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Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA): Wilson's Heckling May Lead To KKK Resurgence
Rachel Slajda | September 15, 2009, 2:39PM
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Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) told reporters today that he supports a resolution for disapproval for Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) because Wilson's remarks are instigating a racist sentiment that could lead to a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.
"It did not help the cause of diversity and tolerance with his remarks. If I was a betting man, I'd say it instigated more racist sentiment, feeling that it's OK, that you don't have to bury it down," Johnson said.
"I guess we'll probably have folks putting on white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside, intimidating people," he said. "That's the logical conclusion if this kind of attitude is not rebuked."
On that attitude, he said, Wilson "represents it. He's the face of it."
The House is scheduled to vote on a resolution of disapproval this afternoon. During President Obama's speech to Congress last week, Wilson yelled out, "You lie!" when the president said a public plan wouldn't cover illegal immigrants.
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dragnet
September 15, 2009 2:59 PM
This...was not helpful.
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SocialJustice
September 15, 2009 3:06 PM in reply to dragnet
Not helpful at all. Please let's not muddy the issue with these digressions and political rhetoric. Wilson needs to make a formal apology because decorum needs to be respected when the President is speaking to a joint session of congress, plain and simple. I don't think Wilson realizes he has a chance to save himself and show he's a gentleman by making a formal apology. Nothing cowardly or partisan about it.
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JNagarya
September 15, 2009 3:20 PM in reply to SocialJustice
Quite helpful: this goes back to the need for a national conversation about race. Which must include discussion of the many faces of racism.
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SocialJustice
September 15, 2009 4:57 PM in reply to JNagarya
There is a time and place for everything, and while I respect and appreciate people's call for further national discussion of race issues, in regard to Wilson, any accusations of racism or racist leanings cannot be proven with the singular outburst of "You lie!"
I guess I am saying that we need to keep it simple or else we provide fodder for the opposition. I am not denying racism in America or denying racism against Obama. I am just saying we shouldn't try a kitchen sink approach of holding people responsible for more than can be proven.
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Syd
September 15, 2009 5:05 PM in reply to SocialJustice
One only has to do a minimal amount of research on Rep. Wilson to determine that indeed; this is absolutely about race.
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cinesimon
September 15, 2009 5:39 PM in reply to SocialJustice
Certainly,I'd agree with you 100% if only considering the "You Lie" remark.
But the fact is, Wilson has been a very loud and very proud advocate for the confederacy and everything it stood/stands for during his entire political career.
Johnson is correct: Joe Wilson IS the face of the neo-KKK.
He has been for a long time, and the surge in his popularity due to his recent behavior may very well empower extreme racists to bare their true feelings and values in public with a lot more comfort and confidence.
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JNagarya
September 15, 2009 3:18 PM in reply to dragnet
It's helpful for those who are history-illiterate.
If Wilson is going to escalate, he needs to be met with pushback -- exposure of what he is.
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anna am
September 15, 2009 4:58 PM in reply to JNagarya
Cosign.
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Captain Dan
September 15, 2009 3:21 PM in reply to dragnet
Acting as if it does not exist does not make it non-existent.
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anna am
September 15, 2009 4:56 PM in reply to Captain Dan
Wrong. Acting as if this does not exist does not make it go away. And exposing the true nasty underbelly of Wilson and his ilk is exactly what needs to be done -- because this underbelly is as disgusting to most Independents as it is to us dies in the wool liberals and Democrats, and we need to keep the Independents.
So so what if it galvanizes the right wing racist yahoos. They're a lost cause anyway.
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merlot
September 15, 2009 3:05 PM
The KKK is already resurgent as evidenced all during the month of August at town hall meetings, Saxby Chambliss' telling President Obama to be humble (yessir, massah), Joe Wilson's words, etc., etc. Generally speaking, where you see the GOP, there you will find the KKK.
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JNagarya
September 15, 2009 3:21 PM in reply to merlot
Then it needs to be identified as being that.
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jason everett miller
September 16, 2009 7:55 AM in reply to merlot
This is why the democratic party is getting its ass handed to it by a minority party.
You treat every conservative like a raging, cross-burning racist and remain baffled why the approval numbers of the president go in the toilet in such a short period of time. That despite massive support for some fairly common sense agenda items like health care and energy and education, liberals continue to get very little support except from those who already agree with them.
Generally speaking, where you see the democratic party, look for a bonfire nearby and the stench of charred witches.
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JNagarya
September 16, 2009 3:51 PM in reply to jason everett miller
Wilson's history includes the loud and proud defense of the confederate "heritage" as shown by his defense of flying the confederate flag over the state capitol.
In case you forget:
Those who seceded were TRAITORS. Treason is not a laudible "heritage" -- nor is the slavery the secession and war were intended to preserve.
The confederate flag is the blood-red symbol of that "heritage," and being silent about that fact for votes does seem a little bit too much of a capitulation in fact to that "we" claim to oppose in the abstract . . . well, maybe tomorrow . . .
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jason everett miller
September 16, 2009 7:30 PM in reply to JNagarya
Funny. The South wasn't treated as traitors by the actual winners of the war at the time the war was won. I am pretty sure Lincoln even said something to that effect.
Our need to bind up the nation's wounds has never been greater.Reply | Flag Abuse
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JNagarya
September 18, 2009 2:53 PM in reply to jason everett miller
Ah, yes: Lincoln played the "Let's move on" card.
It was treason nonethless:
US Con. Art. I., s. 10, c. 1 No State shall enter into any . . . Confederation.
The United States of America is constituted in its Constitution. It is foremost a legal construct -- "A system of laws . . . ." (John Adams). To "levy war against the United States of America" isn't limited to materialities such as military forces; it also encompasses leving war on the system of laws that is the United States of America.
And why are you defending the South's secessions -- which were unconstitutional?
And how were they unconstitutional? In order to become a member of the Union, which is collectively represented in Congress, the wannabe must petition -- apply -- for membership. If the Congress -- which is supreme over any one or more members -- states -- of the Union -- says no, then no amount of tantrum by the wannabe member will overcome that.
If the Congress says yes, then the wannabe becomes a member, subject to the US Constitution in all particulars, including the limitations it imposes onto its member states -- limitations we never hear about from the "states' rights" extremists.
That means, should a state want to leave the Union, it would have to follow the same formal procedure, but in reverse: petition to be allowed to leave. And if the Congress says no, then it cannot leave. Secession is unconstitutionl.
And Art. I., s. 8, c. 15 stipulates how to deal with states who flout the Constitution and secede anyway: Congress shall have the Power To provide for calling forth the Militia to Execute the laws of the Union -- which includes the Constitution -- and suppress Insurrections. And if the militia needs help, then a Federal/Union army will endeavor to enforce those laws.
Anyone -- "state" being the example here -- who attempts to destroy the United States is by definition committing treason.
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jason everett miller
September 21, 2009 7:54 AM in reply to JNagarya
You condemn whole swaths of the country for the actions of ancestors some 150 years in the past when the very people they fought against forgave them of their sins at the time of commission.
I am defending nothing. I am saying that the people involved, at the time, saw it very differently from you and that discrepancy would seem to be one you need to account for given your comments.
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JNagarya
September 21, 2009 9:13 PM in reply to jason everett miller
I've been a vocal and active civil rights advocate for over fifty years -- beginning with racism.
I don't have to account for the fact that the same racism that existed "in the past" has continued into the present. And will continue into the future so long as a significant number falsely assert that it's all in the past.
Racism is racism is racism. The "reasons" for it aren't relevant because they aren't reasonable. The irrationalities, regardless their nature, need to be confronted and refuted.
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jason everett miller
September 22, 2009 6:05 AM in reply to JNagarya
You unfairly stereotype millions of people you have never met based on the color of their skin and inherent prejudice for all things conservative. Does that make you a racist or a bigot?
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nellieh
September 15, 2009 3:26 PM
I'm surprised that everyone is surprised at Wilson. He is a F'n redneck from the redneckest state in the union. They still don't believe slavery was abolished, blacks aren't inferior and Lee surrendered at Appomattox. He disgraced himself in the eyes of most citizens and most of Congress. There will be the usual affirmations from some other southern Representatives. Especially Boner, who's district is just across the river from Kentucky. Another religious nut hotbed. It's where the creationism museum is located.
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JNagarya
September 15, 2009 3:57 PM in reply to nellieh
IT isn't about surprise. It is about exposing him for what he is. I'm fed up with the complicit "politeness" that enables, and thus perpetuates, the racism.
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Snarky
September 15, 2009 5:35 PM in reply to nellieh
Snake handlers. "Nuff said.
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oleeb
September 15, 2009 3:30 PM
Methinks white commenters would do well not to dismiss the sentiments expressed by Rep. Johnson. I believe he speaks for many, if not most, black people when he airs these concerns. Rarely does the actual perspective of African Americans on these kinds of questions get discussed in public. I happen to believe that Wilson's outburst was unquestionably a result of his racist disrespect for our President and that unless such outrages are punished we are encouraging them to go even further. I have no doubt that racism propels much of the birther, deather and all the other "ers" movements now spreading amongst ignorant, older, white "conservatives" and that unless it is made as plain as day that their behavior is not going to be condoned or tolerated they will only escalate the hysterics and things will quickly get violent. Give em an inch...
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JNagarya
September 15, 2009 3:55 PM in reply to oleeb
Absolutely agree.
To quote Frank Zappa/"Mothers of Invention":
"I'm not black, but there's a whole lot of times I wish I could say I'm not white."
I've been confronting racism for over 50 years, and it does not get pushed back unless one pushes it back.
Johnson is correct; and that's why I said this needs to be autopsied in the bright light of day so everyone sees what it is. I, for one, won't tolerate the racist effort to sweep it under the rug with the excuse that telling the truth about it is some sort of bad politics.
Silence is assent. I won't be part of the silence.
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Shrubbit
September 15, 2009 3:52 PM
Hank's right. This stuff -- like the Nazi stuff -- needs push back every single time.
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eve cairo
September 15, 2009 4:00 PM
But pushback is not drama or one upmanship. Don't change the subject in other words. Just make him apologize because he's not fit to be in the Congress. We all know it's partly because he's racist redneck trash. But I don't think it helps to start making assumptions about the next step. In a way this is as extreme as comparing dems to Nazis. Even most racist people would not want to bring back the Klan or lynchings. I lived in the South and this stuff is really too too dangerous and scary to add to Bozo's "you lie" stunt. Which I think it mostly was. I don't believe it was genuine outrage. And the Klan is.
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Shrubbit
September 15, 2009 5:06 PM in reply to eve cairo
Where's the drama in expressing disapproval for violating House rules? No drama there.
>>>In a way this is as extreme as comparing dems to Nazis
Are you joking? The guy is in a group called Sons of The Confederacy.
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traitorjoe
September 15, 2009 4:05 PM
I'm not outraged at all. The Klan's been making a comeback at least since the primaries. Remember the "traitor!" and "Muslim!" cries during McCain-Palin rallies? Why the controversy over Wilson's remarks? Napolitano's report earlier this year predicted increased activity in militias, the Klan, etc. All true.
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JNagarya
September 16, 2009 4:47 PM in reply to traitorjoe
The Klan has been making a comeback since, at latest, Reagan's announcing for president by standing in an infamous school door.
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LBJs Brain
September 15, 2009 4:15 PM
Has anyone heard anything from Hispanic organizations re; Wilson's outburst/immigration?
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Seeryer
September 15, 2009 4:46 PM
Call Joe Wilson a disrespectful idiot but just leave the KKK out of it. All this does is add fuel to the fire. People can disagree with the president and act like total idiots but too many democrats are trying to be psychologists. Just let the Wilson sleep in his bed that he crapped in. Sane people smell it, we don't need some hack Congressman pointing it out for us. Now, all these right iwngers will hear on Fox is that if you disagree with Obama you might as well be in the KKK. Yes that is hyperbole but don't think the Machine that runs right wing press won't say it with a straight face.
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JNagarya
September 16, 2009 3:58 PM in reply to Seeryer
People can disagree with the president and act like total idiots but too many democrats are trying to be psychologists.
_____
One needn't be a psychologist is one has actual ears, and isn't deaf. Wilson's own words show what he is.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If Wilson can pretend to call another out by lying, then he is demanding that he be called out by telling the truth about him.
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Seeryer
September 16, 2009 4:36 PM in reply to JNagarya
So you think if the House did not pass a resolution rebuking Wilson than the KKK would become popular again and not be looked at as a horrible stain on this country as it currently is viewed? Dr Phil Nagarya, is that you?
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JNagarya
September 16, 2009 4:44 PM in reply to Seeryer
No. I know from EXPERIENCE that there are many who don't GET IT, so it must be made clear to them what they are being fed, and swallowing.
I have a freidn who was a fan of O'Reilly, and who watched ONLY FOX. It took years, but he finally GOT IT. Know he is a fan of Olbermann and Maddow (not my effort: I don't get cable) -- and the rare times he looks at FOX now he clearly sees it for the propaganda it is, which he DIDN'T realize it was until I prevailed upon him, OVER YEARS.
In sum: he now sees the racism he hadn't seen until it was spelled out for him.
The underlying premise is very simple: lies must be confronted -- identified for what they are, and refuted -- not only because false, but also so others see them for what they are -- lies -- instead of believing them true.
That includes confronting and exposing the pernicious racist code-speak for what it is, one of which -- "states rights'" -- sounds benign to those who don't know the history behind it.
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Seeryer
September 17, 2009 9:49 AM in reply to JNagarya
I agree that overt racism is on display in a coded covert manner in the rigth wing media and in Republican Leadership. My only problem is that bringing the KKK into an argument where the other side wants to attack you for playing the race card when they themselves are the real race card players sets our side up for failure. Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck can call Obama a racist but as soon as a liberal calls a Republican a racist the the right wingers act as though "there is not a racist bone in my body and how dare you impugn my intergrity in that manner". Democrats have a hard time lying about uimportant issues, Republicans have gotten to where they are by lying about important issues for years.
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JNagarya
September 18, 2009 3:08 PM in reply to Seeryer
The KKK is, and always has been, reactionary FAR-RIGHT lunatic fringe, where also are located the white supremacists who aren't officially KKK, and Neo-Nazis, Aryan Nation, etc.
Howver, Carter made no mention of the KKK, or of those others. Nor did he mention Wilson -- yet Wilson's son came out in defense of his father "not" being racist. Guilt much?
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jeffgee
September 15, 2009 4:48 PM
The KKKlan is likely already behind Wilson. A House censure will make him more attractive to them by appealing to their ever-present sense of white victimhood.
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Snarky
September 15, 2009 5:33 PM
Racist sentiment??? Did this guy just climb out from under a rock? I remember the Sarah Palin rallies where she blatantly encouraged people to yell "kill him" after she mentioned Obama by name. i remember that smirky little smile...she must have felt SO powerful.
The KKK has never gone away...it's cleaned up its act, put the hoods and robes away, and tries to fly under the radar. But they're there, and the fact that there's a black man in the White House is going to incite violence, eventually. Just listen to these southerners with their coded messages.
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ru4862
September 15, 2009 6:48 PM
It is a known fact that Joe Wilson is a member of the Sons of Confederacy. And some of the members in that group are KKK members.
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GTFOOH
September 15, 2009 9:40 PM
A little over the top, don't you think Hank?
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jason everett miller
September 16, 2009 7:59 AM
Another example of democrats shooting themselves in the foot because they don't realize they are holding a gun. This sort of rhetoric will only back-fire with the moderates who make up the vast percentage of the GOP as well as independents who elected Obama to get past this nonsense.
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SocialJustice
September 16, 2009 8:50 AM in reply to jason everett miller
"shooting themselves in the foot because they don't realize they are holding a gun"
great turn of phrase Mr. Miller.
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jason everett miller
September 16, 2009 9:04 AM in reply to SocialJustice
Thanks! I have been working on being clever without being condescending. A very fine line indeed.
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