TRAVIS JOHNSON OP-ED : Racism You Can Believe In
By HHR | January 10th, 2010 | Category: Featured, General, HHR Contributors | 24 comments
By Travis Johnson
Unable to universally deny the claim, because, let’s face it, there have been and are racist Republicans (certainly more than I’m happy with), my response was always been that “republicans hardly have the monopoly on racists.”
Let’s look at a few of the more famous examples:
■Robert Byrd – former Ealted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan once wrote “Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.” (Granted, he should get points for his colorful prose).
■In January of ‘84, Jesse Jackson referred to New York as “Hymietown” and then, after apologizing, went on to say the reason the Nixon administration never helped African-Americans was because the administration was run by German Jews.
■Al Sharpton, former Democratic Presidential cand….idate (Sorry. Had a tough time typing that without laughing) incited people murder and burn down a store owned by a Jewish businessman who had the temerity to raise the rent on a black tenant.
■Joe Biden expressed amazement at Barack Obama’s being “…the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
■Bill “The First Black President” Clinton dismissed Obama’s win in the South Carolina primary as expected since Jesse Jackson won there in ‘84 and ‘88.
Some high points from 60+ years of Democratic racism! And now, our latest example: we learn that Harry Reid, a man incapable of transforming a victory into a defeat, “praising” our President as a “light-skinned” African American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” High-praise indeed, Senator Reid!
As I said above, arguing that there is no racism in the Republican Party would be disingenuous. It would be about as disingenuous as condemning Republicans as racist, while leaving the Democrats unscathed. In fact, I’d argue that the Democratic form of racism is more insidious and more vile because it hides behind a veil of altruism. Racist conservatives tend not to make a secret of their views. Occasionally, you even see them express them on signs at political rallies, or express them on their talk radio shows. The left-wing’s racism is secretive. They privately make racist statement, like Reid, or Jackson, then expect everyone to forgive them once they get caught. Or, they’ll make their comments under the banner of “civil rights,” because they can’t possibly be racist when they’re “protecting” a minority! Or, they’ll fall back on their past as “the first Black President” to cover up their dismissive attitudes.
My favorite form of Democratic racism is their insistence that legislation is needed to ensure minorities can succeed. From their point of view, years of neglect and bigotry have so damaged minorities that the government must force businesses to hire people solely because of their ethnic background. They think that leveling the playing field means holding minority students to different standards than their majority contemporaries. This is what President George W. Bush called “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have someone say a few nasty things about me on talk radio than have them institutionalize a system based on the assumption that I, and everyone who looks like me, isn’t quite up to snuff.
So, next time the next time a black Democrat asks you how you can be a Republican, bring up these examples and ask him or her how they can justify being a Democrat.
Travis Johson is the Founder of Republicans United a group seeking to bring the “Big Tent” back to the Republican Party.
on 
on 
on 
“What’s interesting here, is when Democrats get caught saying racist things, an apology is enough. If that had been [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) saying that about an African-American candidate for president of the president of the United States, trust me, this chairman and the [Democratic National Committee] would be screaming for his head, very much as they were with Trent Lott.”
How dare you equate racism with the Democratic Party? Everything they ever did as a party that was good they are proud of. Anything RACIST can be explained away by the simple fact that the parties somehow magically switched.
I know Reed is a Republican in hiding, the southern western magical Strategy. It’s a Republican conspiracy
A lot of RACIST live in the Republican Party BUT just as many live across the street in the Democratic Party.
Are we sure he called the President a Negro? Did teh writers get the vowels right? You know how difficult CRACKER dialect IS TO UNDERSTAND. Maybe he called the President a MONDAY!
Wow,
I believe that refusing to believe that the President is born in this country or even entertaining the though is far more racist. But if the GOP can use it to get votes I guess its all good.
There is a REASON that the GOP has a lock on the southern states. There is a REASON why Ronald Reagan started his campaign in Phillidelpia, MS with a speech about states rights. There is a reason that GOP candidates must visit Bob Jones U. The GOP gives a wink and a nod to white supremacy to garner votes. Which is why you WONT see a serious black presidential candidate.
In other words you can’t face the racism within the Democrat Party so you make your self feel better by claiming that the true raicst are Republicans? Any day you want to bring out a history book to compare a history of racism between both parties we can do that. Yes, its true that Republicans have said cruel and racist things but its also true that Democrats hung blacks on trees. Its also true that KKK was started by the Democrats. Its also true that most Southern Dixecrats remained Democrats.
Just for the Record – A Small Collection of Racist Democrat Quotes from the Past
“You cannot go to a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian Accent.”
-Senator Joe Biden
Mahatma Gandhi “ran a gas station down in Saint Louis.”
-Senator Hillary Clinton
Some junior high n*gger kicked Steve’s ass while he was trying to help his brothers out; junior high or sophomore in high school. Whatever it was, Steve had the n*gger down. However it was, it was Steve’s fault. He had the n*gger down, he let him up. The n*gger blindsided him.”
– Roger Clinton, the President’s brother on audiotape
“You’d find these potentates from down in Africa, you know, rather than eating each other, they’d just come up and get a good square meal in Geneva.”
– Fritz Hollings (D, S.C.)
“Is you their black-haired answer-mammy who be smart? Does they like how you shine their shoes, Condoleezza? Or the way you wash and park the whitey’s cars?”
– Left-wing radio host Neil Rogers
Comments From The Past
“Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.”
– Former Klansman and current US Senator Robert Byrd, a man who is referred to by many Democrats as the “conscience of the Senate”, in a letter written in 1944, after he quit the KKK.
“I am a former kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan in Raleigh County and the adjoining counties of the state …. The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia …. It is necessary that the order be promoted immediately and in every state of the Union. Will you please inform me as to the possibilities of rebuilding the Klan in the Realm of W. Va …. I hope that you will find it convenient to answer my letter in regards to future possibilities.”
– Former Klansman and current US Senator Robert Byrd, a man who is referred to by many Democrats as the “conscience of the Senate”, in a letter written in 1946, after he quit the KKK.
“These laws [segregation] are still constitutional and I promise you that until they are removed from the ordinance books of Birmingham and the statute books of Alabama, they will be enforced in Birmingham to the utmost of my ability and by all lawful means.”
– Democrat Bull Connor (1957), Commissioner of Public Safety for Birmingham, Alabama
“I’ll have those n*ggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years.”
– Lyndon B. Johnson to two governors on Air Force One according Ronald Kessler’s Book, “Inside The White House”
(On New York) “K*ketown.” — Harry Truman in a personal letter
“I think one man is just as good as another so long as he’s not a n*gger or a Chinaman. Uncle Will says that the Lord made a White man from dust, a nigger from mud, then He threw up what was left and it came down a Chinaman. He does hate Chinese and Japs. So do I. It is race prejudice, I guess. But I am strongly of the opinion Negroes ought to be in Africa, Yellow men in Asia and White men in Europe and America.”
-Harry Truman (1911) in a letter to his future wife Bess
[...] or a Generational Divide? | alexpriest.com TRAVIS JOHNSON OP-ED : Racism You Can Believe In – Hip Hop Republican Moonbattery: Minor Outbreaks of Liberal Racism RNC: Stop The Hypocrisy, Reid Needs To Step Down [...]
[...] or a Generational Divide? | alexpriest.com TRAVIS JOHNSON OP-ED : Racism You Can Believe In – Hip Hop Republican Moonbattery: Minor Outbreaks of Liberal Racism RNC: Stop The Hypocrisy, Reid Needs To Step Down [...]
In 2008, in a Honolulu City Council meeting about the construction of a University of Hawaii campus on West Oahu, Rod Tam expressed concerns about who would be hired to work on the project. Tam said he didn’t want any “wetbacks” working on the project!
Tam later claimed he didn’t know it was a racial slur!
Tam is a member of the all so compassionate, all so tolerant Democratic Party!
Also, Rod Tam claimed wanted people to be expelled from Honolulu city buses for “smelling stink”. Tam then said it’s because new immigrants had different standards of cleanliness! If a Republican said that, it would be all over MSNBC. But since Tam is a Democrat ….. no one outside of Hawaii knows about this!
Oh my,
Did a democrat 50+ years ago or a Democrats brother say something racist. Stop with the stupid quotes. Because both parties have them to go around. I ttacking the GOPs use of white supremacy to garner votes. Black republicans seem to have a problem with admitting this simple tactic is used.
Just remember black republicans, the only peope its cool to call racist on a major new network and still keep your job: Sotomayor, Obama, and Reid.
Just Sayin…what “are you saying”….NOTHING!!
The head of your Party just apologized for saying something racist and it wasn’t 50 years ago! Look, I have no problem with admitting that Conservatives and Republicans have used racist tactics to cater and get southern white racist Democrat votes, it’s in the history books!!
What I have a problem with is Democrats obsessing about another persons leak in there house when they’ve got an ocean under there “newly” polished wood floors. Black Democrats are always yelping at black Republicans (all 5 of us) about why you don’t say anything, well here’s a classic case of black Democrats saying nothing because of Party loyalty.
It is my opinion the reason for the silence is that instead of being principled we blacks cant because White Democrats have given us so much that we have to be silent when these guys make racist statements about us. It’s easy to attack Republicans, there not running urban areas. But, it’s a different story when it’s a Democrat, then we have to weight the cost!! I would rather starve a master then die a well fed slave.
Democrat lawmakers don’t want to rock the boat because “The Good Senator” has been so good to us?? (If this shit doesn’t sound like a modern minstrel show in action, I don’t know what is). As a human being you should not tolerate any one black or white, Democrat or Republican, disrespecting you. It does not matter who it is and the condemnation should reflect that…screw party loyalty!!
The issue is not Reid’s overall point which is one we can all debate at some future time ..it is his blatant casual use of the racially charged term “negro dialect” and its usage in modern society. When a Republican used the word Barack the Magic “Negro”, he stepped down after a great outrcy (this blog was a part of the chorus) as a candidate for RNC Chair. So, the debate is why is it that Democrats can use such a word and walk away as if nothing happened? While others cant . The word has deep racial undertones and this is why black activist have only just this month got the Census to remove the word.
Can you belive this guy stayed in the Senate so long?
“You’d find these potentates from down in Africa, you know, rather than eating each other, they’d just come up and get a good square meal in Geneva.”
– Fritz Hollings (D, S.C.) (DIXIECRAT WHO REMAINED A DEMOCRAT TO THE END)
Frazier: Reid’s ‘Disturbing’ Diatribe [Robert Costa] NATIONAL REVIEW
Ryan Frazier, an African-American city councilman in Aurora, Colorado’s third-largest city, is running for Congress against Rep. Earl Perlmutter (D., Co.). Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli calls Frazier “the first serious Republican challenger Perlmutter has faced since winning his first hard-fought election in 2006.” Frazier, 32, tells National Review Online that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s “Negro dialect” remark was offensive and strange.
“When someone like Reid can insinuate that one group of Americans has a substandard dialect in comparison to the rest of the country, that’s alarming and, frankly, disturbing,” says Frazier. “This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s an American issue, and much broader than being about President Obama. When I first heard the statements, I wondered: What exactly is a ‘Negro’ dialect? Anyone looking at this ought to ask that question. Obviously I’m black, but I’m still not sure what Reid’s talking about. And if the Democratic party is okay with this type of statement from their leadership, well, that speaks volumes.”
Frazier predicts that Reid’s comment won’t play well in his district. “Colorado is a very independent state — it’s not red, it’s not blue, it’s very Colorado — with a kind of live and let live mentality,” he says. Still, with Reid’s and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bumbling leadership in Washington, Frazier says that he “has a real opportunity to help move Colorado back into the conservative column of fiscal responsibility, pro-growth economic policies, and a strong national defense.”
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTNjZDlkNDU0NDI3OWI4NzJjZjEwZTYxMjJjN2VhZDA=
Just sayin….. smell the coffee…. or maybe serve it to Clinton…….The last time I checked black folk lived in all 4 corners of the US correct? Do black folk in ARIZONA spik the SAME as black folk in ALABAMA or GEORGIA or WASHINGTON DC or HARLEM…………..or HAWAII…….. No they don’t and to say they do is racial profiling which is racist…………….. What REED was actually tryin to say was…… Prez Obama is just white enough to get elected and he can fake the funk when he wants to. OR if you tooooo BLACK you shit outta luck…..
Richie,
This is why you may not get not get a lot of things, context. Trent Lotts comments alone did not cause the uproar, but his comments placed against his voting record on MLK and S. Africa did. Reids comments were racist and offensive. Here is the time when you look at the record of Reid and this is when context is added.
You could post rasict comments all day, and so can I, but that is totally different that the tatics the GOP still employs to make white, christian males feel vicitimized by big government and affirmative action. The GOP platform is built around white christian male victimhood, The same tactic used by conservatives for centuries.
Oh an SBM
Please this site’s stock and trade is a group of educated black people distancign themselves from things in black culture they do not like.
Go read the post on this site and see if it doesnt echo the same point Reid was making about “Negro Dialect.”
Most notably the former Cosby Kids post about King of the Blacks.
JUST SAYING So it’s OK then? He said a light skinned black man that doesn’t speak Ghetto can get elected or a dark skinned man JUST as educated and the same resume (non-existent) with a Southern accent? Northern Accent? Mid Western Accent? Ghetto accent? West coast Accent East Coast accent? Couldn’t get elected?
I guess what they are saying (REED CLINTON BLOGO) is he isn’t qualified to be president. When the right was saying it was racism! What about now?
I do not understand how you are not insulted? Racism is just not the person calling you a ni__er it’s also the person who doesn’t think you can make it on your own without their help or benevolence JUST BECAUSE OF HOW YOU LOOK!
Did Reed mention anything about his qualification? NO………. Just comments on how he looks! Racism !
I have to respectfully disagree regarding affirmative action. As reported in a recent New York Times article, when educated African American men and women search for employment, they are often turned away because of their names or simply not having the connections and networking availabilities. Why can’t a black student gain that top notch education when, ultimately, it’s not going to matter anyways- because he or she is still going to lose that job to a (often less qualified and better connected) white person?
@ OP:To quote Chris Rock, “They f-ed up so I can be f-ed up too! That’s ignorant.” Suggesting that because some Democrats are just as backward and racist as some Republicans and that somehow lends credibility to your decision to align yourself with the Republican party is classic Arab Trader argument not to mention a despiritingly lazy rationalization. Further, your assertion that specific legislation drafted to address the systemic inequities of our society is somehow wrongheaded is delusional. These hardwired inequities were specifically erected and reinforced by public policy in the form of decades of state, local and federally sanctioned legal discrimination. What, short of “pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps” do you propose we do to right these wrongs? To your main point, Americans are socialized by and large to accept racist dogma, white Americans form the bulk of the Democratic and Republican parties – ergo, by & large Democrats and Republicans can be expected to subscribe to racist dogma. An oversimplification perhaps but no less true. I do hope you’re just being provocative and aren’t the dullard your post might otherwise suggest. And beyond that, Republicans don’t even like your black ass so why are you so interested in feeling included by them?
This is like arguing the color red with a blind man. Both parties make stupid statements. The gop gain power throught white victimhood just like the self described conservatives of the olden times.
While I’ll admit there’s racism in the Democratic Party, much more than most people including Democrats are willing to admit, trying to compare racism in the Democratic Party to the racism in the Republican Party is like comparing a lit match to a bonfire.
The racism in the DP in no way lessens the sheer amount of it in the Republican party. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I don’t think many blacks are under the illusion that only Republicans or the Republican Party is racist. However they do know that the Democratic party has done more for the black community in the past 45 years. More than the Republican party has done anything for us (unless it was to work against us as they still do) in quite some time.
I think that people can have the right to believe or support whatever political party or candidate they choose. I’ll admit I really don’t understand how someone can be black and Republican. Black and conservative, yes. Black and a conservative independent, yes. Black and a conservative Democrat, why not? But Black Republicans honestly do make my head hurt thinking about them.
Believe me for every example of Democratic racism you pull out of a hat, I can pull 6 examples of Republican racism out of my ass without even standing up. There’s no comparison. I also found your logic extremely faulty regarding racism period. Not surprising seeing how you’re a Republican.
Read please.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/1/12/1638/02844
Vote Ron Paul 2012!!
Good grief, give it up. Of course there are Democrats who are racists. But, as a party, the modern Democratic Party doesn’t operate on a strong anti-black or Latino framework as the GOP has for the last 40+ years.
Where are the GOP African-American politicians in Congress? There are none. The leading intellectuals of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are proudly racist.
Seriously, you attack Lyndon Johnson? Are you that ignorant of history? Were it not for Lyndon Johnson’s heroic fight for Civil Rights, the majority of Civil Rights legislation passed in the 1960s would not exist today. Johnson was a deeply flawed man but he actually gave a damn about helping African-Americans.
When Republicans like you toss up these Democrats are all terrible racists, you make yourselves look like fools.
Wasn’t it just this past summer that a young Republican organization elected a leader who had made racist comments? I read the revolted and disappointed comments of this site’s leader.
In the midst of the tragedy in Haiti, what are the responses we get from conservatives? Racist rants are spewed by Limbaugh, Robertson, and Beck.
As for attacking Harry Reid, get real. You and I know that many African-Americans talk about whether skin color and speech patterns affect acceptance by whites. And, while Negro may be outdated, it’s not a racial slur.
But don’t take my word on that, why not listen to conservative Ward Connerly say the same thing.
The sad truth is that colorism is still alive and well in our culture. One needs only look at popular culture to see how few darker skinned African-American women, for instance, have successful careers in entertainment. Similarly, we can see how African-American women who don’t straighten their hair are demeaned. Right-winger Neal Boortz infamously called a black congresswoman a ghetto whore for wearing her hair naturally.
And, it doesn’t stop there. We all know that the continued attacks on Barack Obama’s birthright as an American has been under assault by the so-called birthers, who are desperate to delegitimize him. No matter that Obama was born in the U.S., no matter that Obama’s mother was an American citizen whose ancestry could be tracked back for generations in the U.S. (related to Dick Cheney), for those birthers, Obama is a Kenyan or an Indonesian.