By Steve Hynd
In any competition for the biggest douchebag in American politics, Tom Tancredo would be a frontrunner. Yesterday, in front of 600 Tea Party delegates, he blew one the biggest racist dog-whistles of all and continued to push the kind of dominionist thinking the wingnut Right adores.
In his most incendiary comment, he invoked the segregationist methods of the southern states, saying that Obama had been elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country". Southern segregationist states used to prevent black people having the vote by setting them restrictively difficult qualification tests, a historical allusion lost on few of the delegates present.
Tancredo went on to call on delegates to launch a "counter-revolution" that would "pass on our culture based on Judeo-Christian principles. Whether people like it or not, that's who we are."
That remark received a standing ovation from the audience.
Tancredo went on: "And if you don't like it, don't come here! And if you're here and you don't like it, go home! Go someplace else!"
David Newart at C&L has the video. David writes "If you thought the Tea Partiers went nuts at those town-hall forums on health care, wait till immigration reform is the issue. It's going to be very ugly. Tom Tancredo, of course, will be leading the way, pitchfork in hand."
As bad as it is, how many of the Tea Party crowd would be able to pass said civics test? Remember, these are people who carry signs that say, "Keep your government hands off my Medacare."
ReplyDeleteBut you have to love the evolution of a movement being co-opted by the GOP. "Don't be mad at the bankers and politicians; the problem is Mexicans and darkies." If there weren't so many stupid people in America, the GOP would cease to exist.
I watched a little of the C-SPAN coverage this afternoon and was embarrassed watching adults displaying so much empty thinking in public. Words like conservative, patriotic, free enterprise, principles and character were strung together in vapid sentences without content as they strained to avoid being specific about anything of consequence. It would be sad if it weren't so potentially dangerous. Lots of frustrated folks (overwhelmingly white, few youngsters, lots of slogans) looking for leadership but not knowing why.
ReplyDeletePalin speaks to them shortly. Fox is salivating.
Southern segregationist states used to prevent black people having the vote by setting them restrictively difficult qualification tests, a historical allusion lost on few of the delegates present.
ReplyDeleteBeing from MS, I seem to remember that, no matter what the questions were, if you were white, your answers were right; and if you weren't white, your answers were wrong - or illegible, or incomplete, or whatever - as judged by the County Clerk that reviewed your voter registration application.
And don't forget poll taxes.
Lex: ...how many of the Tea Party crowd would be able to pass said civics test?
It's not just the Tea Party crowd that would fail. In that recent Rasmussen poll on the federal budget/deficit, only about 9% knew that the top three places our taxes go are for defense, Medicare, and Social Security.