@1 She looks somewhat foreign - meaning non-white - and "Go back to where you came from" is what racist turds yell at people who appear obviously different from the majority.
If he was referring to her Indian heritage, then yes, he should apologize (and perhaps step down). His explanation is a little weak. How does it make sense to send her back to a city in South Carolina when she is the governor of South Carolina?
@1: Because it implies that due to her skin color she is an "other" who does not belong in America, and is therefore not a real American.
It is the exact same reason people who demand Obama's birth certificate/college trancripts are racists: because someone has dark skin, they need to prove they are "true Americans."
Stung by its disastrous electoral showings among Americans who are neither white, Anglo, straight, nor male, the GOP has finally begun to broaden its candidate base.
The party now boasts an African-American senator from South Carolina, Cuban-American senators from Florida and Texas, Indian-American governors in South Carolina and Louisiana, and Mexican-American governors in Nevada and New Mexico. In all likelihood, 2016 will witness the first-ever serious minority candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination.
And it’s a good bet that either a minority or a woman will find a place on the Republican ticket. Prominent openly gay Republican politicians are only a matter of time.
There is nothing racist about that comment, it is an old saying that I have usually heard (dozens of times in my life) applied to white americans, by white americans, in the context of a comment representing their dislike or even hatred of that individual or their business. Does that change when someone says it to a person of another race? Are people no longer allowed to insult people of other races or express their displeasure without it representing a racist viewpoint?
It's the "wherever the hell" part that shows Dick's thinking. It means that her origins aren't clear. That's not kicking her out of the governor's mansion and sending her back to her district.
example:
Years ago, you're a WA state GOP'er at a luncheon in Pasco. You're talking about defeating Gary Locke for re-election, so you might say "send him back to Seattle", meaning that he was a snooty city dweller who didn't care about the Tri-Cities. That's populism. Harpootlian isn't practicing populism here.
A Southerner said something racist. This is not a surprise. Still, he is a politician, and should feel the sting of that for a good long time. I wouldn't blame the GOP for hammering him on this when he comes up for reelection. I might even applaud it.
@13: Oh my God, they have seven people in their caucus who are not white? Truly, the GOP is the new bastion for diversity in our modern era!
Mr. Constant is exactly right. For him to call out negative behavior regardless of political identity is admirable. I hope he is soon able to move from the insincere bullshit of unknown politicians in small states to the equally insincere bullshit of internationally known world leaders.
I can't believe we're arguing this. What the hell?! Telling a dark-skinned person in Caucasian US of A to "go back wherever the hell she came from" IS a classic racist move. If he'd wanted to say, say, Columbia, S.C., he'd had said "Go back to Columbia!" @19 is right. The "wherever the hell" means "Your dark skin is telling me that you're from some exotic place far away from here that I don't really care to find out because I don't give a damn about your culture." Even if he happens to be surrounded by racist, ignorant people, that's no excuse.
Paul's right. We wouldn't tolerate a Republican telling Antonio Villaraigosa or Gary Locke or Julian Castro to "go back to where you came from," and we likewise shouldn't put up with it when it comes from a Democrat.
Thanks for being the nebbish nanny of petty political correctness Paul. "Nope! [It's] insincere bullshit...racist...shameful."
But how...?
Calling it a "racist thing" does not make it so; actually, the fact you didn't even try to define or explain what was racist about it likely mean it wasn't.
Don't fret. You still get your bi-partisan Brownie points.
@25: That's a fair point, even if you are using one anecdote to refute another. My experience with southerners is limited almost exclusively to my in-law's extended family - and they're the epitome of nearly every negative Southern stereotype - so I admit my sample is certainly skewed.
@38 I don't feel it is racist without the intent.
People put their feet in their mouths all the time. What's kosher today is taboo tomorrow.
When taboo happens, it might be insensitive - to the point of assanine - and still offensive, and worthy of apology, but it's not necessarily racist, nor inexcusable.
And, good luck living in your world of egg shells.
@39: "I don't feel it is racist without the intent."
Your opinion is not the whole of reality. He should've thought more, he should've apologized better.
"What's kosher today is taboo tomorrow."
This is an asshole thing to say, however. The point is that he said it TODAY. And it is inappropriately racist TODAY and nobody should make excuses for tone-deaf politicians of any political persuasion. If my grandfather said something like that, he'd be espousing racist language no matter what the era.
@43 I jumped into the thread cause I, like another in this discussion, have a much different experience with the phrase at issue.
"Wherever the hell she/you came from"
It's a slightly vulgar way of telling someone to 'go away'.
I always took it to mean:
I care so little about this person, that I can't be bothered to remember from where they came, and, since person is from there, I don't care about that place either...
At best, it's an insult to the person and to their home town/region. (Dude needs to apologize to Lexington too)
Or, as you choose to interpret it, it's a reference to ugliness shouted at immigrants.
We've got so much Southern Strategy going strong that I find it impossible to separate the your meaning phrase from its traditional ~political~ intent as a dogwhistle. Speeches always imply different things than polite conversation, they're laden with meaning even if the speechmaker is too dumb to know what they're suggesting.
@13: There ARE prominent out gay Republicans. The Tea Party LOATHES them and tries to shove them under the rug at every opportunity. GOProud wasn't invited to CPAC.
It is the exact same reason people who demand Obama's birth certificate/college trancripts are racists: because someone has dark skin, they need to prove they are "true Americans."
And "Dick Harpootlian"(if that is your real name), Armenian-Americans with hilarious names shouldn't be throwing stones.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/20…
The commet IS NOT racist.
They are just expressing their disapproval for those particular individuals.
It has nothing to due with their race, right?
example:
Years ago, you're a WA state GOP'er at a luncheon in Pasco. You're talking about defeating Gary Locke for re-election, so you might say "send him back to Seattle", meaning that he was a snooty city dweller who didn't care about the Tri-Cities. That's populism. Harpootlian isn't practicing populism here.
Some kid at Lake Meridian called me an old white guy.
Is he racist...or just telling the truth!
Don't answer...
@13: Oh my God, they have seven people in their caucus who are not white? Truly, the GOP is the new bastion for diversity in our modern era!
Displaying a prejudiced view of strangers in the south is not the best way to protest prejudiced views.
Paul's right. We wouldn't tolerate a Republican telling Antonio Villaraigosa or Gary Locke or Julian Castro to "go back to where you came from," and we likewise shouldn't put up with it when it comes from a Democrat.
But how...?
Calling it a "racist thing" does not make it so; actually, the fact you didn't even try to define or explain what was racist about it likely mean it wasn't.
Don't fret. You still get your bi-partisan Brownie points.
Now save us all the trouble of having to remind you all the time and tape it to your bathroom mirror. Moron.
That's actually pretty funny.
BTW, I disagree with much of what Paul says but he's right on this one.
My experience too.
Sometimes, a cigar is just a (contextually inappropriate) cigar.
He wasn't calling you that, he was just shouting out the description of the creep hanging out by the bathrooms.
I don't know the speaker's intent anymore than you do.
Intent, in this case, makes the difference between this man being a racist asshole, or just an inconsiderate ass.
You choose to believe the former, and I choose the latter.
Maybe it's the nice sunny day affecting my demeanor.
People put their feet in their mouths all the time. What's kosher today is taboo tomorrow.
When taboo happens, it might be insensitive - to the point of assanine - and still offensive, and worthy of apology, but it's not necessarily racist, nor inexcusable.
And, good luck living in your world of egg shells.
I could agree that intent makes the racist, but not that racist or discriminatory incidents are limited by intent.
There is a whole shit-pile of racist shit that is perpetuated and perpetrated by non-racists.
Your opinion is not the whole of reality. He should've thought more, he should've apologized better.
"What's kosher today is taboo tomorrow."
This is an asshole thing to say, however. The point is that he said it TODAY. And it is inappropriately racist TODAY and nobody should make excuses for tone-deaf politicians of any political persuasion. If my grandfather said something like that, he'd be espousing racist language no matter what the era.
"Wherever the hell she/you came from"
It's a slightly vulgar way of telling someone to 'go away'.
I always took it to mean:
I care so little about this person, that I can't be bothered to remember from where they came, and, since person is from there, I don't care about that place either...
At best, it's an insult to the person and to their home town/region. (Dude needs to apologize to Lexington too)
Or, as you choose to interpret it, it's a reference to ugliness shouted at immigrants.