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C-Span Caller Rails Against Black Callers (VIDEO)
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A caller to C-Span this morning, who identified himself as a Republican from North Carolina, accused the network of taking too many phone calls from black people.
"You have black folks calling in on the Republican line, independents. And you have so many of 'em I can't believe this is just an accident. If you keep on with the way you've been programming, you should change your name from C-Span to black-span," he said. "I know they have an opinion but I wish that they would be honest and call in on the right line."
"Everyone one of 'em thinks that Obama is Jesus Christ and they don't like when anybody criticizes him," he added.
Watch:
Late Update: It's worth remembering that there's been suspicion about potential C-Span crank callers in the past. In December, the blogosphere was abuzz with a caller to C-Span who was quite alarmed while speaking to Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), wondering if his prayers to strike Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd dead had instead hurt Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, who'd missed a morning procedural vote on health care reform. We found evidence at the time that the call could be a prank. Today's caller doesn't sound like the same person to us, but it's worth remembering that C-Span may have been crank called in the past.
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EnnuiDivine
March 29, 2010 9:56 AM
I think they need to add a fourth line on C-SPAN, dedicated to Teabaggers. Wait, sorry. The proper nomenclature is "Tea Party supporter"
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AhTrini1
March 29, 2010 11:16 AM in reply to EnnuiDivine
From today onward it shall be known as C-teabaggerspan.
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CityGuy
March 29, 2010 11:37 AM in reply to AhTrini1
Simply referring to them as the "CSPAN Teanuts" should get the point across.
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Velo Solex
March 29, 2010 11:58 AM in reply to EnnuiDivine
The proper nomenclature is "Teahadist" I think it's an appropriate fit and it's popping up all over the internets
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slb
March 29, 2010 12:43 PM in reply to Velo Solex
Second that.
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Majorajam
March 29, 2010 1:18 PM in reply to slb
Teahadistan is a place peopled by Teahadists, or Teahadis for short. Incest, methamphetamine and Fox News usage are epidemic in greater Teahadistan.
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CityGuy
March 29, 2010 1:37 PM in reply to Majorajam
Don't forget that NASCAR is on 24/7 there as well.
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nodonjuan
March 29, 2010 3:44 PM in reply to Majorajam
Too funny!
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Pope Ratzo
March 29, 2010 1:24 PM in reply to EnnuiDivine
I hear the Teabaggers want to change the name of their party so it doesn't have any sexual associations. The new name will be the "Pittsburgh Platter Party".
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Pope Ratzo
March 29, 2010 1:24 PM in reply to EnnuiDivine
I hear the Teabaggers want to change the name of their party so it doesn't have any sexual associations. The new name will be the "Pittsburgh Platter Party".
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cinesimon
March 29, 2010 4:18 PM in reply to EnnuiDivine
The "right line" for this guy was disconnected in 1945.
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GTFOOH
March 29, 2010 9:57 AM
Probably the husband of Virginia Foxx.
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Diane
March 29, 2010 10:10 AM in reply to GTFOOH
Unfortunately for me, I live in Virginia Foxx's district, which of course borders the district of Patrick McHenry. I heard that call this morning & couldn't fathom why the host would treat that as a legitimate comment. He should have disconnected the call, like they do when a caller is profane.
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JohnW1141
March 29, 2010 10:44 AM in reply to Diane
Diane,
Foxx and McHenry? My condolences.
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GTFOOH
March 29, 2010 11:04 AM in reply to Diane
Completely agree Diane! I thought C SPAN completely mishandled this call and condoned racisim. Brian Lamb should issue an apology for allowing this caller to go on!
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DWinATL
March 29, 2010 12:00 PM in reply to Diane
The host handled it perfectly. He claimed agreement on a point that was marginal to the caller's complaint (people not using the correct line, a legitimate challenge for their format), and got him off the air. He did not inflame, or incite any other calls. If he cut him off or addressed the guy's racism, then he would have been flooded with accusations of bias, etc. and just given the teabaggers something to gripe about.
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GTFOOH
March 29, 2010 12:42 PM in reply to DWinATL
Oh, I get it...condone racisim in pursuit of commerce
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unclesmedley
March 29, 2010 1:09 PM in reply to DWinATL
I agree w/ DWinATL: On one hand, the caller was a typical, ignorant redneck from "dahn sauth," whose question was predictably offensive to many. On the other, so what? The ignorant have rights too. He didn't use any of those naughty "first-initial-only" words. He asked a stupid question, and the moderator disregarded the bait.
Sometimes, the left is perhaps less egregious--but no less intolerant--than the right-wingnuts. Sometimes it's best to share a passing chuckle in response to a manifest fool, instead of elevating the idiot to a point of relevance he doesn't deserve.
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davcbr
March 29, 2010 1:22 PM in reply to DWinATL
Somewhere in that room is a person whose job it is to monitor everything, adjust volumes, andPUSH THE BUTTON ON THE 15SEC DELAY.
That's whose fault it is.
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elle a
March 29, 2010 12:36 PM in reply to Diane
honestly. he should have said thats a racist comment and will not be tolerated, c-span does not discriminate against black callers.
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Severus
March 29, 2010 9:59 AM
How...unbecoming.
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tommyo
March 29, 2010 10:00 AM
Yes, even the GOP'ers openly admit that no black person should or could be a Republican. Astounding.
And why did the host sypathize with this bigot? Telling him to change C-Span's name to black-span is considered a "respectful criticism"?
They should have condemned this caller for the racist he so obviously is.
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loria
March 29, 2010 11:03 AM in reply to tommyo
You are right, it's clear they know (and this man likely prefers it that way) that there are few African Americans in the Republican Party. I guess no only do they not want to share their tiny little tent, but they don't want to share their phone lines either.
And they wonder why minorities vote Democratic.
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Rick Jones
March 29, 2010 11:55 AM in reply to loria
Will the media ask Republicans in Congress to comment on this? And what do they say without getting in trouble with their base? I'm guessing some coded words will be necessary.
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Bill From PA
March 29, 2010 10:01 AM
So conservatives are going to 'go somewhere else', other than C-Span, if blacks keep calling into the Repug line? What makes this cracker think there aren't a lot of black repugs? Is there something about the party that would drive blacks away? What might that be? Didn't this guy get the memo that all the conservatives already went 'somewhere else'? What's he doing spending time on a channel where he might accidentially get exposed to a well presented idea based on reality as opposed to the alternate universe these clods inhabit?
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lousgirl84
March 29, 2010 10:11 AM in reply to Bill From PA
Are you actually trying to make sense of all this? It's really beyond comprehension.....
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Bill From PA
March 29, 2010 10:29 AM in reply to lousgirl84
Please, my post is dripping with sarcasm.
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GTFOOH
March 29, 2010 12:45 PM in reply to Bill From PA
I got it Bill and thought your post was a good one!
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lousgirl84
March 29, 2010 1:08 PM in reply to GTFOOH
I was not insinuation that Bill's post had no merit - I was just commenting on the idiocy of the caller.
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GTFOOH
March 29, 2010 2:35 PM in reply to lousgirl84
Gotcha'
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Ralph_Desmond
March 29, 2010 11:26 AM in reply to Bill From PA
The host got all wee-wee'd up about it.
Truth told, I wish more of the racists were like this guy and being overt about it. If they felt safe to admit that their objections to Obama are just other-party competition and fear-of-a-black-president, then we'd know for sure what we are dealing with.
I hope this HCR has a chance to prove itself successful real soon before GOP can use the bullshit nightmare-fantasy version of it to win elections.
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FreeRider
March 29, 2010 10:03 AM
The C-Span host said "I understand, Bill and we appreciate your input." WTF?
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georgecs
March 29, 2010 10:06 AM in reply to FreeRider
Agreed, but watch the video again. The host looks like he wants to crawl away. I've never seen anyone looking so uncomfortable.
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lousgirl84
March 29, 2010 10:15 AM in reply to georgecs
I watched it and it didn't appear to me that the host was in anyway cringing from the man's comments.
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Brownbagger
March 29, 2010 11:21 AM in reply to lousgirl84
Well, it's an understandable mistake. Jesus was black. And that's going to make the Teanut Gallery's much wished for Rapture a big "uh oh" moment.
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Leon Kowalski
March 29, 2010 11:34 AM in reply to Brownbagger
> Well, it's an understandable mistake. Jesus was black.
Jesus H. Christ was also a Palestinian trouble-maker.
...hmm, wonder what the 'H' stands for?
LK
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weezie.jefferson
March 29, 2010 11:47 AM in reply to Leon Kowalski
LOL.
Jeezus Hooooooosaine Christ.
Where's his birth certificate, leebrulls?!? Huh? Where is it!?
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AJM
March 29, 2010 12:34 PM in reply to Brownbagger
I keep wondering whether we ought to let the Tea Baggers know that the Rapture has already occurred and they weren't chosen?
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Jay Lapidus
March 29, 2010 12:06 PM in reply to georgecs
One of the more experienced hosts would have gently challenged "Bill" with a pointed question or two.
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ru4862
March 29, 2010 10:10 AM in reply to FreeRider
I know right...WTF? The C-Span host should of ended the call not apologize. C-Span is becoming increasingly suspect.
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Matt Jones
March 29, 2010 10:27 AM in reply to FreeRider
That's a fairly standard polite way of saying, "STFU" without getting the wingnut excited. Sort of like the "we appreciate your business" blather whilst on hold with support at most companies.
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unclesmedley
March 29, 2010 1:48 PM in reply to FreeRider
At the end of the day, "I understand, Bill and we appreciate your input," is a pretty apt response. It was just a polite way of saying, "okay, whatever you say, pal." It was devoid of sincerity or enthusiasm, like a form letter thanking you for your interest.
As many on this thread fail to appreciate, had he taken offense (or, for that matter, concurred or apologized to the caller) it would have made this inane incident a much bigger deal than it will be as it was left.
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Sagae
March 29, 2010 10:05 AM
75% of the tea party motivation is because Obama is black. Maybe more. TV pundits keep wanting to say there is a big part of these tea partiers who are just ordinary citizens worried about big government, blah, blah, blah but that is elitist prattle. Probably elitist prattle looking out for themselves that they might want a job on Fox News. The tea partiers are about race. It didn't bother them when Bush and Cheney were sinking the nation into mess after mess, catastrophe after catastrophe.
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boo_lala
March 29, 2010 11:12 AM in reply to Sagae
I disagree. I think 75% of the tea party movement effect is because the economy is faltering and these individuals are out of work and are scared--I think the racism is actually a biproduct of that and that when the economy turns around, the same people will have no problem with Obama's race (except the few, hardcore, unhinged). The fact that he is black just provides a convenient way for them to lash out at him.
I think unemployment and a declining economy trigger racism, scapegoatism, and xenophobia in a pretty predictable way. Of course, a lot of these people are older Americans who grew up with the GOP propaganda of "welfare queens" driving cadillacs while "hardworking Americans" (white people) struggled, but when the economy was good, they were OK with the idea of having a safety net for all. Now that the economy is bad, they want to make sure there is enough safety net for them, so they are pushing others out of the lifeboat--human nature. (Sorry for the mixed metaphors.) That's why so many of them are on medicare but don't want universal healthcare for others.
Basically, I don't think our country is devolving into civil war; I think as soon as (if) the economy really starts to rebound, most of this will dissolve on its own.
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TexasFilly
March 29, 2010 11:26 AM in reply to boo_lala
So, now unemployment causes racism?
Many of the Baggers are retired folks. Collecting gummint socialist Social Security and using Marxist socialized medicine. The unemployment situation only effects them if their kids are living in their basements.
Sorry but racism makes one more susceptible to being a Bagger, not vice versa. One does not become a racist, magically, when they are 60.
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NobleCommentDecider
March 29, 2010 11:36 AM in reply to TexasFilly
'They only lynch n****gahs when they is drunk, so its the alcohol, they ain't racist, no way.'
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boo_lala
March 29, 2010 12:03 PM in reply to TexasFilly
Poverty breeds racism as surely as it breeds crime.
If you are on social security disability, medicaid, etc. you are probably feeling even MORE helpless and afraid than if you are merely unemployed, because your financial future is entirely in the hands of others. If you are a parent of struggling adult children whom you can't help, that increases it exponentially.
I don't think one magically becomes a racist when they are 60, but I do think these people have been a lot more calm and quiet about their racism for the last 30 years or so. They are the older uncle who says stupid, predjudiced things but always seemed harmless and basically decent. Now that he is in fear for his own future and, yes, probably is very worried about his unemployed children and his inability to help them, that harmless quirk is triggered into a not-so-harmless blind hatred and rage. I'm not saying the racism is not real, or that it ever went away; but I think racism, and the black president, is not the driving force for this vitriol. I think it's fear--and a very rational fear at that. It's the response to the fear that isn't rational.
I'm employed; I live in Austin, which only has a 6.7 unemployment rate because people are moving here for jobs; I have a family safety net. I can only imagine what its like to live in Detroit and/or be in the situation of the average tea-party member. I think it's fun to demonize them--I do it myself--but I think they actually deserve compassion and that demonizing them and laughing at them probably drives a bigger wedge between minority poor people and white poor people, all of whom, as liberals, we should care about.
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Darrius
March 29, 2010 12:33 PM in reply to boo_lala
Poverty doesn't breed racism. Lack of exposure to different people and cultures breeds racism. Poverty breeds crime because as people have less than they need to survive they are willing to to more desperate things to meet those needs.
People are racist because they think that "people like us" are somehow different from "those people." If they spent time with people of different racists, they would learn that people are same no matter their race. While different cultures have some different ideas, at the core most people want the same things out of life.
All ignorance is not racism but all racism is ignorant. People who have been through situations that force them to interact on equal footing with different peoples are less racist. People who live in big cities tend to be less racist, and since the Civil Rights Act passed, more Democratic. People who have gone to college tend to be less racist, and more "liberal" than people who have no college.
Compassion is not the answer for Tea-Party-itis. They've gotten compassion, Obama cut their taxes and gave them all health care. But because they are racist, they don't give him (or Democrats) credit for doing anything to help them, nor do they listen to or believe anything he says.
The need understanding. But we can't hold up progress until they all gain understanding, especially since they are having they ignorance reinforced daily by Fox News and talk radio.
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truth > spin
March 29, 2010 3:14 PM in reply to Darrius
I think boo lala is closer to the truth.
Racism is caused by fear. Exposure to different backgrounds and cultures can dispel that fear, but lack of such exposure isn't the cause of it.
Poverty also doesn't cause racism, but it sure causes fear and thus can be a fertile breeding ground for racism, as boo lala pointed out.
Nevertheless, Darrius, your assertions about urban areas and higher levels of education and the correlation with racism and liberalism is nonsense.
As is your take on people in the Tea Party and how grateful they ought to be for the Democrat's actions. Your elitism is showing, and it's not that different from the very racism you claim to abhor.
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Darrius
March 29, 2010 4:33 PM in reply to truth > spin
Racism comes directly from believing an incorrect set of facts about the "other" people and from not understanding the "other" people. The more intimately you understand the "other" people the more you see that they are just like you, even though they have different skin color, etc.
If you never interact with the "other" people, you never learn the truth about them. Whatever false assumptions you make or hear about them stand unchallenged and lead to other incorrect assumptions. In essence you lie to yourself about the "other" people until you see them as a common monster or as a god.
I suppose it is possible to know the truth about a people without spending any time with them but you would have to naturally guess everything correctly, that would be highly unlikely. Especially when someone else can claim to know the "other" and tell you a lie about them. For instance they could tell you that the President is a communist and if you didn't know better you might believe them.
Big cities and colleges force you to interact with other people more often than living in a small town. People don't go there because they are more liberal, they grow more understanding of different people BECAUSE they go to these places. I am not saying that they obliterate racism, but they exert a clear pull towards tolerance of other peoples.
And it is the opposite of nonsense. Check the voting records. Democratic votes come from big cities, the northeast and northwest and college towns and highly educated states. Republican votes come from small towns (even in blue states), small states, and the deep south where there is a history of apartheid.
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truth > spin
March 29, 2010 6:17 PM in reply to Darrius
My point - and the one I believe boo lala was making - is that it's really fear that forms the basis of most racism.
Whether there is a lot of exposure between people and groups or not, when the going gets tough people tend to be fearful of their future, their security and their way-of-life. Rather then feel entirely helpless, they look for an outlet and place to lay some of the blame. The 'other' has long been a convenient place.
I still say your hypothesis about urban areas, education and political affiliation is nonsense. I know where the votes for each party come from, but correlation is not causation.
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lousgirl84
March 29, 2010 4:29 PM in reply to boo_lala
Racism has no age limit ---- it doesn't begin at a certain age.
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slb
March 29, 2010 1:04 PM in reply to TexasFilly
One does not become a racist, magically, when they are 60.
No, but I do think people are sometimes more likely to express racist sentiments as they age than they would have been when they were younger. Not at 60, perhaps, but as they progress into their mid to late seventies and beyond. I hear my 88-year-old mother say things now that she would never have said 20 years ago.
I don't know why that is. In my mother's case it might be partly the result of being a semi-invalid from a stroke 18 years ago, resulting in her being largely confined to the house all day and watching an awful lot of cable news shows, especially on FOX, CNN and HLN. Those shows tend to be alarmist, and elderly people, perhaps because they feel more vulnerable, are more prone to being frightened by the things they hear on those shows.
Also, it seems to me that the "edit" function we all have in our heads that causes us to refrain from saying things that would be socially unacceptable or hurtful gets weaker as people age. The elderly, like the very young, have a greater tendency to say whatever pops into their heads. The rest of us often find such candor charming, but sometimes it's also a little embarrassing or even alarming.
Finally, my mother was growing up in some of the worst days of the Jim Crow South. She would have unconciously incorporated attitudes as a child that, even though she later grew beyond them as an adult, could still be buried in her unconscious, and I think such deeply ingrained attitudes sometimes tend to surface in more extreme old age.
Obviously, such things are highly individualized. Some people remain sharp as a tack into their 90s and beyond. Others show a slowdown of mental faculties and critical thinking in their 60s. It just seems to me that when the mind does start to slow down, it becomes more vulnerable to unreasoned fear and to deeply buried prejudices.
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William S
April 1, 2010 9:38 AM in reply to TexasFilly
Don't you think you are painting people with broad strokes? The recent poll that came out showed a very wide range of people as part of the Tea Party movement in terms of education, sex, race, financial conditions, and AGE. And contrary to the posts here, the fundamental driving force behind the Tea Party movement is a hatred for big government. Having been to two rallies I can say they criticize Republicans and Democrats alike; a big criticism is Medicare D (Bush's baby). And funny enough there were lots of blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and so on there and they were standing shoulder to shoulder with all the white folk.
Sorry to burst your bubbles here but people don't fit into the neat little packages you create for them.
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Darrius
March 29, 2010 12:05 PM in reply to boo_lala
The economy is hurting all incumbents with true Independents.
The tea party movement is a conflux of several forces. However, the biggest factors are 1) The President is black, and 2) The chairman of the Republican Party is black...forgot that did you? It's not a coincidence that the Republican party is threatened with a split the same year they get a Black chairman.
The Republican Party is the Confederate Party. Look at where they come from, who supports them, and the way they behave. Thinking of them as the Confederate Party explains why we think they are always advocating against their own best interest. They aren't advocating against their own best interest; their interests are just different from what we think they are. Their interest is in building and/or maintaining their Confederate, apartheid state, not in improving the economic position. Why else would they hate a man who cut their taxes?
The Republicans were trying to grow past the Confederats by electing Steele, but it back-fired. It is probably possible to demoralize the Republican base by reminding them their chairman is black. If I were Harry Reid I would be running against Michael Steele. In fact all Democrats should wait until the election season gets into full swing and then run against Michael Steele's Republican Party. Yes, its using the race card. But the Republicans are using the race card anyway, and its about time that the race card got used AGAINST racists.
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truth > spin
March 29, 2010 3:18 PM in reply to Darrius
Really Darrius, this is absurd. The Tea Party exists because the president is black and the head of the RNC is black?
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expat46
March 29, 2010 12:09 PM in reply to boo_lala
I agree with you to some extent. The problem is that many people are incapable of any self reflection that would allow them recognize their own racism. I'll bet this caller would argue that he's not racist.
It's like when Virginia Foxx was arguing against health care reform and quoted from a study done by a conservative author and felt it necessary to mention that the author was a black man. On the flip side I've seen commenters on TPM refer to Alan Keyes as a traitor. I had a very cringe worthy moment recently when my own 81 year old mother came down with pneumonia and asked her black doctor if he knew Obama. I think she wanted him to know she was an Obama supporter but why?
There's no doubt that a lot of the opposition to health care reform is due to fact that people consider it welfare. When they hear statistics of people without insurance they conjure up images of 32 million grasshoppers that the rest of us worker ants are going to have to support.
In my opinion, we're going to see a lot of Reaganesque "Bucks collecting welfare checks" type rhetoric from now until November. We need to resist the urge to fight this battle on their terms which means we need to avoid the issue of race if possible.
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boo_lala
March 29, 2010 2:29 PM in reply to expat46
I think if you look past the hateful way that the tea party members sometimes express themselves to the real political message they seem to be expressing, it's actually quite rational: they are saying we should concentrate on preventing more job loss and preventing the middle class from becoming poor before we concentrate on helping the poorest out of poverty. In an economy that is rapidly sinking (as ours was) this is actually quite rational. It is easier to keep someone in a job than to get them working again after they've lost it. You have to stop plummeting before you can start rising again.
The real problem is that the tea party members don't see that this is exactly what most of these programs from the Obama administration are trying to do: they do not increase welfare to the poor as much as they try to help maintain the (previous) status quo. The health bill is as much about preventing people from sinking into poverty when they get sick as it is about helping the very poor get healthcare.
The real problem is that the Democrats are so stuck in the idealogical struggle that they can't articulate this. The reason that the stimulus program contains a huge number of business tax breaks and benefits to the states is not because they were cowtowing to the Republicans; it is because it is the smart, rational thing to do in this circumstance--stopping the bleeding of American jobs in the private sector is a lot easier and cheaper than creating new ones in the public sector. I think Obama articulates this well but nobody else in the party or liberal punditry does.
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boo_lala
March 29, 2010 2:51 PM in reply to boo_lala
I'm not saying that this caller was trying to articulate all that, obviously. All you get from his comments is that he is a racist.
I just think that this resurgence of racism, in general, is shorthand for "help us (the lower middle class, aka white) before you help them (the very poor, aka blacks)." The ironic thing is that Obama has done very little for the very poor--not because he doesn't care about them, but because of the reasons above.
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Brownbagger
March 29, 2010 12:55 PM in reply to Sagae
If you haven't read it alredy, you will all find this useful. Regards.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/d/a/david_seaton/2010/03/why-are-so-many-americans-so-c.php
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NuttyProf
March 29, 2010 10:12 AM
White folks dont even have C-Span anymore! I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK
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ru4862
March 29, 2010 10:18 AM in reply to NuttyProf
lol
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AhTrini1
March 29, 2010 11:20 AM in reply to NuttyProf
ROTFLMBAO!
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picklenoses
March 29, 2010 10:18 AM
Silly comment. I didn't hear the calls that the caller was referencing, but unless the callers identified themselves as "black," then how did this caller know that they were? Rather clairvoyant of him.
On the other hand, I don't need clairvoyance to hear that this caller fell under the category, "ignorant and ugly."
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Jezreel
March 29, 2010 10:30 AM
Later, during the program someone else called in and blasted the host for allowing racist comments to go unchallenged. The host seemed incredulous at the complaint and was either unwilling or unable to understand why anyone thought that the racist comments were in fact racist.
Go figure.
At that point, I changed the station.
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ru4862
March 29, 2010 10:31 AM
'I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK'
'THE COUNTRY IS CHANGING'
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weezie.jefferson
March 29, 2010 10:32 AM
That is hilarious. "Why are you letting all these blacks call in to CSPAN on the white, er, Republican line?"
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Brownbagger
March 29, 2010 11:13 AM in reply to weezie.jefferson
Excuse me, but you are not allowed up here. Please move to the back of the thread.
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weezie.jefferson
March 29, 2010 11:44 AM in reply to Brownbagger
LOL.
Sits down in front of thread in protest.
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Brownbagger
March 29, 2010 12:31 PM in reply to weezie.jefferson
Dear Rosa. Bless you. Yes, the fight goes on.
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darkrhyme
March 29, 2010 10:48 AM
Just another bad apple.
Snicker, snicker...
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lester
March 29, 2010 11:00 AM
Well, Michael Steele, even Republicans admit that black people shouldn't belong to that party.
In addition, this shows that all the ire directed at Obama is mainly because he's black and NOT because of his policy.
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ns
March 29, 2010 11:03 AM
Well, thanks to C-Span for dragging this into sunlight. I thought letting the gentleman from North Carolina finish his respectful comments was a smart thing to do.
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lester
March 29, 2010 11:07 AM
And this "white guy" at CSPAN did not challenge that racist scum? What are journalists and media outlets turning into? Even CNN, Fox, MSNBC, ABC, etc do that---they let brazen racism go unchallenged. If the media outlets can't do that, then who can? I am speechless.
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rynato
March 29, 2010 11:15 AM in reply to lester
Sometimes, a caller's comments speak for themselves.
I'd like to think that C-SPAN credits its viewers with enough intelligence that they don't have to be told how to feel about this.
I'm glad that they allowed this caller to prattle on, it effectively demolishes the argument teabaggers are making that they aren't racists nor do they have violent tendencies.
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weezie.jefferson
March 29, 2010 12:41 PM in reply to rynato
Thank you, well said. CSPAN does not get into the business of scolding it's callers for being idiots (if they did, they would have no callers, as most of them are idiots).
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rabbit
March 29, 2010 11:13 AM
This sounds very much like the same voice from the previous prank calls. The joke is on the C-SPAN host, I am afraid.
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TexasFilly
March 29, 2010 11:28 AM in reply to rabbit
Sounds like? What, the Southern accent?
Sorry, I live amongst the Rednecks. This guy is for real. I hear it every day.
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rabbit
March 29, 2010 12:05 PM in reply to TexasFilly
Uh, no. The voice itself. Have you listened to those?
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Gilead
March 29, 2010 11:17 AM
“I understand your frustration, Bill. Thanks for your concern. C-Span plans to install a voice recognition system to sleuth out black callers and keep them off the whites only Republican line.”
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athenian stranger
March 29, 2010 11:39 AM in reply to Gilead
That was the freaky part. What the hell? I mean, I know the host wants to transform what the guy said into something less insane, to be generous, but if you put the two together it's one cracker saying "they's two many black peoples and yall should be called blackspan" and the other one saying "we try to keep them out, but we can't."
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Antineocon
March 29, 2010 11:18 AM
Bill sounds like a typical teabagger so I don't think it was a prank.
Well then again, teabaggers really aren't part of the Republican Party but they are part of the Repugniklan Party. O.K., I'm taking credit for "Repugniklan" Party because it seems appropriate these days.
And how about all those Medicare and Social Security reciepients who screamed at Sarah in Searchlight. Maybe half of them are retirees from government jobs?
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carrotroot
March 29, 2010 11:20 AM
Wow .. since when did the Republican line become the Whites only line?
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AhTrini1
March 29, 2010 11:26 AM in reply to carrotroot
LOL
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AhTrini1
March 29, 2010 11:29 AM in reply to carrotroot
Since the Dixecrats moved over and Nixon used the Southern Strategy. We understand the mat says "Unwelcomed", although a few like Rice, Thomas & Powell sneak through, because "they are not like the rest of them[us]".
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expat46
March 29, 2010 11:28 AM
Was that our resident troll Silence? I thought I recognized his voice.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
March 29, 2010 4:05 PM in reply to expat46
Yes, my Annapolis bitch Silence...resident racist in denial.
He's a classic to the face a smile and in private channeling his inner Klansman or Brownshirt.
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Voodoo Woman
March 29, 2010 7:52 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
In Louisiana they are calling Obama a "reneger" because he's going back on his promise not to raise taxes EXCEPT that they pronounce it "RE-nigger."
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Marinus van der Lubbe
March 29, 2010 7:57 PM in reply to Voodoo Woman
That's par...feature unarmed blacks shot down during Katrina by NOPD.
Nice avatar...
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Voodoo Woman
March 30, 2010 7:51 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
Thank you.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
April 23, 2010 7:55 AM in reply to Voodoo Woman
youre so very welcome..
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Voodoo Woman
April 23, 2010 8:12 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
Wow! You're back! Where have you been? Brownbagger and lousgirl have missed you. Me too.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
April 24, 2010 5:05 PM in reply to Voodoo Woman
shucks...thanks...(and still love your avatar..)
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Voodoo Woman
April 29, 2010 10:18 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
Thank you, again. I leave for France in two weeks. The nice thing is I can still keep in touch with you, Brownbagger, and lousgirl. Have a nice weekend.
p.s. I will miss New Orleans. Have you ever been there? I suppose you have.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
April 30, 2010 11:00 AM in reply to Voodoo Woman
I have been to NO and also France. I have family in Paris. It would be better to have an email...
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Voodoo Woman
May 2, 2010 4:40 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
Ha. Not quite ready to give out an email. I am moving to a beautiful place near Nice. Do take care. I will be around from time to time. Best wishes. I'm excited about the move.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
May 2, 2010 9:23 PM in reply to Voodoo Woman
au revoir...
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Voodoo Woman
May 18, 2010 9:38 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
Je suis arrive.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
May 18, 2010 9:46 PM in reply to Voodoo Woman
Bonjour Voodoo...my cousin Thierry and his family live in Paris. I hope you had a good trip....we're having elections so its a madhouse. Im glad you wrote...
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Voodoo Woman
May 21, 2010 9:11 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
How nice. So, are you French, or just your cousin? I am loving Villefranche. Have you been here? Do you speak French? I only speak a little.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
May 22, 2010 10:35 AM in reply to Voodoo Woman
No he is french..not me.It wa a split family..one brother came to america, the other stayed in France..so why are you there..what do you do?
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Voodoo Woman
May 24, 2010 12:24 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
What do I do? I'm a voodoo princess. I thought you knew that. ;-)
Well...I'm also a personal chef.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
May 24, 2010 1:32 PM in reply to Voodoo Woman
I only met one person in my life who practised..she was from Trinidad-Tobago and worshipped Santeria. Very different.
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expat46
March 29, 2010 8:27 PM in reply to Marinus van der Lubbe
He's floating around here again. Like a turd that won't flush.
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Marinus van der Lubbe
March 29, 2010 8:37 PM in reply to expat46
LoL....still laughing...
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human
March 29, 2010 11:40 AM
Are they using videophones on C-Span now? How does this person know how many black people are calling?
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whitehnsn
March 29, 2010 3:38 PM in reply to human
Don't you realize that this North Carolinian obviously owns a new minority alert system on his black and white television?
It blinks red on screen when minorities are shown or when "they" speak off screen. Which makes you question how does he get his old black and white to blink red.
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sandylillie
March 29, 2010 11:40 AM
This does not sound like a prank call to me. And whether it was a prank or not, I thought the response of the C-Span moderator was shocking. He should have ended the call when he realized that it was profane hate speech, deeply offensive to community values.
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MassDem
March 29, 2010 11:48 AM
I'm with sandylillie, the moderator was an embarassment. "We appreciate your input"? It's not Joe's Bump and Paint's complaint line. It's a nationally broadcast program.
He should have cut the klannie off as soon as it the racism was obvious. To continue politely sitting there and letting that drivel continue is morally indefensible.
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cynicalgirl
March 29, 2010 11:55 AM
I watch this show almost every morning. At least 10% of the callers are nutjobs. That's what happens when calls aren't properly screened.
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mrmojeffrisin
March 29, 2010 12:02 PM
This is nothing new. C-Span has been bending over backwards for the wingnuts since the days of Reagan and it's been epidemic since impeachment. Just go down the list of guests and it's not unusual to have a gop congressman followed by the neocon nitwit du jour from heritage/hudson/aei and topped off with the lunatic-fringe likes of bill sammon, bill kristol or peggy noonan.
Mix in a loaded open phones question like "Has Obama broken his promise to fix the economy?", take 90 percent of viewer calls from the same 20 teabaggers alternating between the gop line and the independent line and you've got your standard edition of WJ.
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centercut
March 29, 2010 12:05 PM
We're just gonna go somewhere else!
I hate quitters.
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NobleCommentDecider
March 29, 2010 12:18 PM
TRANSCRIPT OF THE CSPAN GUY'S RESPONSE:
Maybe the CSPAN MoFo should hire the cracker to screen the calls?
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Brownbagger
March 29, 2010 12:49 PM in reply to NobleCommentDecider
Why do they have segregated lines at all?
Why just these three lines? Why not have a Christian militia line? an angry fat white guy line (Oh, nevermind, they already have the Republican line), a Teanut Gallery line? a whiney white woman line? an I'm afeared of the black guy in the White House line? And once they've spoken to all of those, then they could go to the negro line.
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NobleCommentDecider
March 29, 2010 12:58 PM in reply to Brownbagger
Good points.
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Ugg the Repug
March 29, 2010 1:09 PM in reply to NobleCommentDecider
Yes, Brownbagger much smart walksupright person. But, what about special cavemans line? All Republicans neanderthals, but not all neanderthals Republicans. Har har har. Some of us evolve.
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lousgirl84
March 29, 2010 1:14 PM in reply to Brownbagger
Excellent post.......
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Brownbagger
March 29, 2010 1:45 PM in reply to lousgirl84
Thank you, lousgirl. Missed you around here. Hope you had a nice getaway. Trolls ran under the bridge for a short while, but they have returned with the same lame blather.
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lousgirl84
March 29, 2010 4:27 PM in reply to Brownbagger
Thanks for missing me I am sure you were the only one (Lol). My friend sisterkevin is back with its gloom and doom and hate.
I've been reading your posts. You have been on a roll. Thanks for all the great input. So much to catch up on.
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Brownbagger
March 29, 2010 4:30 PM in reply to lousgirl84
Rubbish. I know Lubbe and FreeRide have missed you as well.
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lester
March 29, 2010 12:26 PM
So, is TPM trying to trivialize this pronounced racism by calling it a "prank" or what? That's very shocking, to say the least. I guess TPM staff members share a lot in common with the CSPAN moderator and perhaps the caller, Bill, to the extent that they feel it's a "prank".
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mrmojeffrisin
March 29, 2010 12:41 PM in reply to lester
If so, they're wrong. This was no prank. I watch/listen to WJ every day, too. This is just another edition of WJ.
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mikedrevguy
March 29, 2010 12:53 PM
So, what is the caller so surprised/shocked/outraged by?
that black people should call on the republican line?
that someone who is calling on the republican line should actually like the current POTUS?
does this caller feel his party should be trying to get everybody in such a goose -I mean lock step that there is really no place for a diversity of opinion, thought, feeling, expression within the Republican party? -
It's true in biological sciences; it's true ideologically speaking - diversity is the bedrock of survivability.
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SRN
March 29, 2010 12:53 PM
The moderator plainly stated that he understood the callers frustration and that he appreciated his input. I'd like to know what the moderator identified and understood that was frustrating to the caller. In addition, what about the callers input could a sane, rational, non-racist person appreciate?
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barth
March 29, 2010 12:55 PM
Let's get this straight. The objection is to black people calling on a Republican or Independents line. Blacks should only call on the Democrat line. If they like President Obama or thinks he is "Jesus [bleeping] Christ" they cannot call themselves Republican.
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ladyfractal
March 29, 2010 12:59 PM
Just remember that this wasn't about race or racism. No matter WHAT it seems like the caller was saying, it's *really* a substantive, deep, wonky policy difference. No Tea Party protestors know, know of, or even have any idea what racism might actually be nor have they ever met anyone who was racist, unless, of course, that person was a liberal Democrat OR a black person who are ALL, to a human being, racist (unless said black person is a Republican).
Are we all clear on that? Good.
(sarcasm = off)
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ignoreland
March 29, 2010 1:13 PM
The moderator's response was weak at best. I would have suggested that if 'Bill' and other conservatives wanted to find another outlet for their free public affairs programming, they should take themselves there. That caller crossed a major line and should have been slammed for it.
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Heraldblog
March 29, 2010 1:53 PM in reply to ignoreland
"I appreciate your frustration"? What does that mean?
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truth > spin
March 29, 2010 3:23 PM in reply to Heraldblog
It's typical DC speak for "I really don't have anything to say something so I'll say / write this".
As a test, write the most absurd thing (non-violent or criminal of course) you can think of to a handful of Congressmen from across the political spectrum. If you get any written responses, almost certainly the phrase will appear in the letter.
Because so many Congressional staff cycle from one office to another and then off the Hill, it's spread across the entire city. DC people are always on the look-out for a good turn of phrase that sounds sincere and yet is non-committal at the same time.
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public.takeover
March 29, 2010 2:13 PM
I heard that call, too, and I was likewise amazed at the duration of the call permitted by the moderator (not Brian Lamb, by the way). The caller was allowed to go on and on talking about "those people."
When another caller a few minutes later told the CSPAN host he should state his own opinions on the show, the host replied, "No. We don't do that. This show is just about your opinions.
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neesy08
March 29, 2010 2:30 PM
so the white southern redneck is mad because c-span does not discriminate against its callers
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Cal Damage
March 29, 2010 3:29 PM
"If you're not hearing what you expect here at C-SPAN, feel free to go to an outlet where your racist views are reinforced: FOX News."
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sean
March 29, 2010 3:37 PM
C-SPIN, like so many in the corporate media, play fast and loose with the right wing 'think' tank fomenters.
This caller actually sounds like his has a few more cards in his incomplete deck than many of C-SPIN's phone & deck experts who nearly always speak in neoliterate winger gobble.
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Leftist Pinko
March 29, 2010 3:46 PM
North Carolina, trying hard to beat those South Cackalackers in the CRAAAAAZY MOFO'N SUTHERNERS KKKONTEST.
St Pauls, NC - just outside Fayettenam. Betcha 100 bucks that "Bill" is ex-military and loves his guns and his Good Book™
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bluestatedon
March 29, 2010 3:53 PM
""I know they have an opinion but I wish that they would be honest and call in on the right line."
This redneck ofay is still aggrieved that black Americans are no longer forced to use separate entrances, so I guess all he can think of is making them use separate phone lines.
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frsbdg
March 29, 2010 4:31 PM
I for one hope they do go someplace else.
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boycottfaux
March 29, 2010 4:38 PM
So this old racist crank was upset 'cause when he calls C-Span he is put on hold?
He wants the 'black folk' who really shouldn't be having opinions, to hang up 'cause the old racist crank is calling with his ignorant, nonsense??
[eyeball roll]
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Peter Principle
March 29, 2010 5:18 PM
"I know they have an opinion but I wish that they would be honest and call in on the right line."
Hey, let's give Bill from NC a break. After all, it was a lot nicer than yelling "n*ggers to the back of the bus."
So they are making progress down there.
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JohnBTipton
March 29, 2010 8:06 PM
C-SPAN doesn't editorialize. Their lack of bias drives all of us crazy. Fortunately cable and satellite companies also have enough channels for us to choose the ones that support our prejudices.
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bibimimi
March 29, 2010 9:20 PM
Racism is the new black.
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dbl.r7711
March 29, 2010 10:26 PM
So much for the first amendment,and free speech rights,(if you happen to be black)I guess C-Span is for whites only too. That is as far as those teabaggers are concerned. I reckon thats why over the weekend,in Search Light Nevada, where Sarah Palin held court over the Teabaggers, I did`nt see anyone of color in the crowd, as usual...
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Wisco
March 29, 2010 11:00 PM
I love how he assumes there are no black Republicans... OK, so he's about 90% right. But still...
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Tosh
April 2, 2010 8:39 AM
wow it seems like racism is everywhere
kamagra l m65
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September 6, 2010 2:58 AM
Mix in a loaded open phones question like "Has Obama broken his promise to fix the economy?", take 90 percent of viewer calls from the same 20 teabaggers alternating between the gop line and the independent line and you've got your standard edition of WJ.demi
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