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Racist Comment by Rep. Alcee Hastings
by Stefanie at 3:24 pm EDT, Sep 25, 2008 |
“If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention,” Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida said at a panel about the shared agenda of Jewish and African-American Democrats Wednesday. Hastings, who is African-American, was explaining what he intended to tell his Jewish constituents about the presidential race. “Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through,” Hastings added as the room erupted in laughter and applause.
Alcee Hastings is clearly the racist here. In case you're wondering, yes, that's the same Alcee Hastings who was impeached and removed from office (as a judge) for bribery and perjury by a vote of 413-3 in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988. |
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RE: Racist Comment by Rep. Alcee Hastings
by Decius at 1:39 pm EDT, Sep 29, 2008 |
Still trying to decide what I think about this one, but I thought this discussion was hillarios. |
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RE: Racist Comment by Rep. Alcee Hastings
by Stefanie at 8:02 am EDT, Sep 30, 2008 |
Decius wrote:
Still trying to decide what I think about this one, but I thought this discussion was hillarios.
Whether it comes from the right of left, if persons are accused of being racist (or sexist) when they really aren't, that bothers me just as much as blatant racism. To suggest that anyone who hunts or carries a firearm is racist directly insults half the country, and public officials should be called out on that. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of each politician in this election, so there's no need to resort to that. |
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RE: Racist Comment by Rep. Alcee Hastings
by Decius at 8:39 am EDT, Sep 30, 2008 |
Stefanie wrote:
To suggest that anyone who hunts or carries a firearm is racist directly insults half the country, and public officials should be called out on that. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of each politician in this election, so there's no need to resort to that.
At first read it struck me as offensive, but if you look at the context, the audience laughed... it was intended to be sarcastic. I don't know if it bothers me as a joke. Coming from a public official it reveals a sort of closed mindedness that I wouldn't want to vote for, but I'm not sure I'd call it hate. |
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RE: Racist Comment by Rep. Alcee Hastings
by Stefanie at 10:05 am EDT, Sep 30, 2008 |
Decius wrote:
At first read it struck me as offensive, but if you look at the context, the audience laughed... it was intended to be sarcastic. I don't know if it bothers me as a joke. Coming from a public official it reveals a sort of closed mindedness that I wouldn't want to vote for, but I'm not sure I'd call it hate.
Hastings made his remarks before an "audience of Jewish Democrats" and after his comments, "the room erupted in laughter and applause." That's even more troubling. Hastings isn't a stand-up comedian, he's a politician. He attacked Palin, accusing her of prejudice simply because she's white, and a hunter. There's no other way to take his comment. He used race to scare people, by falsely accusing someone else of racism. Legitimate racism is serious issue, and people shouldn't recklessly make such accusations. All that does is stir up trouble and bad feelings when there weren't any before. |
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