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Jindal and the 'Racist'
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Why won’t the Louisiana governor and other top Republicans denounce the Young Republicans’ new chairman, who's accused of spreading hate on Facebook?
Despite numerous reports on The Daily Beast detailing how Audra Shay seemingly approved when a friend on Facebook implied that the Obama administration was run by “mad coons” and made other hateful comments on the social-networking site, the Louisiana resident and military veteran was elected chairman of the Young Republicans at their convention on Saturday. The campaign was nasty, fueled by sexually tinged accusations, and left the Young Republicans organization in a large degree of disarray.
When the governor’s spokesman was asked, as a followup, whether Jindal still supported his chosen candidate, Shay, as chairman of the Young Republicans, there was no response.
More interesting, however, is how the national Republican leadership is treating Shay’s election. Specifically, with silence. Despite Shay’s new position as the face of the young GOP (even though she's 38) and her social media track record, which even when viewed in the best light is offensive and encourages hate, none of the party’s leaders contacted by The Daily Beast would call on Shay to step down, or even apologize, or publicly explain her remarks.
Chief among them is Governor Bobby Jindal, who publicly endorsed Shay. Last week, as the “coons” controversy emerged, Jindal’s office did not respond to several requests for comment.
Yesterday, Jindal finally issued a statement. “I oppose all racism and all racist comments," he said. When the governor’s spokesman was asked, as a followup, whether Jindal still supported his chosen candidate as chairman of the Young Republicans, there was no response. Left unsaid was whether Jindal regards any of Shay’s comments as racist.
That’s quite a nuanced position for a person still regarded as a possible presidential candidate in 2012. But Jindal was hardly alone among GOP bigwigs in his silence on whether he supports the leader of the party’s under-40 arm. Spokespeople for Newt Gingrich and House Minority Leader John Boehner declined to comment. A representative for Mitt Romney, who addressed the Young Republicans convention in 2007, did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the GOP’s Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, House Whip Eric Cantor, National Republican Congressional Committee head Pete Sessions, former GOP party head and current Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour or another Louisianan, Senator David Vitter.
Several phone calls and emails to spokespeople for Michael Steele, who hobnobbed with Young Republicans in Indiana this weekend and has repeatedly called on the Republican Party to reach out to minorities and immigrants, were not returned.
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Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
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roger37
The reason our little-boy Governor of Louisiana hasn't responded to Audra's election yet is that he hasn't figured out which way the winds are finally blowing on this.
Nobody else is reporting very much on it, to my knowledge (Faux News is ignoring it), so Bobby, ever the little opportunist, will wait awhile before throwing Audra under the bus.
anitact
she is absolutely disgusting. I'm shocked this is not more widely reported on.
StellaRay
roger 37,
This story has not been reported anywhere but on the blogs. The Beast has offered the best, soonest and most in depth cover. The Huff Po has been late and small in its coverage. Not a word on Salon. And to my knowledge, there has been not one single word about it on any network or cable station as far as I know. Absolute crickets on Mathews, Schultz, Olbermann and Maddow.
Drives me crazy. If an organization named the Young Democrats elected a communist as their leader there would be no end of coverage. Yet an organization named the Young Republicans elected a flagrant racist in a convention that almost came to fisticuffs over it. You'd think at least it's an interesting enough story for the MSM to jump on.
But no, crickets. Maybe it's true that they can't keep up with the speed of the internet. Maybe that's why so many in the MSM belittle on-line news and the blogs.
sonofloud
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/13/shay_mcallister/index.htm l
PS I do find that the Daily Beast will publish articles most others won't.....but the right wing slant is more than a little disturbing.
fleetw1978
Perhaps the nation does not care about the GOP and certainly not about the "young GOP?" They have become pretty much a reality show train wreck for the past few years anyway.
LilJohn
"If an organization named the Young Democrats elected a communist as their leader there would be no end of coverage."
That's funny since one was just elected leader of the USA!
akcita
TDB is really showing their assess on this story ( or non-story) when the facts are examined ( go back and look at the image of the facebook page) and you get a facebook account and see how posts and comments are made. This smells like a hatchet job cooked up by moderate repubs who don't like Ms. Shay. "Seemingly endorsed" I guess it is true to say that the President has "Seemingly endorsed" a lot of questionable characters if we want to use these criteria.
OBAMA SEEMINGLY ENDORSES WEATHER UNDERGROUND TERRORIST!
OBAMA SEEMINGLY ENDORSES HUGO CHAVEZ!
OBAMA SEEMINGLY ENDORSES KARL MARX!
At least Salon (Quoted Below) has the good sense to blame Mr. Piker (whether he is a real person is unkown) for the comment.
"Shay, running at the top of the Team Renewal ticket, had run into trouble after seemingly endorsing a racist statement on her Facebook page. She wrote, "You tell em Eric! lol" on her Facebook wall below a pair of comments by someone named Eric S. Piker who'd said, "[we] need to take this country back from all these mad coons." Shay claimed that although she'd responded to Piker eight minutes after his second comment, she had only seen his first one, which didn't have any racist language."
It's interesting how this latest TDB article has no byline. Is John Avlon sensitive that everyone else knows that he is the only guy beating the drum on this? Is his old friend Giuliani aware of this bullsh*t?
keepakeeper43
You're right.
Hes waiting to see how much of it gets out and where it goes.
Politics trumps integrity.
Khrish
Why would anyone expect Jindal to respond. What can he say that will matter. This is a man who doesn't even like himself....He's changed his name his faith and he is so confused he doesn't know whether to wind his butt or scratch his watch. I wonder if he still speaks to his parents. Or if he calls them the Cleavers.
jenny4hill
Khrish: he calls his parents the Bradys. He re-named himself after Bobby Brady on The Brady Bunch.
AlwaysOptimistic
The politicians are not commenting because they are waiting to see if this story gets any traction. If it does, I predict, they will come out and be just "shocked, shocked by Ms. Shay's comments". If the story just dies....there will be no action by GOP leaders...
oldfolks2327
Bobby know this woman and silence is concent. They are fom the same mold,both appear to have racist attitudes toward minorites. I guess Bobby and Clarence Williams have a lot in common
rebellnow
Ok Roger37 aka(white man) refering to this man as a boy shows the birds you flock with. this is a sign to watch of the so called young republicans that are just like the nuts they grew from.
roger37
Calling Jindal a "little-boy" governor was not intended to refer to the color of his skin. I live here in LA, and he's generally considered to be a whiz-kid policy wonk, and he sure doesn't look like a mature leader when he speaks.
If you want to match credentials for activism during the Civil Rights struggle, bring it on.
democracyforall
what is the truth here? does anybody know? the Young Republicans vote for their own and voted before emails were stolen, they can vote again.
geefitz
Back in the '60s we used to say, There's no such thing as a "young" Republican.
Still true today.
jlaxmn00
And the implosion continues. Sad that a Party that once stood for something is slowly destroying itself.. Some may say that over the last few years (maybe decades) that this is deserved as well as inevitable.
Has anybody in that party ever heard Dilon.
Get out the way if you can't lend a hand
For the times they are a changin
LilJohn
"...seemingly approved..." ?????
Sounds like liberal spinning. The article indicates that Shay didn't post it, the idiot doesn't know, or can even prove that Shay even saw the post on the facebook account, much less condoned it! This is the epitome of desperation, trying ones damnest to play the race card!
"..... The Daily Beast would call on Shay to step down, or even apologize, or publicly explain her remarks ......"
What? The article states that the remarks were those of a visitor on a Facebook page. Where the heck did they come up with "her remarks"???????
galeso
The reason the major media did not pick this up and Bobby Jindal did not criticize Audra Shay is because she issued a statement that was a plausible denial. Why jump on someone from your own team when there is a chance (even a tiny chance) they did not do what they were accused of.
How many Democrats accused Obama of improperly looking at the girl in the picture? None and a good thing too - even Fox showed the video clip that proves the picture wrong.
akcita
Because this is a Faux story. She didn't spread anything, some knucklehead commented on her post and she didn't get it removed quickly enough to smooth moderate republicans that saw it.
It would be be like me saying:
(insert racial epithet here) b@stards their ruining the country!
among 15 other comments and you being called a racist for not deleting it within 20 minutes ( let alone noticing that the guy had posted multiple times and used the epithet early on in the discussion).
Are their any facebook users here who understand the nuances here?
This is unbelievable how another person's comments are being used to paint this person as a racist in a blog setting. It would be like holding the author of this article responsible for all the silly posts in the comments.
The Daily Beast is a complete manipulator in this Story that is plain and simple race-baiting
akcita
What a great story. A guy (Jindal) who is being castigated for not denouncing someone (SHay) for something she didn't even write, it was something someone else commented on their facebook site...?
What silliness, and you are all wrapped up about it as if it was a real story...
monkeymuggs
I live here in LA also and if by the lack of ethics (Basically non existent) with Jindal. This little prick not denouncing anything to do with this woman is basically no surprise to anyone.
fk4711
Let the Republicans, young or old, stay in the 19th century and rest of us move on to the 21th century. Good riddance.
openhand
That's what happens when you watch 19th C Fox News.
democracyforall
can't stomach Madcow and Doberman on MSNBC
roger37
Name one thing they have said that can't be backed up by checkable facts. One thing.
Then apply the same standard to Fox News.
harlemita
You're forgetting that most of america is set back 30 years. We who live on the coasts or in metropolitan cities can see these people as throw backs to another time (Archie Bunker times) (or the times of our old, bigoted parents), but it's just normal life for lots of folks between the coasts. Openhand is right: just watch Fox 5 News. I had it on during the elections, and it was an eye-opener.
southernborn
Come on now, there are plenty of us in the "heartland" and the south that are not "throw backs". You are stereotyping by saying that. There are plenty of people "between the coasts" that are so past the racial issues and get mad as hell when we hear our fellow southern's spout this crap.
They aren't setting themselves back 30 years, the problem is they were already 30 years in the past, so this is status quo to them. They have a hard time accepting that change has already happened. They haven't learned from history, because they are still stuck there. They can't grasp reality and don't want to. I am sorry for the members of HipHopRepublican.com and other young minority members but the party they may know in the north is not the party of the south.
I have a feeling if our president campaigned in the south, he could pick off some more states...... No one thought he'd win VA or NC, I think he could have won other southern states. He could bring Bill and Hillary with him to Arkansas and I think he could win it.
We are not all racists and many of us do not tolerate others who are. And I for one don't like being lumped together with these idiots. Lets face it, we can call them a lot of names, they are idiots....
AlwaysOptimistic
I agree, but I also think irrational fear exists everywhere. I live on the coast, in a demographic that is diverse, economically secure (for the most part), and well educated (again, for the most part). However, since the election, I have been quite surprised how quickly people will "openly" make derisive remarks about the President's race when they disagree with a policy decision.
This is what disturbs me. And these same individuals that are not Fox watching wingnuts...It is quite reactionary, and irrational.
NativeSonKY
Yes I feel very stereotyped by this comment. Growing up a "hippie-type" in the late 60s and 70s and living in Kentucky I bore the brunt of MANY racial jokes and innuendo towards people of color whom I associated with (I am Caucasian with Cherokee heritage). Growing up my Mother taught me that ALL PEOPLE were People, and that the color of one's skin didn't disqualify them from being treated as well as others. I thought when Senator Obama threw his hat into the ring that maybe some of these people here might wake up, but it instead woke a sleeping giant, from what I have experienced. I had a great job last year working in a print shop, finally, after being unemployed from the industry for 3 years. I knew that most of the other people in the shop were not as progressive thinkers as myself, so I kept my political comments subdued. I noticed that most of the rest of the crew centered around ONE GUY, who sat in his mini-van during lunch listening to...yes, Rush Limbaugh. And there were always 3-4 others sitting listening with him, espousing their poison views to all that would listen. When I took offense one day by a "Obama's Mama" comment and finally let loose on these idiots, it was the beginning of the end of my job. Although these people professed to be Christians, their tolerance for anyone of an opposing political view was nil. Within 2 weeks I was called into the front office on 3 occasions and was naturally labeled a "troublemaker". I sure never called anybody "cracker" or "whitey", but you know the kind of talk I had to put up with until, a month later, I was "let go due to changing strategies for the business". So now I've been unemployed for almost 9 months, again. There is nothing changed here in Kentucky, and anytime you THINK things have changed, DON'T! They have not changed and never will. We will never be free until we ALL are free, and if you think Mitch McConnell will EVER do anything but line his pockets with special interest money, also, think again.
gak001
Southerborn - hear, hear!
jenny4hill
I have to agree with the objections to the stereotype. Racists exist everywhere in the U.S. And their betters exist everywhere in the U.S. as well. Racists rage with bluster and violence, and making a bigger noise gives an illusion they're bigger and more representative than they really are. That is, than I pray they really are. Our nation is damned and doomed if racism prevails.
democracyforall
so when a black mayor calls voters that didn't vote for him "white devils" and "haters" that is OK? just the comments of whites are bigoted?
roger37
Of course it's not OK. And "lefties" will criticize them, too.
roger37
NativeSonKY: Similar thing happened to me, but not in a job setting. After being bombarded by viral rightwing emails from members of my group, I sent out one email that answered a few of their points. The reaction was instantaneous. Suddenly, "you shouldn't talk politics", yada, yada. (Regardless that all my facts were supported with references or links.)
I wound up leaving the organization about 2 months later. No confrontation, but just no support, even though I had done the best job, by far, of any leader they had had to date.
In the South, IMO, personal feelings like that (frequently racist, but not always) trump fact. That's why you had the "Red Gash" map after the election in November. That was a map that showed those counties, in red, that voted MORE Republican while the rest of the country was going Blue. It extended from West Virginia and proceeded East thru Tenn, picked up AL, MS, AR, and LA and then stopped in TX and OK. I don't think these people are gonna change anytime soon.
roger37
Woops--started in WVa, proceeded West, not East.
BullMoose
The Bible Belt is what you are describing, as i am sure you already know. The reason the word "belt" is used is in reference to a geographical belt around the country. I grew up in southwestern Virginia, coal mine, moonshine, or get you butt down the line. In fact, 20 miles away, across the West VA line, snake handling is still allowed for religious services. The only State left that allows it.
These people will alway's be racist because they need to look down on a group they can feel they are superior to.
roger37
My experience exactly. I also lived in Memphis for 7 years, in addition to Louisiana.
For a while, though, some of my acquaintances were starting to bitch about the Vietnamese. Until they started being valedictorians of our high schools and top students in our medical schools.
southernborn
I grew up in south Arkansas. People were prejudice against blacks.
As a teenager I went to the Pacific Northwest to visit relatives for a summer, people were prejudiced against the Mexican workers who came to work in the orchards.
My husband was from CA, we moved there - people talked about Mexicans, and every race that was Asian, and gay people.
I moved to Iowa, people were prejudiced against the Sioux Indians.
Back in Arkansas, Mexican workers started moving in and I think now those same ole people talk worse about Mexican's than they do about black people. I live near the OK border now and I hear all about the Native American Casino's and Reservations, how they get tax breaks, how they get government money, on and on and on......
Seems a lot of white people have a problem with any and every other race.
How-ever I have heard blacks talk about Mexicans and the other way around.
When I get those stupid racist emails, I send my opinion right back. Sometimes I don't hear from the person ever again, which is fine with me. Sometimes I get an apology and the "oh I didn't agree with that, I just sent it"........
I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when a great aunt from another state received an email reply from me. She sent me a racial email about Barack Obama while he was still running for pres.... She was trying to put together a family history book and I was helping her with some information. I do genealogy research and had learned that Barack Obama's grandfather is from the same family we are from. I gave her my opinion of her email, then sent her the information on her "cousin". Never heard from her again, never will, I am sure. I don't care. My mother wasn't even mad at me for it.
prthatrocks
RE: "They just took a vote that may have set the party back 30 years," the co-founder of HipHopRepublican.com, Lenny McAllister, told The Daily Beast's John Avlon.
You have to love that... 30-years. All you need is a nitwit like Shay making such a statement once per month, getting the same response from the GOP, and they'll be as extinct as the Whigs in a year.
clearthinker
RE: "getting the same response from the GOP, and they'll be as extinct as the Whigs in a year."
Golly jeepers, your'e right. Then our entire country can be run by the Mighty One's on the left. Gee wiz, within a couple of years we can watch our country turn into the Socialistic Utopian Rome that we've always wanted. I can't wait. The whole world will love us, Osama Bin Laden will come and give us prayer vigils as we smoke peace pipes going to the Ben and John wedding nuptials. Instead of calling ourselves Americans, we can call ourselves the Mighty Democrats and re-stitch our flag to resemble the peace sign... That would be so awesome!
You people are all a bunch of loons. In 2004, everyone thought it was the death of the Democrats and that this country will never go back to the left. Count your blessings for now, but the pendulum always goes back and it will again despite your desperate stories of made up "racism". How is it only the right's problem of being called racists when there are examples all over the place of racism on the left,i.e. Black Panthers intimidation at a polling center in Philadelphia and Eric Holder dropping the charges for no reason? Colon Powell voting for Obama even though he doesn't believe in a single thing Obama stands for? Sotomayor's comments? News networks don't report on silly, unimportant statements because everyone makes silly, unimportant statements. If you want to light that candle you better hope it doesn't turn into a forest fire.
plevert
Clearthinker....
Wrong choice for a name.... your comments are exactly what everyone
is speaking of...... Harlemita... you are giving yourself and folks that
live on the coasts way too much credit... Travel outside of your comfort
zone sometimes and get to know others in the metropolitan cities not
on either coast....You can grow up and live in a region of the country
and have a mind of your own..(believe it or not)...
BullMoose
I just wish the Repugs would have gone on and used their "nuclear" option when they were crying about an up or down vote on some trivial matter.
The arrogance in going ahead with their talk would have bitten them you know where with Obama's election. Too bad the democrats stood in their way. Just think what Obama could get done with a simple majority in the Senate with no more cloture.
roger37
Clearthinker. What a hoot.
We're having a discussion on race, and you interrupt by calling people names, then sounding like a Right Wing primer of talking points and other invective--none of it supported with fact, just characterizations.
"Made up racism stories?" I suggest you review the Magic Negro song, gorilla ancestry comment, spook presidential photo, and about a dozen others that have taken place in the PAST TWO MONTHS. You people are the loony mofo's.
Wallysmom
Clearthinker, I would start building your Annihilation Shelter right now. Make sure you don't forget the womenfolk.
Wallysmom
Clearthinker comment translated "I love "The Magic Negro" Song...it reminds me of those cherished days sitting by the Klan fire."
akcita
clearthinker, I can't believe you didn't quickly repudiate "Wallysmom" comments. They are racist and have no place in public discourse.
YOU must be a racist .......
TDB should do a story on this clearly racist act, as it is seemingly identical to the one we are talking about...
ApprxAm
Why does anyone think this is going to hurt the GOP. It hasn't before and I doubt it's going to this time. In fact, the party may even come together under the new "New South's Southern Strategy", bringing together the frayed ends of a party in crisis, looking, searching for a reason to believe in itself again. Atavistic behavior rules those without ideas.
AlwaysOptimistic
I think there are many, many Americans who have absolutely "no idea" what the GOP's Southern Strategy was, and will never know about Ms. Shay if this story does not get any media attention.
But boy oh boy, every American sure knows about "Jon and Kate". Sad.
harlemita
I don't know about Jon and Kate. That makes me pretty happy. And nobody needs to read or watch anything to know what the GOP's anything strategy is. It's not like it's ever changed. They're the same old bigoted farts they ever were, just mixing and matching old plans and ideas in attempts to keep everything the same as it ever was.
southernborn
I'm thinking somewhere, someone is archiving all this racial bull for a nice 1 minute commercial or better yet for a 30 minute special.
You are right also on the point you made above, doesn't matter where you live (granted it probably is worse in the south), people who you never thought would vote for Obama did (and may not admit it) and people you would have never thought of as racist, say things that you wouldn't have ever imagined would come from their mouth.
I've seen educated people act ignorant and uneducated people show their common sense and decency, as well as the other way around.
This election has probably shown some they aren't as prejudice as they thought and some that they are, even if they'd never known it.
Prejudice and ignorance are not limited to any area of this country or world. I can promise that a large number of white people in the south are sickened by this nonsense by people like Mrs. Shay
HuskyNan
Sadly, I believe ApprxAm is correct that nothing will come of this. There was no outrage about these:
1. Commenting on a report posted to Facebook about a gorilla escape at a zoo in Columbia, S.C., Friday, longtime GOP activist Rusty DePass wrote, "I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors - probably harmless."
Busted by South Carolina political blogger Will Folks on his FITNEWS blog, DePass told WIS-TV in Columbia, "I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest."
Then he added, "The comment was hers, not mine," claiming Michelle Obama made a recent remark about humans descending from apes. The Daily News could find no such comment.
2. In Tennessee an e-mail created and distributed by Sherri Goforth, an executive assistant to Tennessee State Republican caucus chairwoman Diane Black is the latest attack garnering national attention. Goforth e-mailed a picture of all the U.S. presidents, except Obama, on a poster captioned "Historical Keepsake Photo."
The photo where Obama would have been pictured was entirely black except for two white eyes. After complaints following the first reports on the blog newscoma.com, Goforth's boss decided to give her a verbal reprimand and place a note in her file. Black said she isn't going to fire Goforth, unless she does something like this again.
BTW, Salon has an article on Shay
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/07/13/shay_mcallister/
AlwaysOptimistic
Well, these are good examples which show how the tools of technology can expose a person's ignorance. Now we can have a discussion about how destructive racism and racist remarks are.
I was absolutely "shocked" that Ms. Shay says she did not understand how the word "coon" was racist to an African American. Whether I believe her or not, is not the issue. Let's talk about the history of racial slurs and why they are so hurtful.
Let me give an example. If I am with a group of friends, and someone calls in "fatty" in jest. I get that it is a joke. I know where that friend is coming from. But if a stranger calls me "fatty", then I might be angry and defensive.
I just want us to have an "open and frank" discussion about why "words do matter" and why context is important.
southernborn
Ok, I just read the following racist mess at http://www.themudflats.net (under Pat Buchanan...) and they pulled in from the Free Republic Blog.
well I couldn't even post the words they called Malia, I don't think they should be out there, you will have to go read them.
Two sentences of horrible name calling aimed at Malia Obama then-
"These are a small selection of some of the racially-charged comments posted to the conservative 'Free Republic' blog Thursday, aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama's 11-year-old daughter Malia after she was photographed wearing a t-shirt with a peace sign on the front.
The thread was accompanied by a photo of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that featured the caption, "To entertain her daughter, Michelle Obama loves to make monkey sounds."
Though this may sound like the sort of thing one might read on an Aryan Nation or white power website, they actually appeared on what is commonly considered one of the prime online locations for U.S. Conservative grassroots political discussion and organizing - and for a short time, the comments seemed to have the okay of site administrators."
menckenlite
"fk4711" suggests moving into the 21st Century. Yes where the Attorney General insults white people. Where the President of the US refers to the "typical white person." And where the latest Supreme Court nominee says she knows better than white males. Is the 21st Century where all victims become oppressors? Is the 21st Century where racism against white males is not racism at all but protected speech? Why is only hate speech toward black people a problem? When will the animosity toward white persons be addressed by sheeple journalists?
rudyascott
@menckenlite:
Every time racism is raised as an issue there is someone such as yourself who likes to point out that black people can ALSO be racist, rather then address the subject at hand. Racism from any group is wrong and yes, you're right, there is a social bias to ignore racism towards whites but there's a pretty good reason for it:
When a minority is racist towards a white person, it has little to no impact on his or her life. I find being called a "cracker" annoying at worst (mostly I think it's kind of funny).
When a whites are racist, it affects minorities in terms of jobs, quality of education, and civil rights.
Why? Because whites are predominantly in control of those things.
AlwaysOptimistic
Agree. I truly think there are groups right now in this country truly taking advantage of the fact that we have an African American President. I think they are tapping into peoples unfounded fear about their place in the world. These groups know the economy is bad, and by "growing" peoples fears about race, they hope to start trouble.
These same groups don't want reasonable discussions about race. They want to feed into hate. And trust me, they are using the internet, and blogs as their weapons.
So when I read comments that people make about race that is "hateful" or take a stance that starts with "well, she's a racist too", which sounds like a toddlers argument, I know that person does not want to have a dialogue.
harlemita
Well put.
akcita
So, at least most of the people commenting on your response agree with you that there are instances where racism is OK...
Just like the white family that was beaten by a group of Black Youths yelling "It's a black world" has no one crying for the youths to be charged with a federal hate crime, which would be the case were the colors reversed.
So, what we are saying is that equal protection under the law guaranteed by the Constitution is entirely negotiable. Sound Good?
darkgable619
Oh cry me a river! White men are soooo oppressed. But you obviously can't function unless you have someone (minority group) to blame.
WaltB31
You poor disadvantaged picked-on white male. You certainly have had a loong history of being discriminated against!
Just imagine; you had to spend all that money cleaning your sheets. Black people wouldn't clean them for you. And when you ran out of rope for your various tree events (snark), you couldn't convince black people to go to the store for you.
And now, (recently) you even have to share minimal positions of power with Blacks and Hispanics! Oh the horror. You may be losing your grip on the world. Awwww....
And now, your jokes you told in your private gatherings are being exposed; wonder of wonders they are not funny! So sad for you. Nobody understands you...you are sooo misunderstood.
You are just "conservative" right? You don't REALLY hate everyone else but other white males...do you?
Nah. you're just being picked on...must be "reverse racism", right?
You poor angry white males have had it soooo bad.
You are sooo oppressed.
Pathetic losers. If you didn't have your BS privilege because of your race, the vast majority of you would have nothing.
Bush, and McCain; both legacy graduates (the white quota system).
Palin? 6 years for a 4 year degree. Rush? A drug addicted college dropout and fear monger.
Right. You angry white male conservatives are sooo oppressed.
nmhite
THE TRUTH IS THE LIGHT AND IT SHALL SET YOU FREE.
sippewissett
I so wish that your rant were satire. You have carefully cherry-picked remarks out of context so you can make a reverse racisim charge against Obama's whole administration and whip up fear that you will become a victim of that oppression. What a lively imagination. What's true about the 21st century is that the world is flat, our country is becoming more diverse, and we all need to get along. We are a "melting pot" and there is much talent in minority groups that has been suppressed in the past. We should welcome talent in our government and in our businesses because talent boosts our economy and well-being. I am sad for you that you cannot get past your personal sense of being oppressed to see that the oppression is self-made.
rebellnow
@menckenlite:
To reply to yur question, how about when you invade a land of true absolute freedom ( when free indians lived on this land before your ancestors took it from them) take a race of people put them to slavery for hundred's of years, change their names, and treat them like animals. then maybe we can talk about the opressed white man, which has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. Now after getting freedm and the right to vote in this country not even 50 to 60 years the real minorities in this country need to watch what they say. I say no, it's time for the white man to listen.
rpopstar
menckenlite: you clipped the sotomayor quote... the opening words are "i would hope that..."..by the way, i'm white and i wasn't the least bit insulted by anything she, eric holder or president obama has said on the subject or race....
roger37
Menckenliteweight has his head up his nether regions, again.
HL Mencken would be spinning in his grave at the appropriation of his name.
BullMoose
I think Ralphie Emerson had Menckenlite in mind when he said,"what you are speaks so loudly, i can't hear a word you are saying".
submarinemn
Lets keep this silly story alive as l ong as possible. Some small time idiot in the old south makes a stupid comment and you have an chance to paint the Republicans (all 45 plus percent of us who voted for McCain, apparently) as racist. Let it go.
mselectric
This story doesn't have legs because no one really believes it....except poor Daily Beast & their followers. If you want to find "hate" you'll find it if you look and concentrate on it hard enough.
WaltB31
What is so hard to believe about a Facebook page? Can you idiots read?
Oh that's right. That's how Rush, Hannity and Faux news can influence you so easily.
sippewissett
If you read the details, you would know that Shay posted racist remarks more than once, not just the last episode before the election. This isn't about "hating" someone; it's about wanting the best leadership available. And the fact that sexual innuendo was used against her adversary to imply she is a lesbian makes the election more tawdry. An organization as important to the GOP as the Young Republicans should be a beacon, a source of future excellence in leadership, not a place you can't shine a light into.
Cforchange
Let's hope that the story lacks legs not because the GOP may be thinking this is the best 2012 strategy.
Living in a city that has lost 3 police officers to the pot stiring - everyone quickly forgot the damage caused by injecting hysteria to this racist. To all southern born above, you are correct. geography has nothing to do with racism. Truely bothersome is how the GOP could attract membership because of the Young Republican's conduct. One can only hope that silence means that it is being investigated.
I'm sorry MsElectric, but finding documented hate behavior in a leadership position of one of the 2 parties of our political system should not be enabled or tolerated. I don't think anyone is naive to believe that racism will ever be absent but it should not be on the tip of the tongue of national leader.
jenny4hill
The story is plausible. The Young Republicans voted for a bully in a sundress. Is that anything like a pit bull with lipstick? I'm seeing a pattern here ...
roger37
It was on page 2 of the New Orleans Times-Picayune today, which is a big deal for this bushleague newspaper that puts most national news on page 8.
Yes, we can claim Audra as our own, as she is from the northshore 'burbs.
How predictable is that?
akcita
JUst read the above responses. These guys actually think the "Story" is a comment made by Shay rather than one made by another facebook "Friend".
Even TDB's use of the word friend without quotes on it to denote the "friend" and it's technical connotation for facebook, are a clear demonstration of the buulcrap that this story is made of.
sippewissett
No. The contention is that Young Republicans, specifically, made a bad choice of leadership. Given the pattern in Shay's Facebook postings, that's a fair charge to levy.
akcita
These folks are part of the Problem, they don't even read the article.
"...how Audra Shay seemingly approved,,,,,, when a friend on Facebook implied that the Obama administration was run by "mad coons" and made other hateful comments on the social-networking site."
The many commas indicate a place where TDB neglected putting a comma. This is the critical comma that separates the bozos actions from Audra Shay's.
I read the transcript, I have facebook, and I understand the the TDB is inserting inferences where none might exist. They are courting libel in the way this is being handled(especially this latest article).
Using the "seemingly" allows for the ambiguity in the way that facebook works and that they have no knowledge of Ms. Shay's actions concerning the time the first of several comments was made by another person, and if she ever really read the first comment.
BTW where is the actual person???? WHy isn't TDB tracking that guy down? Oh you mean real journalism? Sorry, not practiced here.......
Trunk-Monkey
-- "A friend and supporter of Shay, Torion Bridges, 22, Detroit, said she is not a racist. "I was the first one to send a letter to the (Young Republican) national committee to refute what was being said about her," said Bridges, who is African American." -- http://www.newscred.com/article/show/title/audra-shay-wins-young-republican -race-despite-facebook-racism-controversy-4a5a090727af9/1759864
See? Shay can't POSSIBLY be a racist. After all, one of her best friends is black...
rebellnow
good one, yu now that's what is coming next. LOL
chikkengrease
If I were a gambling man, I'd bet that was either her maid, driver or her nanny.
Dolmance
The Exorcist really likes Shay. But I would suggest she might be in need of a little demon removal herself.
Dolmance
Fox News has yet to report anything about this election too.
paristokyo
I live in the South and am not surprised by Shay's comments nor Jindal and Co's silence. As someone commented in another thread, she was elected not "despite" her racist comments but "because of" it. Jindal is keeping silent not to offend white voters from Louisiana (and elsewhere in the South). CNN mentioned the story briefly last night, I think the Daily Beast is doing a great job, and should keep following it.
akcita
SHE DIDN'T MAKE ANY COMMENTS. READ THE DETAILS OF THE STORY! SOMEONE ELSE,... SOMEONE ELSE!,... COMMENTED ON HER POST IN A RACIST WAY!
You folks that aren't into really reading the articles you are commenting on just kill me.
roger37
Akcita, the reason people are blaming this on Audra Shay is because she is the elected leader of the farm system of the Republican Party! What's so hard to understand about that?
She's the leader of the Young Repubs and she is supposed to represent what they think, and her head is back on St. Charles Avenue, having a mint julep served by a happy Negro servant.
I'm sure people hate Piker's comments more, but he's just a hopeless redneck.
ccrider27
I love watching Republicans. They are pathetically hilarious.
akcita
I love people who can't even take the time to read and understand an article writing smug one-liners.
rtchap2
He will not denounce the chairwoman because of the same exact reason Obama did not renounce Ayers, Plager or Wright. Because they are two damn ignorant to know any better. Don't matter what party you are affiliated with, hate is hate and it is wrong. To damn drunk with power to care.
HuskyNan
Re: Ayers, The National Review, Sept. 23, 2008
"As I note in today's Journal piece, I've conveyed the gist of my Annenberg findings to the Obama campaign and offered them a chance to respond. In reply, the Obama campaign has sent me an extended "on the record" statement about Obama's role at the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, and about the nature of his relationship with Bill Ayers. I present that statement in its entirety here:
...
The detestable acts that Ayers committed decades before occurred when Senator Obama was 8 years old and the Senator has condemned them in no uncertain terms."
Re: Wright, from Obama's rather famous speech on race, March 2008:
"The pastor of my church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who recently preached his last sermon and is in the process of retiring, has touched off a firestorm over the last few days. He's drawn attention as the result of some inflammatory and appalling remarks he made about our country, our politics, and my political opponents.
Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."
roger37
Actually, Barack Obama did denounce Wright, plus he resigned publicly from Wright's "church." He didn't renounce Ayers or Plager because he had little to do with them.
Peddler
You may want to check your facts again about Obama's relationship with Ayers. There are too many connections between them for it to be described as Ayers "just being another guy in his neighborhood". Too many shared discussion panels, public events, events arranged by Michelle, Obama's political career kicked off in Ayers' home, shared responsibilities on the Annenburg Challenge, etc. Obama and Ayers were much closer than most are willing to admit. Why, I don't know.
I am from the South and the "coon" reference by Ms. Shay is offensive to me as well. Not all "us Suth'ners" are ignorant, racist, or uneducated. I don't live on the coast but close. However, I seriously doubt the coast I live close to would meet the criteria of the ones referenced on another comment.
I did not support Obama for one simple reason. I don't agree with most of his policies, especially the way he and his inexperienced team are going about implementing them. No thorough vetting of the legislation by Obama or his supporters in congress. If 5% have read what they have voted on, I would be very surprised.
I read several different blogs during the week and find most to be informative even if it requires filtering out the trash talk and usual "sound byte" comments from the usual suspects. And, I also find those who have formed their opinions and convictions are very reluctant to entertain an opposing point of view, much less have a civil discussion.
roger37
...and the Annenburg Challenge was (is?) run by Mrs. Walter Annenburg, wife of Walter, a very, very conservative Republican who served as Ambassador to the Court of St. James under Reagan or Bush 41, maybe both.
And Mrs. Annenburg has gone on record praising the work of Barack Obama on that organization, and no word of Bill Ayers. Barack was EIGHT when Ayers did that crazy stuff. Jeez.
AlwaysOptimistic
Instead of everyone pointing fingers at everyone else about who is the "biggest racist", maybe we should be talking about how we talk to one another.
Let's look at how people talk to one another in this technological age....in small bits and with lightening speed. There is so much "knee jerk" reactions with very little in depth thought. I worry it starts to get like a "feeding frenzy" on the internet and social networking sites.
I wish Ms. Shay, and all of us, would realize that "words do matter" and maybe we should all try to be a little more "reflective instead of reflexive" when using the tools of technology, and to be willing to accept that having a serious discussion about race, instead of getting defensive, would be a positive for our society.
Downriver
Elitist !! ;>)
patterson
I concur.
The shame of course, is that truth often lies in the "splitting" of contrary opinions.
I think differing points of view should be the vehicle to ascertaining the truth, unfortunately most of us become well versed in the differences and
then. just. stop.
AlwaysOptimistic
What I think is possible, is if we become "conscious" of the fact that using the "new" tools of technology may come with some down side. It's like when we all first started using cell phones. People did not realize that using a cell phone while driving was tantamount to "drinking and driving". Now, we realize that "phoning/texting while driving" is dangerous. We are now "conscious" about the possible dangers.
So maybe by discussing on the blogs the "pitfalls" of reflexive commenting, instead of reflective commenting, will make us all more "conscious" on how we interact with one another.
When I read a comment that really gets my blood boiling. I try to respond like I am in the same room with that person. When we are face to face with someone we use "civility" and manners, even when we disagree, which leads to a productive discussion. Maybe we should do the same on the internet. Just a thought.
kscr14
This is one sad story.Jindal,Fox news and anyone that is racist in 2009....just go away,grow up,wake up,get real.....and please,shut up.
drlg12
And insert a space after periods and commas.
kscr14
Oh my....................................!
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