MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
Order today at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Order today at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
I hoped this would happen......well deserved.
The chief of the Cherokee Nation on Wednesday demanded an apology from Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) for what he called an "uneducated, unenlightened and racist portrayal of native peoples" by senior staff on his campaign and in his Senate office.
At a recent campaign rally, senior Brown staffers led a crowd of Brown supporters in a series of "war whoop chants" and "tomahawk chops," an attempt to mock Elizabeth Warren for citing her Native American ancestry in a Harvard guidebook.......
"The Cherokee Nation is disappointed in and denounces the disrespectful actions of staffers and supporters of Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. The conduct of these individuals goes far beyond what is appropriate and proper in political discourse. The use of stereotypical 'war whoop chants' and 'tomahawk chops' are offensive and downright racist," said Bill John Baker, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, in a statement. "The individuals involved in this unfortunate incident are high ranking staffers in both the senate office and the Brown campaign. A campaign that would allow and condone such offensive and racist behavior must be called to task for their actions."
Brown, asked by reporters to respond to criticism of his senior staff at the rally, said that Warren committed the "real offense" for listing herself as Native American. "That's not something I condone. That's certainly something, if I am aware of it, I would tell that member not to do it again," he said. "I know everyone is in the throes of the political season. I ask everyone to show real class and decorum on both sides.
At separate rally, however, a Brown supporter let out another "war whoop" and Brown didn't respond, though he didn't actively condone the act, either. The video was posted on a local GOP website and spotted by BlueMassGroup, which also found audio of Brown laughing at Native American jokes in reference to Warren.
Full report on HuffPost.
Comments
It just blows my mind that Brown thinks this line of attack is a winning strategy. The people involved in this incident are gutter trash and Brown should gave them their walking papers, and those in other Republican offices should have been let go, as well. Just one sign that Republican Party swirling down the toilet of irrelevancy in the 21st Century America.
by Elusive Trope on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 3:29pm
Do you really think he didn't know about it beforehand? I'll go step further and state I think they were following his 'suggestion'.
by Aunt Sam on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 5:48pm
unless some some smokin gun email shows up, there is no way to prove he knew beforehand, but I'm sure in some meeting or gathering in which he attended some one started doing the tomahawk chant and he laughed along with everyone else.
by Elusive Trope on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 8:15pm
AT - But don't you think that for his senior staff members to be involved that they would not have done this without his knowledge and approval?
by Aunt Sam on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 9:04pm
There may have been some moment in a gathering when they said some variation of "we should go to her rally and do the chop and chant." but my guess is that some staffer during their discussion about this particular attack strategy started doing the tomahawk chop and war chant and everybody laughed. It then became an inside joke among the insiders. So no one actually proposed they do this at the rally, but when they showed up at the rally they just started doing this inside joke because no one ever said "hey, that's offensive." In their bubble, it's hillarious. So it never occurred to these frat boys that it might be offensive to others.
And yes Ryan was one of those who was laughing at the joke, and therefore gave his implicit approval to them to do it at the rally.
by Elusive Trope on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 9:17pm
I wonder if Scott Brown would have responded more emphatically to his staffers if they had war whooped and 'hawk chopped Chris Stevens, a tribal member of the Chinook in Washington state? You know, that Chris Stevens, the slain U.S. ambassador to Libya?
What if the Brown staffers had hooted and gestured at his coffin as it was unloaded from the plane? Would Scot Brown have stood there with his thumb up his ass while his staff had a laugh? President Obama and SoS Clinton were able to maintain their dignity and not make disparaging comments and jokes about a persons ancestry. Why can't Brown?
He needs to fire those staffers and then apologize to everyone for being a lame ass.
by wabby on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 5:02pm
flower,
As stated above about what I believe, he can't fire them for following his lead.
I knew as soon as I saw the report of them doing the ignorant deed, that this would be the result. Disgusting and shameful on GOP's part, but sadly, I'm so NOT surprised.
by Aunt Sam on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 5:53pm
You're barkin up the wrong tree, Flower. These people have no conscience or self respect or respect for anyone else.
by cmaukonen on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 6:26pm
Republicans feed Injuns peanuts don't they?
by NCD on Wed, 09/26/2012 - 9:34pm