U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has acknowledged and apologized for controversial racial remarks he made about President Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign.
According to the new book “Game Change,” a retrospective of the 2008 campaign, Reid is quoted as saying that he was “was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama — a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.’”
“I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words,” Reid said in a statement released Saturday morning. “I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans for my improper comments. I was a proud and enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama during the campaign and have worked as hard as I can to advance President Obama’s legislative agenda.”
Reid – who basically bribed wavering democrats into voting for Obama’s massive socialized medicine bill last year - was already facing an uphill reelection fight.
According to a new poll released Saturday by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Reid’s unfavorable rating in his home state of Nevada has soared to 52%. That poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon, also showed Reid losing his November Senate race against any of three prospective GOP challengers – with his support topping out at 41% in those head-to-head match-ups.
By DJ January 9, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Just goes to show how racsist the democrats really are, they try to hide it but it always showes.
By lacey January 9, 2010 at 6:15 pm
From the party of Jim Crow– the party with a former Grand Dragon Dragon of the KKK—Reid just can’t help hisself…his racist true colours are showing…
By James the Foot Soldier January 9, 2010 at 7:20 pm
That the african-american citizens of this country continue to cling to a party with leaders like Harry Reid and that has decimated its entire community is the 8th wonder of the world.
Do these morons not understand the leverage they could bring to bear upon REAL change if their votes were actually in play?
By cunning January 9, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I thought Obama was a Negro? or a Halfrican American?
By No Way! January 9, 2010 at 8:02 pm
And they claim to be better than the rest. Reid is about to go home after a defeat in NV this time around.
By Ynotfirst January 10, 2010 at 7:26 am
open mouth, insert both feet
By lance January 10, 2010 at 7:45 am
Racial trivia:
1. What party ended slavery?
Answer-Republican
2. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was registered
to which party?
Answer-Republican
3. Which party authored the oppressive Jim Crow laws?
Answer-Democrat
4. Which party has former Grand Dragon of the KKK
serving in the Senate?
Answer-Democrat
5. Which party appointed the first black female to
Secretary of State?
Answer-Republican
“Facts are stubborn things…”–Ronald Reagan
By Happy Quanzaa January 10, 2010 at 8:00 am
Harry must have said the N-lite word in a clean and articulate way, our Hypocrite in Chief that crucified Trent Lott said calling him that was A-OK with him.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/How-are-Reids-remarks-different-from-Trent-Lotts-Hes-a-Democrat-81072627.html
By boil January 10, 2010 at 10:10 am
1. You can’t compare ancient history with today. Reagan went GOP because of ‘those people’ and their intolerance toward racial minorities. Strom Thurmond switched over the same thing.
2. MLK, Jr. was not a member of the GOP. If he had been, he wouldn’t be in the one that is presently what it is. Also, there is no proof of that. This lie is promoted by Black Repugs, which are dumber than White Repugs.
3. Sad, but true. It was wrong in the 1800s and it was wrong many years later when Saint Dubya and his wife lived in a ‘White Only’ housing in Texas. George, Sr. voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and that, too, was wrong.
4. True. Back in the 30s or 40s, he was a member of the KKK. He has likely publicly repented of this. Talk to the people of West Virginia and ask what they think of their beloved senator. You might find they think he’s done a good job for the people. Not only the white, but the blacks there as well. David Duke said when he dropped out against George, Sr., the only difference between him and Georgie is that Duke said what he really felt about the race issue.
5. Condiliar Rice is not exactly the sort of person who can be trusted. They are what are known as ‘race-traitors’, those who would say or do anything to serve in the mansion rather than in the field. Being black doesn’t mean you won’t sell out your own people in order to get ahead. Ask the black community what they think of their first ever Black-American Sec’y.
And another holy saint in the Church of God’s Own Party said about Saint Ronnie: “Reagan taught us that deficits don’t matter.” – RBC
Reid is a poor excuse and if you want to talk about that, fine. He doesn’t even know what he’s doing anymore. That is the poster child for the GOP. He’s the best ally the Repubs have got.
By No Way! January 10, 2010 at 10:31 am
Lance,
All of those are absolutely correct. The democrat party has decimated the African American community. I only wish they were smart enough to realize that they have been enslaved by another master . . .
By lance January 10, 2010 at 2:04 pm
We all know that had Reid been a REPUBLICAN, and made these damning comments, the media outcry would have forced hearings and at the very least a resignation.
However, the corrupt, national media will forgive lily-white Reid for his racism since he’s a Democrat and votes pro-abortion.
By sid January 10, 2010 at 3:27 pm
“George, Sr. voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and that, too, was wrong.”
First, there is no “George, Sr.” in the Bush clan. Not in your context, at least. Second, GHW Bush wasn’t elected to Congress until 1966. How did he vote against something in 1964? It’s a little sad how stupid and dishonest your average Dem is. Expected, but still sad.
Oh, and any black Republican, according to this racist retard, must be either too stupid to know better, or just dishonest. Why else would they all be “race traitors”?
Aren’t there any honest Democrats who will admit that there is a double standard when it comes to race and the political parties?
By Joe January 10, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Who exactly is Condiliar Rice and why can’t she be trusted? Oh, by the way, Sen. Byrd also voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That doesn’t exactly seem like “repentance” to me.
By lance January 10, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Additional racial trivia question:
Which president ordered the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., wire-tapped?
DEMOCRAT President JFK.
“Facts are stubborn things…”–Ronald Wilson Reagan
By lancet January 10, 2010 at 5:27 pm
MLK was under investigation because of supposed ties to Communism, which was very hot in those days. 10 years earlier, the nation had been horrified and captivated by the works of Senator McCarthy, who saw communists under every rock. The threat of communism was considered a lot heavier than hands off for civil rights leaders.
The vote was against the 1968 Civil Rights Voting Act. Sorry. Unlike your dubya, some of us make mistakes.
There was always George, Sr. until his spawn entered politics. Then, he was repackaged as dubya. That was to keep him clear from his daddy who did a better job but didn’t last as long. Goes to show you how dumb people are and it’s not the dims.
Yes, we’re racist and that good old South Carolina is so progressive. It finally legalized interracial marriage in 1998. Way to go. Under this law, your very own Strom Thurmond would have been in a lot of trouble. The old timers will tell you how white folks were beaten and mistreated by other white folks in South Carolina because these South Carolinians objected to a white man having consensual sex with a black woman. Racists that Dims are, we think people should be able to do who or what they want.
If you make less than $75,000 a year, you can’t afford to be a Republican.
Rice was shopping for shoes and watching a play on Broadway while Katrina drowned New Orleans. If I were her, I would have been trying to get some help for those victims. Even when you say it wasn’t her job, it should have been. How can anyone go shopping for shoes while people are dying? At least make a plea with your commander in chief who was playing a guitar with his buddy McCain at a birthday celebration.
Rice came forward with that mushroom cloud nonsense in order to get her war on. There was no possible way that Iraq was a threat to anyone outside their borders. Even Israel was safe and well able to handle any threat from them. Retaliation would have been certain and brutal if Iraq had started anything with them. Powell held up a tube of detergent and said it was a most horrid poison at the UN. This was after he said the speech he was going to present was bovine excrement. He went on to read it. His son happened to have been appointed to FCC Chairman under dubya. Isn’t that special? He also tried to cover up the My Lai massacre when he was a young officer in the Army. These people aren’t working for their people. They’re working for themselves.
It’s a shame about Byrd. It’s wrong, but the most shocking thing about it is that Republicans object to it. That sounds like something that would have put him up a notch or two in their books. So, Byrd has a shameful past and was a member of the “Dixiecrats”, the same party that Thurmond was a member of. You know, a Dixiecrat will take a black woman to bed, but not eat breakfast with her in the morning.
Funny when South Carolinians call anyone racist or retard. To them a family reunion is a chance to meet girls. A family tree is a family circle. They should be glad that Sanford was having a fling with someone who wasn’t related to him.
By Stinkbait January 10, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Despite the likelihood that Reid will be thrown under the bus – & any ol reason is alright with me – this was a rare moment when he was dead-on correct. And every damn one of you PC opportunists & ditherers know it.
By chester wolfarb II January 10, 2010 at 6:35 pm
When will the “Rev.” “I just wanna’ cut off Obama’s nuts” Jackson rush to condemn Reid’s insensitive, racist, remarks?
By chester wolfarb II January 10, 2010 at 8:56 pm
When will “REV” Al Sharpton condemn Reid’s viciously racist, toxic comments?
Scratch a Democrat, and you will find a hypocrital racist.
By Make it up as you go. January 10, 2010 at 10:23 pm
@lancet: You are an angry lil fella. Not from around these parts are ya? I could tell by the smug, arrogant bullshit.
By sid January 11, 2010 at 12:11 am
lancet,
There was never a George, Sr., in this context. You may want to try research as a hobby, so you don’t always look stupid. Then again, you are probably so stupid that you actually believe that Dems are not racist. They are, and generally more so than Repubs. But you probably know that.
Also, it’s a shame Barry and all his top security folks couldn’t drag themselves away from their vacations after the panty-bomber. I’m sure they had better things to do than worry about terrorism. That’s not really their job. Oh, wait, it is.
By Cooter Brown January 11, 2010 at 7:05 am
Dey dont gots Negros in Nevadie, so how wuz he t’ knows dat dey now prefer Afrikan-’merican?
It changes ebery few years. An ol’ feller lik me has gone threw quite a few preferrable terms ov endeermint fer my bruthas ov colour, whuteva dey may be called rite now…
Reckon dey probablie need t’ change dem census buks rite quick ‘for black folks– I means Afrikan-’merikans– dont rise up an’ squash whitie!
By Statesman January 11, 2010 at 7:46 am
Reid made the comment while praising Obama. The commment has been taken out of text. He apologized, Obama accepted, case closed. BTW, Trent Lott’s own party turned against him, not necessarily for his comments at Thurmond’s part, but because of how he treated people and ran his job as Maj. Leader. Reid’s party isn’t throwing him under the bus like the GOP and W did Lott.
By Toyota Kawaski January 11, 2010 at 8:19 am
Boil one should “boil” their bowl to clean it ever so often.
By lancet January 11, 2010 at 9:23 am
No one has knocked me out other than my honest mistake about the date on a vote. The people who knew dubya called him George. His mother referred to him as the Chosen One. I doubt she called him to dinner using the name Chosen One. Getting all hung up on George and his number one son’s name when he was referred to as ‘Junior’ to help keep it clear, at least among those of us in the public. I guess some people call him Jesus’s Brother, but I’m not going to do that. You people crack me up. Where did you get that info that Repubs are integrated? It was FDR who started fighting blacks during WWII and Truman who integrated the units and LBJ…need I say more? Carter was and still is held in high regard within the black community. Do you people ever speak to people who are black? Why not go to them and ask them directly and that would give you an idea what they really think. It’s a shame that there was such a long holiday when so many people were out of work. I’ll say that straight up. Why they didn’t call off their holiday when the nutcase did what he did might be because they didn’t want to incite even more panic during an already tense time. You’ll have to ask them if you want the answer. The time would have been better spent on other things like helping the economy. I guess what Prescott did during the War was alright with you. Trading with the enemy and we all know how much Hitler loved all of humankind. Harken Energy is alright with you all as well as Neil’s involvement in the S&L disaster. I’m sorry about not cutting the holiday short during the nutcase on the plane and also when there was a warning back in August of ’01 and nothing was done about it. In 2000 McCain did very well in the New Hampshire primaries and Michigan. The supporters of his opponent lied that his adopted daughter from Indonesia or somewhere was half-black. This turned off the South Carolina electorate and the rest is history. McCain had his hand in some of the bank fraud along with the other S&L people. He wasn’t perfect, but he was more qualified than anyone else running. It would be difficult to find anyone anywhere who is satisfied with Reid. Jackson did say those things. For all his faults, I like Jackson. I wouldn’t want him to make me a sandwich, but I don’t deny he said something that was wrong. He and Sharpton are just so likeable. Jackson, whatever his shortcomings, has helped get people out of Cuban prisons. That’s pretty decent of him, I think you’ll agree.
By Joe January 11, 2010 at 10:15 am
“Rice came forward with that mushroom cloud nonsense in order to get her war on. There was no possible way that Iraq was a threat to anyone outside their borders. ”
Ummmm…..that’s NOT what the Dems were saying in the late 1990′s pal. Shall I produce the quotes?
“He and Sharpton are just so likeable.”
That is high comedy. Ask the lawyer – Steven Pagones I believe is his name – whose career and life was ruined (purposely) by Al Sharpton in the Tawana Brawley hoax. Ask the countless businesses these two have race-hustled for hush money over the years. Likeable? LOL
By sid January 11, 2010 at 1:31 pm
So, The One and his minions get a pass for not calling off their vacations when there was an attempted terrorist attack on this country, but Rice did something wrong? Isn’t Barry’s #1 job to keep the country safe? Rice was not in charge of cleaning up the mess caused by nature, Democrats failing to fix infrastructure problems, and people failing to follow instructions to get out of town. Nor was it her job to rescue a corrupt Dem Mayor. But since she’s a black Republican, lancet, she has betrayed her race? And Sharpton and Jackson are aces, in your book? I fully understand who and what you are, lancet. A sad little Dem who hates anyone who is a Republican, but hates black Republicans even more, simply because you think they are either dishonest or stupid for having a different political viewpoint. BTW, I speak to lots of black Democrats and Republicans. Most don’t share your twisted viewpoint, and are generally much smarter than you when it comes to history and politics. You didn’t make an honest mistake with the date/vote. You lied, and hoped nobody would call you on it. That’s my take, at least. I guess your countless hours spent in the Bush household give you a better take on what everyone was called there, right? No, you’re just an idiot who was wrong, again. Oh, and it’s Barry who carries the title of The Chosen One. Don’t you read?
By T4 January 11, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Lance, if you think the Republican party of today is the same Republican Party of Lincoln’s day, you’d be most decidedly mistaken, friend.
By lancet January 11, 2010 at 11:00 pm
The #1 job is to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. There seems to be a bunch more hatred coming from sids than from anything I said. You come out from somewhere just to blast me for nothing. It wasn’t cool for any of them continuing their vacation in ’01 or even before the latest close call. With so many people out of work, it would have been better if all had been at work trying to fix the problem. Whatever you say about Barry and his title. Those 3 words aren’t that unique and that was the title also given unto his predecessor by his mother. Never been in that household, but it is in print. We can know what people called them by reading about their experiences and they say what names they called people. Voting against something in 1968 rather than 1964 doesn’t undermine what I said. The year was wrong, but the vote was still the same. You never heard of the vote before I brought it up. Your take is wrong. A ‘no’ vote in 1968 is still a ‘no’ vote. It’s difficult to get out of a city when you don’t have a car. There were lots of poor people there without money to get a ticket. Walking north wouldn’t have helped as you can only cover 20 to 30 miles in 24 hours at most. The trains were not running even if you had the money to get out of there. Why nobody fixed the levees is a mystery. It would have saved a lot of lives but I’m sure some of you would have opposed that. Some good comments in this thread, from Toyota Kawasaki, Cooter Brown and Statesman. Sids hasn’t posted one of those comments. Even if people disagree, they can talk without being unhinged. The quotes from the 90s? That was long before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Before 9/11, the quotes of people like Powell, Cheney and others said that Iraq was not a threat. If you mean quotes from people in 1990 after August 2nd up through sometime in the 90s, I’ll understand the hype. If you go forward to the early 00s before the attack, the quotes are that Iraq was declawed and defanged. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Last summer, there was a serial killer running loose and killed several people. I won’t say how many because I don’t remember and sids will say I lied about it. This serial killer was finally shot down by police in North Carolina as he was about to go out in the very early morning hours. If I’m mistaken about this point, please understand that it’s not a deliberate lie. Maybe he wasn’t about to go out but he drew suspicion and the neighbors called the local law enforcement authorities. This killer terrified people in maybe half the state. Thanks to the war in Iraq, which had nothing to do with any attack on you or your neighbors, many Iraqis are dead (I’ll be called a liar for this, too). The numbers differ according to which source. Some sources say 1.3 million. These people are guilty of living in a place that had nothing to do with 9/11. If a lawyer was ruined due to someone else being wrong with the Brawley case, that is wrong. It’s also wrong for people to lie about the need to go to war in a place that had nothing to do with 9/11. Dead people and career ruined people are both victims if they’re innocent. Talk about racism. Was it six (I dare not speculate as I’ll be called a liar) dead due to the serial killer versus a whole lot more dead people in a war based on lies? Do those dead civilians in Iraq mean anything to you? Let’s make hay with Tawana and completely ignore Prescott trading with the enemy and the S&L crisis. And yes, Neil is a brother of that family and you don’t even have to go to their house to know it. Nobody has disagreed yet, but they will if they can address it without bringing up that someone in America’s Royal Family did something wrong.
By Joe January 12, 2010 at 8:41 am
lance –
I know you and the rest of the Dems love to conveniently blame the Iraq war solely on the Bush administration, but let me inconveniently remind you of these statements:
“(W)e need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime. We all know the litany of his offenses. He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. …And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction. That is why the world, through the United Nations Security Council, has spoken with one voice, demanding that Iraq disclose its weapons programs and disarm. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but it is not new. It has been with us since the end of the Persian Gulf War.” — John Kerry, Jan 23, 2003
“As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” — Nancy Pelosi, December 16, 1998
“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.” — Carl Levin, Sept 19, 2002
“There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein’s regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant, and that his pursuit of lethal weapons of mass destruction cannot be tolerated. He must be disarmed.” — Ted Kennedy, Sept 27, 2002
“Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.” — Al Gore, 2002
“I share the administration’s goals in dealing with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction.” — Dick Gephardt in September of 2002
And my favorite……
“I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons…I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out.” — Clinton’s Secretary of Defense William Cohen in April of 2003
Now….if you want to continue to stick your head in the sand and be ignorant on Iraq that’s your business. The Iraq war was a bipartisan effort, regime change began as a Clinton administration policy and just ask the Kurds if Saddam had the capability of killing thousands of people in one fell swoop.
By lancet January 12, 2010 at 10:24 am
Kerry isn’t believable. Kerry said in March of 03 something about regime change in the US. He caught a lot of flack for that. I don’t know if he’s even in his head. He joined the 2004 campaign in order to derail Howard Dean. Then he didn’t try to win the election. If these people really said that about Iraq, they have as much blood on their hands as anyone. No one here is granting sainthood to any democrat based on party affiliation. The Kurds were killed while the UN and US did nothing. Schwarzkopf was there with enough firepower to turn Iraq into a parking lot. Bush encouraged the Iraqis to ‘rise up’ against Saddam, leading them to think that if they did so, the heavy US presence would help them out. Big mistake on the part of the Kurds. They were betrayed. Murder is murder, no matter who is doing it. Iraq still had nothing to do with 9/11. Scott Ritter was hated by all for opposing the war. He is no flaming liberal by any standards. His hands are clean in this crime.
Some call me a little angry fellow. Oh, well. If my candidate or team loses, I don’t vent my frustrations on the spouse, kids, family dog or others. Let’s hope others on this forum will similarly control their emotions outside the forum. If you don’t, please seek professional help.
If anyone tried to get hush money from me because I had a business and was being threatened with charges of racism, I wouldn’t go along with it. I think most people would react the same way. I also wouldn’t apologize if Deadeye Dick shot me in the face like he did to that 78 year old lawyer.
Most of the blacks I’ve ever known were Democrats. It was the Republicans that invented the Southern Strategy. The most support I’ve ever seen for Republican policies by any Black Democrat was when Clinton tried that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell thing back in 1993. An Army vet who had left the service after serving an enlistment was upset about it. He supported what then Governor Carroll Campbell (R) said that he would fight that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell thing and that is the most support I’ve personally seen for a Black Democrat supporting Republican policies. I thought it didn’t matter, because homosexuals have always been in the service. A lot of them hid the fact because they wanted to serve and in one case there was a career Black Sargeant who wanted to serve at least 20 years and told the Army when they asked him about his sexual orientation during the last of the draft days that he was homosexual. They asked him if he was trying to get out of going into the Army and he said that he was answering the question they asked him. He told the truth and they took him in the Army.
The Republicans plotted a coup in the 1930s. All this talk of research prompts me to encourage you all to learn what ugly secret General Smedley Butler uncovered. Butler was a Republican, but most Republicans will hate him when they find out what he did upon discovering the plot. The Constitution meant more to him than the party.
A Black Republican is like Jews for Hitler, Chickens for Colonel Sanders or roaches for Raid.
If anyone cares what blacks have to say about any of this, why not ask a black Democrat in Louisiana at gopexposed.com? You can even comment and tell him what you think of him and his politics. I’m certain he knows more about history and politics than some of you (you know who you are) or your imaginary friends. I’m also pretty sure he would happy to discuss this with you. Certainly Black Democrats have a right to share their thoughts about Black Republicans without NASCAR types seething because someone doesn’t support their religion…uh, party.
By BC January 13, 2010 at 12:43 am
Normally I would spend this time feverishly typing away to undermind many of you; but why? Sen. Reid’s comments have been taken out of context and blown totally out of proportion. I have heard that the GOP is rallying the troops to compare the reason for Reid’s resignation to that of former Sen. Lott. What? These two comments are so far removed they are not anywhere near similar. This is a disparate act by the GOP to call a foul and to gain favor. Sorry guys (and gals) you have lost sight of the problems within your own ranks and seeking gas to start a bigger fire outside your own walls.