is not a mistake, because a) I said it before; and b) it was pointed out to me.

    Whether or not this is true ceases to be relevant, because I have “been told.” I have become a “racist - enabler” (and I’m not even sure what that is, or how I became one) and a “liar,” with no recourse.

    If I’m ever charged with a serious crime, and you’re on the jury, please identify yourselves, so I can hang myself in prison.

  51. Gravatar Icon 51 Quaker in a Basement

    Riiight  the Democrats  good guys that they are  only mentioned the prison release program. That s certainly not racially tinged, now is it?

    It is, but only if you assume criminals are black. Mr. Gore didn’t imply it.

    Do you know anybody who would make that assumption?

  52. Gravatar Icon 52 mjb

    Frank, why would anyone want to reach out to college-age kids attending a racist university unless to try to change their minds? That’s not what Bush was doing, and BJU would not have allowed a speaker to say thing contrary to their mission.
    and
    Gore has nothing to repent about, he raised a policy difference once at a debate. Now are you willing to admit that “there is no equivocating on the Willie Horton issue  it was first used by Al gore against Michael Dukakis” is a false statement? And are you going to try to understand why Rush, etc have lied to you about this?
    and
    “Speaking of smears, how about the  sea of white at the republican convention ? If only 2% of black folks support Bush, where would the black faces come from?” There you go with the satire again. Good stuff. Of course your keen sense of humor touches on the tender underbelly which is the real issue - that there are few black republicans. It’s funny because it’s true!!
    and
    I’m sorry, but if you knew that the Willie Horton statement was false and you said it anyway, you are a, what? Say it with me, LIAR!

  53. Gravatar Icon 53 Frank_D

    But what if I didn’t know it was true? Then you are what? Say it with me, an IDIOT!

    So, what you’re all saying is that President Bush (excuse me, but I prefer to call him by his real name — I assume you know who I mean) preferred to speak at the one (are you sure?) Christian college in the South well known for its racist policies. The Bob Jones university whose chancellor referred to Catholicism as Satanic. (He did?) The Bob Jones University that was funded by the Klan. (It was?)

    Drum roll, please, here comes one of those “either / or”’s again… At the very least, it was racially insensitive, at the most, it was a clear signal to the racist base.

    I have a third possibility, of course. You are totally full of crap. There are about a thousand ways to “signal the racist base.” Why subject yourself to all that flack? And who did he put his middle finger up to?

    People that wouldn’t vote for him in a million years?

    These “symbolically racist”, or is it “racially symbolic” gestures are all BS, and you know it. Like that crap about Chris Matthews and Kennedy molesting Mrs. Alito, or Project 21 saying something nice about Correta Scott King now, and something not - so - nice 4 years ago.

  54. Gravatar Icon 54 Dkelsmith

    @ Frank D,

    How about this one? You re speaking at Bob Jones University, because, in spite of the fact that there is a restriction on interracial dating, it is a fine school, and you want to reach out to college - age southern Christian kids?

    I am not commenting on anything else, but “restrictions on interracial dating” would not be in existence at a truly Christian School.

    @ Oliver,

    I think it is irresponsible to simply put a “strike through” on that post you had about the “party”. I think it would have been better to come out and say, “I am deleting this because it is not true.”

  55. Gravatar Icon 55 Dkelsmith

    @ Frank,

    An excerpt from a Google Cache of a page that was taken down from Bob Jones University.

    Does the University believe that those who choose interracial marriage do so out of rebellion against God? No. It does believe, however, that often the promoters of it do so out of antagonism toward God because they are often the same entities that promote homosexuality, abortion, and other forms of social radicalism.

    Huh? I am reading that word for word, but somehow I get the feeling that loving someone of a different race is a form of “social radicalism”. Am I the only one to get that vibe?

    Frank,

    I really like you man, and I respect your opinion and enjoy reading your comments; but if you can’t honestly say that any elected official, or person who is running for public office, has made a big mistake by speaking at a place like this, then I completely misjudged you.

  56. Gravatar Icon 56 Frank_D

    I thank you, and I ask you, in all seriousness, could it be more obvious that BJU is no place for any candidate to speak?
    Even if you felt that you had to reach out to the “racists in the crowd”, couldn’t you cut off welfare (it didn’t hurt Clinton), speak out against affirmative action, say busing for integration was a mistake?
    As I said, there are a thousand ways to say anything…
    Call Bush anything you want, but he is a masterful campaigner (ask John Kerry)

  57. Gravatar Icon 57 Quaker in a Basement

    I think it is irresponsible to simply put a  strike through on that post you had about the  party . I think it would have been better to come out and say,  I am deleting this because it is not true.

    There’s a reason for the strikethrough, Smith. If you take a post down, your detractors claim you’re trying to hide it or pretend you never said it. A strikethrough lets the poster ‘fess up to the error.

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