In this clip Breitbart presents a long rambling question to Trumpka in which he cites the recent spitting and N-Word incident at the Capital as being "questionable"...
Breitbart: I've offered $100,000 to anyone who heard or has tape of the incident...
He's put forth this overture despite the fact that the claim wasn't just made by Lewis, there were other Congressmen and even Reporters from CNN there who heard many different epithets thrown at Democrats and supporters of the Health Care Bill.
"I haven't seen heard anything like this in more than 40 years, maybe 45." Lewis said. "Since the march from Selma to Montgomery really."
"Yeah, but it's okay," Lewis added. "I've faced this before. So, it reminded me of the 60's. There's a lot of downright hate and anger and people are just being downright mean."
The incident was confirmed by Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana, who was walking with Lewis at the time. Protesters were yelling, "'kill the bill, kill the bill' and the 'N' word several times," Carson said.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, released a statement late Saturday saying he too was called the "N" word as he walked to the Capitol for a vote and that he was spat on by one protestor who was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police. Cleaver declined to press charges against the man, the statement said.
Protesters also hurled anti-gay comments at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, who is openly gay, as he left the same health care meeting that Lewis attended in a House office building.
A CNN producer overheard the word "faggot" yelled at Frank several times in the lobby of the Longworth building. Frank said he heard someone yell "homo" at him.
"I'm disappointed," Frank said. "There's an unwillingness to be civil."
Let me again point out that the guy who did the spitting was arrested. He's not a phantasm from the mind of some so-called "Race Hustlers", it happened. Capital Police officers witnessed it and took action.
But Breitbart doesn't believe it. He wants "proof", meanwhile he goes on to argue that the REAL victims of Hatred and Violence aren't Democrats, it's the Tea Partiers themselves.
Here's some video from the Great Egg-tastrophe:
So, I'm not really down with the Great Egging - but if anything is clear from this video - it's that Breitbart is a chronic whiner!
You can't handle a tossed egged? Let me go back to what John Lewis said again...
"Yeah, but it's okay," Lewis added. "I've faced this before.
"It's Okay"... not exactly "I'm just standing here and people want to do violence to me." Hey, at Selma people did do violence to John Lewis, he was nearly beaten to death on the Edmon Pettus Bridge in Selma simply for marching in support of the right to Vote - a mere 90 plus years after the ratification of the 15th Amendment which supposedly guaranteed that right.
But y'know, it's not like it was anything important.
Certainly not as important as a Tea Party Rally. Breitbart goes on, and on, talking about some Tea bag associate of his being called the "N-Word" by "SEIU Thugs" and finally asks his questions: Do you condemn this violence as well as the so-called violence against Democrats?
Well, duh!
Unlike Breitbart, Trumpka does not attempt to re-write reality and claim that the bus didn't get egged, or that the scuffle between SEIU members and Tea Partiers didn't happen last August in St. Louis (documented by this video here).
The fight did happen, exactly who attacked who isn't clear and the cross claims and counter claims are pretty fierce. Be that as it may - no one has said they support this - yet that hasn't stopped repeated Tea Party claims that this incident was somehow part of a Massive Plot by ACORN and OBAMA to intimidate the Tea Partiers.
Yeah, right...
Anywho, the real kicker comes when Trumka finally gets a chance to answer Breitbart and says - He was THERE when John Lewis was called the N-Word - He HEARD IT HIMSELF as did other AFL-CIO members who were their in support of the Health Care Bill.
Trumka: I watched them spit at people - I heard them call John Lewis the N-word!
Breitbart: So you heard that?
Trumka: We did hear that. Violence by any person is wrong.
So does Breibart turnaround and say - "I'm sorry, I was wrong - there rally are some bigots in the Tea Party Ok, Here's your $100,000!"?
FRACK NO!
Breitbart: You have no evidence that these people expressed racism or homophobia.
Trumka: Really? I witnessed it - I Saw it. That IS evidence.
So let's get this straight now, a black guy Tea Partiers gets into a scuffle with a couple other black guys (from SEIU) at a Town Hall and clearly it's no ones fault but the SEUI "Thugs?" I point out the fact that the guys who fought with Gadney are black because it does - rightly or wrongly - change the context if any "N-Words" were thrown around, even though when I listened to the tape I didn't hear any.
Must not have happened then eh, Andrew?
There is no doubt, that it has been Pro-Health Care Democrats who have borne the brunt of threats and epithets thrown their way by Tea Partiers, and generally not the other way around.
Clearly there may have been a couple incidents but it doesn't really compare with this:
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I ain‘t getting the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) health insurance, that (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Don‘t tell me I got to get some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) health insurance. I ain‘t paying no (EXPLETIVE DELETED) a fine. Tell that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) he can come put my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) in jail if he don‘t like it. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) worthless (EXPLETIVE DELETED), all them other (EXPLETIVE DELETED) that voted for that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Obama and all them white trash honkies that voted for that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) communist socialist stuff. Dumb mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
I ain‘t getting the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mandatory health insurance son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED) bunch of (EXPLETIVE DELETED) white trash honkies, son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) communists voting for this (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
I ain‘t going to fight no (EXPLETIVE DELETED) war, I‘m not going to be forced to do something I don‘t want to do. So (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all y‘all (EXPLETIVE DELETED). You, John Lewis, you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) worthless, communist (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END AUDIO CLIP)
The guy who spoke these words is in jail now for threatening the life of Senator Patty Murray - and I notice that in the midst of his rant he called John Lewis the N-Word!.
Call me silly but I think that's "evidence", just as what Richard Trumka witnessed with his own eyes and ears is "evidence". And what other members of Congress heard is evidence, and what the CNN producer heard is "evidence"
The fact that you can't clearly hear one shout in a 48 sec video of John Lewis walking near the Capital isn't proof either way, that walk took more than 48 seconds. One thing we should all know from the Great O'Keefe ACORN SCAM Videos is that sometimes edited videos don't show you everything. But you don't have to hear the naked bigotry and ignorance coming from Tea Partiers, you can SEE It.
No one is saying you can't justifiably criticize this bill, or that you can't criticize the President. No on is arguing from the Pro-Health Care side that unprovoked violence is *EVER* justified, but neither are we trying to distort reality by denying that what has occurred - really did occur even when it may make our side look bad.
You can't say that about the Tea Partiers.
Unfortunately Breitbart's call to "Denounce Violence" is sadly one-sided and therefore suspect. His efforts are clearly an attempt to shame and stifle one section of the debate (the winning section actually) while bolstering his efforts to promote the other side and generally attack Democrats.
Democrats don't HAVE to resort to violence, we won at the election booth - and we won on the Health Care Vote, Fair and Square.
The fact is that standing against violence means standing against everyones violence, not just those people you disagree with - it means standing against the violence of people who are on your own side too!
Vyan
Join the Democratic Non-Violence Project Today and help us contact our Lawmakers and have them to Pledge to take a 100% Stand Against All Forms of Political Violence, not just the Violence from the "Other" Guys.
8 comments:
I suspect you will simply delete my comments rather than leave it up or attempt to challenge it on any reasonable grounds with a reply; which is why I normally do not take the time to leave them. But we will see.
First it is a comment on your blog title Truth 2 Power. In this particular post of yours though, you are attempting to speak Truth to the Powerless. The Tea Party, Andrew Breitbart and those who share similar sentiments and concerns are not in power. Democrats and liberal lobbyists are the ones in Power now.
You provide a video of Andrew Breitbart, but then you misquote him. He said, “I put out $100,000 to show any proof that the N-word was said two weeks ago.”
"Proof" that these things were said i.e. video or audio. He did not say he would give $100,000 to anyone who "says" they heard the N-word. If that was the case then he would’ve given the money to the Congressmen who claim they heard it. Or he would’ve given it to the CNN reporters that claim they heard it, but for some reason the best cameras that money can by surrounding them failed to pick up any of this.
I’m not suggesting that there wasn’t someone in that crowd yelling names. I’m sure there were. I just don’t really care. When people are pissed they call the people they are pissed at names. Doesn’t matter what color you are.
You call Breitbart a whiner. Did he call the police when he got egged by people who don't like what he has to say? No he didn't.
But Rep. Cleaver, who is walking past a private citizen that he will likely never see again, has to tell the police that the guy spit on him and have the man arrested over it. And yes it is Cleaver who went to an officer, pointed out the man and had the man arrested. Had he not the man would not have been arrested. Now that’s a whiner.
Rep. Clyburn didn't even get spit on but had to whine to the press about that incident so he could get a piece of Cleaver's publicity.
Then Congressman Clyburn and Cleaver along with Representatives Barney Frank, John Lewis, and Andre Carson run to reporters and release press statements because someone called them a name?
Those poor darlings. Perhaps we should get them an appointment with a psychologist, using taxpayer money of course, if they are so emotionally scarred due to someone calling them a name that they need to talk to someone about it.
I guess they’ve been living under the glass bubble of D.C. for so long they have completely forgotten the real world. People get called names in it every day; especially when people are pissed-off at them. But they don’t rush to the police and press to cry about it.
Ever heard the saying "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me"? How old are these men. They need to grow up.
Then you make the claim that people wanted to do violence to Rep. John Lewis? And what is your evidence for that? Because someone called him a nigger? Because some racists in Alabama beat him in the 1960's?
Or is it because Congressman Lewis is black and the person(s) that supposedly called him a nigger were white?
Should we also assume that any black person who calls a white person a "cracker", or a Chinese man a "gook" or a Latino a "wetback" wants to violently assault those people?
Or is that assumption only to be made about white people? Only to be made based on the color of their skin?
You yourself call that black man was clearly assaulted for no other reason than exercising his freedom of speech a "tea bag associate". That makes you just as bad as the people who called Frank, Cleaver and the rest names.
Would it be right for people to assume you want to, or tried to violently assault that man because you called him a name?
Trumka-
Of course Trumka said he condemned what happened in St. Louis. Whether he does or doesn’t; you didn't expect him to say it’s ok to assault black people if they're not union members or Democrats while he’s on camera did you?
You miss Breitbart’s logic.
Breitbart was not asking Trumka that question because of the answer Trumka could give. He was asking him that question because of the answer that Trumka could not give.
Trumka could not say “I condemned those incidents as soon as they happened.” He couldn’t say he had already condemned them, because he hadn’t. He couldn’t say the AFL-CIO condemned them, because they hadn’t.
He, as president of the AFL-CIO, had the time to make speeches at institutions like Harvard, for what I’m sure are healthy fees, specifically to berate thousands of tea party members and call them racists etc; because one or two of them called someone a name.
However, not once did he even take the time to acknowledge or condemn the assault of Kenneth Gladney by two SEIU members because Gladney was not pro-union or pro-democrat, until being forced to on camera by Breitbart.
The point being made is that only when it is a Black Democrat, Black Liberal or a Black Union member who gets verbally or physically assaulted by someone who does not fall into one of those three categories do liberal politicians, political pundits and liberal organizations like the AFL-CIO or the NAACP call it an act of racism.
When members of liberal organizations, even white members, assault a black republican however, it’s just some political disagreement; the kind of thing that happens at “grassroots” protest or political rallies. It couldn’t be racial.
On the Gladney incident there are actually TWO VIDEOS and in both it is clearly WHITE SEIU member that is accused of assaulting Gadney, not that it should matter. And in the video not shown on your site the white SEIU member accused says "I didn't attack [Gadney], he attacked America" then the same white SEIU guy tells the black accuser that he will "tear his fking head off, shut up you lying piece of shit or come out into the parking lot where we can be alone."
The same white SEIU member continued to call the black guy that was accusing him of attacking Gadney a “punk” and “a f*cking pig NAZI”.
Then a female SEIU member tried to knock the camera of the woman taping the incident out of her hand when she asks the angry white SEIU member if he's threatening them. He calls her a “bitch”.
That video can be found on You Tube or at the bottom of this page:
http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=6917&posts=2
If it is a Black person rather than a White person calling a black person a nigger, that it “rightly or wrongly” changes the “context”? Why, because some white racists used that word to refer to black people 40 years ago or because you don't like it? You don’t want equality. You want a double-standard when it comes to who can say certain words and how they should be perceived. You want to judge people and intentions based solely on the color of their skin, not the content of their character.
Why it is perfectly fine to judge one’s words, thoughts and intentions based on the color of their skin, but it is not OK to judge one’s intelligence or ability by the color of their skin?
Black people attack other black people specifically because of their race all the time. Reverend Wright said in one sermon that Black Republicans were the lowest of the low, “They live below the sea level. They live below the level of Clarence [Thomas], Colin [Powell]in condemnesia.” One of Chicago’s great “Black Leaders” says people should be condemned to hell, not because of their political views, religious beliefs but specifically because they are BLACK and don't support Democrats. The loudest liberal voices in the US yelling accusations of wide-spread racism only want freedom of speech and expression for black people if the speech and expression is pro Democrat, liberal, communist. 3 days ago Eleanor Jones Norton, a black Democratic Delegate in Washington D.C. said of Clarence Thomas, “We’ve got someone who proposes to be African-American on the court.” no words of condemnation came from African American groups or black Democrats for that racial attack on a very accomplished Black American. That is why so many Americans do not respect those institutions.
Why don’t you call out their racism? I didn’t see that segment on Rachel Maddow.
You have a clip of a Tea Party in Washington with some woman, who Maddow alleges is a Tea Party leader, make a comparison to Lonesome Dove about politically hanging a politician. That was the wrong language to use but you know it was not meant literally. And what you don’t see is the crowd she’s speaking to applauding the comment. And that crowd is clearly people who are middle-aged or seniors.
And in the phone call you present I hear a lot of nasty language. What I don’t hear the man say at any point in his ugly rant are the words “Tea Party”, “Republican” or “Conservative”. No you don’t. You don’t hear him say he is a member of the Tea Party either. The man who made that call is apparently anti-war which Republicans and Conservatives are not. And if what the left says is true, that Tea Party members are all Republicans and Conservatives then that man certainly could not be a Tea Party member. And he is also bashing “white trash honkies” and everyone knows that they are members of far-right racist Christian Militias who vote Republican.
Maybe he's some liberal like that teacher Jason Levin from Oregon who sought to damage the Tea Party by going to their rallies and acting like a racist.
The fact is there is no incident where a Tea Party member physically attacked or even attempted to harm anyone who supported health care reform. There have been at least two instances where liberals who supporting health care or the Democrats have physically assaulted, NOT attempted to, or threatened to by phone or email; but actually did physically assault people against health care and democrat policies.
Kenneth Gladney in St. Louis. And the brutal assault of Allee Bautsch and her bf by liberal protestors after leaving a fund-raiser for Black Republican Governor Bobby Jindal. Allee Bautsch was beaten so badly that her leg was broken in 3 places. Police have confirmed that the assailants knew they were Republican supporters and that before and during the beating the assailants were yelling political insults at them. Perhaps “Breitbart’s call to denounce violence is sadly one-sided” or seems to be, because there is only one side that has actually engaged in violence.
First it is a comment on your blog title Truth 2 Power. In this particular post of yours though, you are attempting to speak Truth to the Powerless. The Tea Party, Andrew Breitbart and those who share similar sentiments and concerns are not in power. Democrats and liberal lobbyists are the ones in Power now.
I started this blog long before Democrats took over Congress or the White House, but it would be wrong to assume that ONLY they wield economic or political power in our society - Republicans in the Senate have clearly shown their teeth on various issues. "Power" comes in many forms.
He did not say he would give $100,000 to anyone who "says" they heard the N-word. If that was the case then he would’ve given the money to the Congressmen who claim they heard it.
I think that's a fair point, however it's based on a false argument at it's core - a) that everything everyone said MUST have been caught on some tape or video - and that those people who've reported these comments are ALL LYING, even Trumka who was there in person. Just because it's not audible on tape, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Further all the people who did hear it Have mostly tried to DOWNPLAY IT, not hype it - also the comment calling Barney Frank a "FAGGOT" Was caught on tape yet Breitbart ignores it as doesn't even address it, the person who Spit on Rep. Clyburn was Arrested and fourth as I listed in the diary Rep. John Lewis was called the N-Word on tape on his answering machine. The argument that is didn't happen and they made it up, or it couldn't have happened simply doesn't hold water.
Breitbart is not an honest broker here, the preponderance of evidence supports the case that the comment was uttered and that is does drive some of the anger and paranoia of the Tea Party "Movement". What's more surprising and telling is the depths of their denial and resistance to the very idea that *ANY* of these people might have done something bigoted. Clearly some of them did on Lewis answering machine and to Rep. Frank - there is no denying that.
There's a lot to your comment so I probably can't address all of it, but will try to answer some of the more salient points.
I’m not suggesting that there wasn’t someone in that crowd yelling names. I’m sure there were. I just don’t really care. When people are pissed they call the people they are pissed at names. Doesn’t matter what color you are.
You call Breitbart a whiner. Did he call the police when he got egged by people who don't like what he has to say? No he didn't.
No, but he has used this "Horrible Affront" as a way to tar Democrats and Unions as "Violent and Hateful" - yet won't recognize any responsibility on the part of the Tea Partiers, when people have DIED -(in Knoxville, Austin & DC) I think the egging wrong, but essentially silly, but it's not REAL Violence.
Why, because some white racists used that word to refer to black people 40 years ago or because you don't like it?
It's not just 40 years ago, it's happening right now - and both context and meaning matter. The issue of contextual reconstruction is probably broader than we can get into here (I've talked about it here http://vyan.blogspot.com/2009/07/electric-purgatory-10-body-count-there.html ) - but I think it's more about your meaning. Other words can mean exactly the same thing, so I'm against the kind of "Word Bans" that others support, I don't think it works. If your using the word "Nigger", or "Mud Duck" or "Spear Chucker" as in "Less than human monkey" - whether you're Black or White, it's clearly an attack and an insult, but I do think it's protected under the First Amendment. Does it mean you intend violence? Not necessarily, but if you do later commit violence it can help to understand what the motivation is - Hate.
What I don’t hear the man say at any point in his ugly rant are the words “Tea Party”, “Republican” or “Conservative”. No you don’t. You don’t hear him say he is a member of the Tea Party either.
True, but what you hear in his arguments - without the cussing - is clearly belief and support in exactly what the Tea Party/Fox News believes and supports
Don‘t tell me I got to get some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) health insurance. I ain‘t paying no (EXPLETIVE DELETED) a fine. Tell that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) he can come put my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) in jail if he don‘t like it.
There is no punishment for not paying the fine.
Obama and all them white trash honkies that voted for that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) communist socialist stuff.
Holding businesses accountable with reasonable regulations that protect the public health and safety is not "Communist Socialist" stuff. That's all TEA PARTY TALK, I don't care if he's a "Member", he's in the club.
That was the wrong language to use but you know it was not meant literally.
No, I really don't. I try to take people at their word and her obvious implication was "I want to STRING UP Patty Murray" - not I want to "Unelect" Patty Murray. It's her words, she should take responsibility for them.
And yes it is Cleaver who went to an officer, pointed out the man and had the man arrested. Had he not the man would not have been arrested. Now that’s a whiner.
I think you're wrong on your assumption that Cleaver went to Capitol Police, because Cleaver refused to press charges and felt the spitting might have been accidental - IMO the Officer was a witness to the event - but I admit I haven't seen confirmation either way on that sequence of events, which is why I don't address the spitting issue, only that Breitbart brought it up.
Vyan
The point being made is that only when it is a Black Democrat, Black Liberal or a Black Union member who gets verbally or physically assaulted by someone who does not fall into one of those three categories do liberal politicians, political pundits and liberal organizations like the AFL-CIO or the NAACP call it an act of racism.
I think that you only see Conservatives raise a ruckus about Black people being mistreated - when they're CONSERVATIVES, but not when they aren't. The only bigotry they see is bigotry against Conservatives, not Liberals. The only Affirmative Action they want, they only equal representation they support is for CONSERVATIVES to be represented, not anyone else. And yes, I think it's whining when you're getting sent Oreo Cookies or Eggs tossed at you while people on the other side of the argument are getting KILLED (like in Knoxville with the attack by James Adkisson). There have been real death threats against at least 10 Democrats including Nancy Pelosi, arrests have been made. An Oreo Cookie is rude and demeaning - just like the N-Word - but it isn't gonna kill Michael Steele
Ever heard the saying "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me"? How old are these men. They need to grow up.
I think that's true up to a point - and that point is when people start making death threats and actual violence begins to happen - Which it has. The first Amendment is not absolute. Hate Speech is intended to demean and dehumanize, making the use of extreme and violent measures appear both justified and even "neccesary".
That doesn't mean that people can't engage in salty talk and vigorously debate, they do need to be held to an honest argument.
My issue with Conservatives like Brietbart is that they love to talk about how other people need to "Get over it and grow up" - while they've got the thinnest skins on the planet.
Case in point:
You yourself call that black man was clearly assaulted for no other reason than exercising his freedom of speech a "tea bag associate". That makes you just as bad as the people who called Frank, Cleaver and the rest names.
I don't know why he was assulted, or whether he assaulted the other guys - it's not clear in the video. The person I see on the ground looks like he's wearing a blue SEIU shirt.
"Tea Bagging" is the name these people originally chose for themselves. They picked it, not me. I happen to think it's hilarious and ironic, but I don't call anyone that based on their skin tone (which is clear since you just pointed out a said it about a black guy as well as white guys) - I call them that based on the ACTIONS, the ignorance of positions and their statements.
By continuing to support the absolutely NUTTY idea that the President wasn't born in the United States (which the Majority of Tea Baggers do), that he's part of some "Socialist Plot" to take over the nation, by whining about Taxes going up when they've actually gone down this past year, by blaming Obama for the deficit increasing when it went up to $1.3 Trillion under Bush and has actually COME DOWN during Obama's first year, by believing that the so-called "Death Panels" are anything besides a paranoid fever dream - they've earned the disrespect that comes with the title. These aren't issues of "opinion", all these are independently verifiable facts, yet they continue to stand in absolute denial of reality. That goes for the Blacks (the five or six of them anyone can find) as well as Whites alike.
I'm not the one that made this racial, Brietbart in his cohorts are by clearly REFUSING to recognize ANY bigotry or bias on their own part even when it's clear and obvious. Can Liberals be bigoted? Yes. So can Conservatives, and Breitbart stands in opposition to that reality also.
Vyan
When members of liberal organizations, even white members, assault a black republican however, it’s just some political disagreement; the kind of thing that happens at “grassroots” protest or political rallies. It couldn’t be racial.
It could be racial, but it always interesting that Conservatives ALWAYS assume it IS first, then reverse position when the victim is more liberal and the agresser Conservative.
I clearly don't take sides on the SEIU fight because I've only found the one video and it's not conclusive to me - when I have a chance I'll review the second one. Breaking for lunch right now.
Vyan
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