The Topeka Capitol-Journal is reporting that Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) told a town hall meeting that Republicans are searching for the “great white hope.” In the videotape, the newspaper reports that Jenkins says “Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope. I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington.”
Jenkins goes on to mention various “hopes” who happened to be white: Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). McCarthy is not even black Irish to improve the situation.
For the video, click here.
Her spokesperson insists that she did not mean this in a racial sense, which may indeed be the case. Of course, Jenkins’ spokeswoman Mary Geiger didn’t make things much better by explaining “There’s no doubt the Republican Party has gone through somedark and challenging times in recent years, but thankfully bright young leaders have stepped up to lead the party into the future and she hopes to be a part of it.”
The origins of the expression is often traced back to James Jackson Jeffries (“The Boilermaker”) who was brought out of retirement to defeat heavyweight champion Jack Johnson on July 4, 1910 in Reno, Nevada. “The Great White Hope” announced “I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro.” During the fight, the band played “All coons look alike to me.”
What should worry Republicans is not just the racial overtones but Jeffries got whipped. He threw in the towel in the 15th round.
Mr. Moulton,
I recently graduated college. During that time, I just happened to pick up a documentary titled The Color of Fear 1. It documented a group of about 8 middle-aged men, American, of differing ethnic backgrounds. They simply sat and talked about race and their personal experiences. A couple of the individuals were WASPish, a couple of Mexican descent, a couple of Asian descent, and a couple of African descent.
It was explosive.
It boggled my mind to discover that each of them had completely different experiences and perceptions of what it meant to be [North] American, based simply on their ethnicity and color of their skin. Only then did I see how inherently racist our society is, and us WASPs aren’t even aware of it!
Ultimately, it’s simply about control.
It was the greatest single piece of education I learned from my undergrad days.
AY,
Short version: Jenkins is only slightly less disgusting than our former D.A. Phil Kline and he was a revolting Pro-Life Jesus Nazi.
GWLawSchoolMom.
“I disagree. racists know exactly what they are saying. The indignation is a cover for when they are called out.”.
To have a sensible conversation about something both parties must be using the same meanings for the words they are using. In the case of discussions about racism there are two problems:-
1/ Racism is something that has many dimensions or aspects and one need a whole subsidiary vocabulary to describe these different dimensions. Otherwise the terms racist and racism become overloaded trying to cope with these subsidiary meanings and the conversation becomes confused as one party or the other mistakes what subsidiary meaning is being evoked by the word at a particular time.
2/ It is the nature of human nature that humans only recognize racism when it is directed at themselves or races with which they feel affiliation or when it is directed at people not like themselves but with the animosity being much beyond that that they themselves feel for the targets. Moderate racists do not recognize moderate racism in themselves nor in others but they may recognize extreme racism.
Several years ago some men from Jasper Texas attached a Negro to a light truck and towed him some kilometers, to his death. The good white people of Jasper were horrified and surprised, the coloured people of Jasper were horrified but not surprised. The perpetrators were no doubt astonished when they received the death penalty for doing something which they would have expected the vast majority of white Texans to applaud. The men with the truck were extreme racists, the horrified whites of Jasper merely moderate racists and the light truck men would be correct if they argued that other white people had never given them any reason to believe that would disapprove a hypothetical act such as towing a Negro to death. Extreme racists live among moderate racists and perceive the attitudes of these moderate racists as giving them permission to do things in accord with their extreme attitudes.
Moderate racists may not tow blacks to death, but their moderately racist attitudes damage the targets of their racism when they are channeled through the legal system where moderate racists fill the roles of police, prosecutors, judges and jurors. I recommend Nate Blakeslee’s book on the 1999/2000 Tulia cocaine prosecutions http://www.amazon.com/Tulia-Cocaine-Corruption-Small-Texas/dp/158648219X as a case study of how moderate racism infecting the Sheriff, The District Attorney, the Judge and the jurors made acquittal of the victims of Thomas Coleman’s frame up just because the alleged crimes did not happen an absurd impossibility.
I believe that in one necessary sense of the word “racist” it is correct to say that the vast majority of members of species homo sapiens sapiens are racist. What I mean is that there is no zero level of racism the correct question to ask about a particular human being is not “is he/she racist?” but “what type of racist is he/she, what is the exact shape of his racism and against what other ethnic groups is it directed?”.
Carlyle writes: t is a fact about most racists that they are blissfully unaware that they are racist and their indignation when accused is not put on.
i disagree. racists know exactly what they are saying. the indignation is a cover for when they are called out.
rcampbell,
Tyler Longpine, a spokesman for the Kansas Democratic Party, called Jenkins’ comment “a poor choice of words” but said he doesn’t think it was anything more than that.
He said a Democratic Party supporter shot the video at Jenkins’ forum in Hiawatha and shared it with the state party.
“The thing that kind of strikes me was the partisan tone of it all,” Longpine said. “If she’d stick to talking about policy rather than politics, she could have kept her foot out of her mouth.”
link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iTHvyXMSeuAHmv8eJyl7v2pmkgkgD9ABCLUO0
I guess with these choice of words, one can wonder. I see where she beat another female a Democrat last year for the Retard Party as evidenced by her words.
My Representative, Lynn Jenkins, claims she did not know what the phrase “Great White Hope” meant. Where did she pick up the lingo? Was it from the Republican cloakroom? She is a walking circus of contradiction.
The pro-choice Republican voted against Lilly Ledbetter and SCHIP. Apparently she believes it is a woman’s choice to keep the baby but not a woman’s choice to earn equal pay or do all she can to give the child healthcare.
It’s ironic that Jenkins speaks under the banner of Lincoln. She represents places, once wounded, that gave rise to the moniker “Bleeding Kansas.” From these parts John Brown and the good folk stood their ground against slavery, bushwackers, and Quantrill’s raiders.
She represents Osawatomie, birthplace of the Kansas Republican Party, a party no longer bearing resemblance to the ideals of Mr. Lincoln. Today’s Republicans have forsaken their heritage, broken faith with an assassinated American President, and sold their souls to corporate entities.
The elephant has left the tent. The wingnut and the squirrel are competing for mascot, and you ask “What’s Wrong With Kansas?” Well, yes, you can start with Lynn Jenkins.
One wonders what the backlash has been from the Congresswoman’s constituents. Are THEY offended by her comments? Are THEY calling for her resignation, a better explanation, an apology? Or are they silent and thereby in tacit agreement with this woman?
Speaking of Stupid, yesterday I was driving down the road near W’s Office and felt so secure knowing that Homeland Security was doing its job. They have some very nice vehicles. Apparently when W is at the office the area is protected.
I wonder if he would have his office in Harlem like Clinton does, would they need more full time security. If memory serves me correctly when W was looking for an office the average rental rate was 18 or 19 a foot and someone in the administration agreed to pay 29 a foot.
So Buddha, tell us how you really feel about the Great White Hope?
Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) — The Great White Dope!
It is a fact about most racists that they are blissfully unaware that they are racist and their indignation when accused is not put on.
That smile, it reminds me of a vampire that is just about to feed.
‘dem dark times is referrin’ to dat darkie Prez. Obamer’s 7 months in the *WHITE* House…aint no niggra ‘susposed to domicile thar.
Holy Mackerel Kingfish! Dat whitey done got a Al Jolson smile! Dem’s Mr. Ed class chompers
“…the internet tubes…”
rafflaw, I get a laugh out of those words every time I read or hear them.
I think the Congresswoman meant exactly what she said. Unfortunately for her, the internet tubes were able to bring this racist comment into many homes. The suggested corrections that the spokesperson alluded to don’t make any sense. The sad truth is that Kansas is being represented by another far right wing nutjob who happens to be a closet racist.
Mike A.,
“I should also add that I think it’s very white of her to explain that she meant no offense by her choice of words.”
I laughed so hard I scared a cat.
“Great White Slope” is what she meant to say, they just misreported what she said. When you start this trash fire it is a Slippery Slope.
Dredd:
“the tongue ran away with the rhetoric,…”
************
In bardus, veritas
yep yep yep … the tongue ran away with the rhetoric, just like the dish ran away with the spoon and we all got fat.
Hey, neoCons, stop the war bullshit and get it … pacifist nations pay better wages.
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/08/best-wages-are-paid-by-pacifists.html
I should also add that I think it’s very white of her to explain that she meant no offense by her choice of words.