Earlier today, Don Imus again made racially-charged comments about a black athlete. Responding to wave of criticism that ensued, Imus claimed this afternoon that he had been misunderstood:
Asked in an e-mail message what he was trying to convey, Mr. Imus wrote: “I meant he was being picked on because he’s black.’’ He added that Dick Gregory, a veteran comedian and activist who is black, would be a guest on his show on Tuesday, to discuss the death of George Carlin. “We’ll see what he thinks,’’ Mr. Imus wrote. “I mean…come on!’’
Take a listen to the audio again and see what you think.
Was this an “I misspoke”? Or was this a “there was something missing in the presentation”?
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 pmYank this racist bastard for good. No more. God I hate idiots like Imus.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:11 pmI have a feeling lots of white dudes will be “misunderstood” in the next few months.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:11 pmOK, I listened to the audio again. In all fairness, it could have gone down like Imus said — that he could have said what he did as a comment about blacks getting arrested unfairly.
We’ll see what Dick Gregory has to say about it — I trust Gregory’s ability to spot a slur when he hears one.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 pmWesley, we appreciate the effort, but you’re not very good as a concern troll, either.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:29 pmImus is no cowboy, just a horse’s ass. If you listen to his show enough you can tell he’s old school racist. To be fair, he does usually appear to be suffering from painful constipation.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 pmWes, buddy, the first republican party formed in the 1850’s largely to fight slavery. That republican party died around 1877. Just thought you’d wanna know.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:38 pmTodays GOP has very little in common with old time conservatives. I thought conservatives were for personal responsibility…no sign of being personally responsible from todays GOP. I thought conservatives were for keeping Government out of personal lives…nowadays they support illegal spying on private citizens and want to legislate morality. Goldwater is turning in his grave. Abe Lincoln is pulling his hair out. I thought conservatives were fiscally responsible…now we have record deficit thanks to GOP tax policies and GOP war for profit. Ike warned us about giving too much power to the Military Industrial Complex. I thought conservatives were for conservation….clean air act…bah….drill off our beautiful shores…drill ANWR…Teddy Roosevelt must be wishing he could still speak softly and carry a big stick to use on todays GOP. The GOP is a bunch of greedy power hungry thugs and miscreants.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 pmWho or what is an Imus?
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:44 pmUm… perhaps by actually listening to the man speak and paying attention to the policy initiatives he has championed over his life in the public eye?
Just a thought.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:46 pmMy apologies for my previous criticisms, Wesley. I didn’t realize you were drunk.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 pm10. WesleyJI Says:
Some little neocon is scared…
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:49 pmI’m pretty sure I heard that Mugabe endorsed McCain. I’m sure Pinochet and Mussolini would endorse McCain. Don’t forget the John Birch Society and KKK.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:49 pmIs Imus the new Apple version of anus?
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:52 pmjb, I hear Osama Bin Laden is coming out with a new tape endorcing McCain also. Jeffery Dalmer left a note endorcing McCain, so did Ted Bundy.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 pmI don’t intend to defend him because he should be fired. But Savage and Fats Limbaugh do worse hourly. It’s time that these miscreants are sent to the soup line.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:55 pmIs Wesley saying being a Republican is a genetic defect?
If so, I agree.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 pmWes, the republicans pulled federal troops out of the south in return for Hayes getting the presidency. You could say the republican party redefined itself.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 pmJeffery Dalmer! Now there’s an endorsement you can sink your teeth into. McCain supports the continues and expanded power of corporations…very similar to Mussolini. Did McCain convert to Buddhism while in Vietnam? He has never denied it.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:00 amWes, I wish we were getting drunk together and somehow bridging the gap.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:01 amI hate to tell you this, I am more to the middle than the far left. I believe in the Constitution, justice and freedom. I may be liberal but I believe in kicking any Reukes ass anytime. I don’t believe Republicans are human, maybe a subspecies of the slug family.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:03 amdrick, if you ever get low on exclamation points or question marks you can borrow some of mine. BTW, do you mind if I picture you as a sassy teen?
June 24th, 2008 at 12:04 amWesley,
Define “small government.”
I’m guessing you’d define it as cutting out all the programs you personally do not use at this very moment.
It’s ok, go ahead and say you wouldn’t vote for a black man, no matter how qualified.
Obviously you have no standards whatsoever, if you’re considering a vote for McCain.
We understand…
June 24th, 2008 at 12:05 amCorporations have too much power. They certainly do run America. The people are merely labor and consumers. They provide healthcare to those that can afford it….oh sure there is help once an old person spends his life savings fighting a disease, but not until. We are slave to corporations in this country when they are supposed to be serving the people.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:07 amlol
June 24th, 2008 at 12:07 amDon ImaSchmuck just can’t escape his crackerness.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:09 amDon ImaSchmuck just can’t escape his crackerness.
Good one!
June 24th, 2008 at 12:10 amWesley,
It doesn’t matter how Mussolini sounds to you. He was a Fascist — which is by definition ultra far right.
What’s your point?
June 24th, 2008 at 12:12 amWell the GOP certainly has not reduced the size of government, only directed resources away from programs that lift our whole society like education and oversight to fund their wars for profit and oil.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:12 amWesleyJI Says:
ps.
Jeremiah Wright. This man wouldn’t have a job without his race card in hand.
True – white guys don’t often become black preachers. You have an excellent point there indeed!
This is the man who counseled Obama spiritually for 20 years (which makes him way more than just a mere acquaintance).
Truth. Twenty years of friendship and spiritual guidance doesn’t make someone a mere acquaintance. Unlike three minutes of YouTube clips, which is all you know about Reverend Wright and his “radical black agenda.”
If you sincerely believe that Wright’s radical black agenda didn’t rub off even a little bit over a 20 year span on Obama, check out Obama’s quote from last friday. Look at Michelle’s quotes on being “….proud of her country for the first time in her adult life” and how “America is a mean country”.
America IS a mean country. We go to wars for no reason and 16% of us don’t have health insurance. If this “radical black agenda” is “telling the un-sugar-coated truth about my country,” then bring it on.
And I don’t fault Michelle for being proud of her country for the first time. Her optimism is inspirational – I only hope that one day I, too, can be proud of this country for the first time in MY adult life.
The New Black Panther party endorsed Obama. Hamas endorsed Obama. Castro said he was “the most advanced of the candidates”.
Hamas? The same Hamas that is currently honoring a cease-fire with Israel? Good for them.
Considering all of this, how can anybody come to the conclusion that Obama isn’t even slightly radical, let alone nearly full blown radical? Talk about being out of touch with ther American people!
You can read his campaign platform – it’s pretty far from “full blown radical.”
Just remember…….the most radical of people have reached pinnacles of power through well rehearsed rhetoric. Let’s not let it ever happen again. Don’t be ignorant, open your eyes.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 pm
“Again?” You mean we’ve elected a President in recent memory who wasn’t a corporate-sponsored focus-group-tested mass-produced political puppet?
News to me.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:13 amNow Wesley is playing the victim.
Jeebus, TP — won’t you please shop at the finer troll shops?
June 24th, 2008 at 12:13 amdrick23 Says:
Commi doesnt work capitalsm does look at russia , china. sorry i dont want to live there next year.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Um, Russia and China are about as far from Communism as you can get. They’re perfect examples of how unchecked free-market capitalism DOESN’T work.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:14 amdrick23 is playing the stupid card.
No surprise there.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:14 amDon Imustsuckatthis just can’t get it out of his crack so it comes out his mouth.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:16 amWesley,
I’m sorry you were left behind. Please consider that GED, and pay attention in government class — especially the day they talk about the Constitution.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:18 amIt feels like Friday night here at TP. Trolls gone wild. It’s just a shame that TP can’t afford trolls with brains.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:20 amImus is a cow!
June 24th, 2008 at 12:21 amdrick23,
Please return to your compulsive masturbation. You’re more attractive when you’re alone.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:21 amWesleyJI
wanna fire some condom
water balloons at
fort sumpter?
yeah!
good luck.
*
June 24th, 2008 at 12:23 amWesley,
You’ve just outed yourself as a complete retard.
Next…
June 24th, 2008 at 12:23 amWright was right. I grew up a hundred miles from the nearest black person . I was told “they don’t like the cold.” Racism as deep as you can shovel in this country, north and south.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:23 amWesleyJI Says:
Zooey Mussolini hated the right. He rose to power through the left, that is the only way he got to where he was. He started out writing for far left magazines! He hated the right because of the capitalism and love for religion! Facism is by no means a product of the right. It is completely a product of the left.
and ya know what else?
christ is satan!
oh yeah.
good luck.
*
oh btw, noah goldberg
got his mom lucianne pregnant
they just celebrated the birth of a unicorn goat.
sorry i meant the neo-conservative unicorn goat.
sorry.
*
June 24th, 2008 at 12:28 amGee Wesley, maybe when you get out of college you’ll learn some critical thinking skills.
How old are you anyway?
June 24th, 2008 at 12:29 amPlease the old fart is a flaming racist. Now I guess he will lie about all the racist quotes he’d said. He’s neither cleaver nor funny.
If you know this old racist you know he ain’t into taking up for African-Americans unless his ass is called up on a racist remark.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:30 amQuit pickin’ on the devil.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:30 amWesley,
I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood me — not surprising, really — this isn’t frustration, it’s amusement. :-D
June 24th, 2008 at 12:30 amZooey Says:
Gee Wesley, maybe when you get out of college you’ll learn some critical thinking skills.
How old are you anyway?
Zooey, just a few hours ago you were lecturing people here for feeding the trolls. You should be ashamed.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:31 amdrick23 Says:
Imus is the devil
no.
he’s wesleyll mohter.
and drick’s wife.
good luck.
*
June 24th, 2008 at 12:31 am“Mr. Imus wrote: ‘I meant he was being picked on because he’s black.’”
Sure, Don and Bush is not a drunk.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:31 amSeeing as how this thread is entirely OT . . .
McCain: More War, Less Jobs
June 24th, 2008 at 12:32 amdrick23 Says:
Blame America first !!!
your dick
is a cocktail weenie!!!!
*
June 24th, 2008 at 12:32 amgummitch, sweetie baby, I am so very ashamed.
BTW, it wasn’t a lecture, it was a comment. :P
June 24th, 2008 at 12:32 amGame of Life, I don’t think your being fair to old farts.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:33 amZoo, you’re much more generous than I am. I had Wesly pegged as a complete retard about three posts in, but you gave him the benefit of the doubt. I admire that.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:33 amRalph,
I was just playing with my food. ;)
June 24th, 2008 at 12:34 amZooey, I know it’s been a rough couple of weeks and you need your entertainment, but really this is like kicking mole people when they rise up from their holes. It’s not even sporting.
I’m off to see if I can pick up the four hours of sleep I missed last night. Have fun, but remember, stomping morons earns no points.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:35 amImus meant: “He’s being picked on because he’s black, just the way I like it.”
June 24th, 2008 at 12:36 amgummitch,
More like a rough month and a half — but who’s counting? :)
Sometimes a girl needs to burn off a little aggression. Heh.
Sweet dreams!
June 24th, 2008 at 12:38 amWesleyJI Says:
Remember, Obama is not the right man for the job. John McCain is. Period.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:36 am
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Welcome to TP, Wesley! I look forward to shooting down your moronic commentary with gleeful enthusiasm!
June 24th, 2008 at 12:39 amToodles, Wesley.
Too bad you don’t have more….um, staying power.
Return to your normal position — hiding under your dripping piss-soaked bed.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:40 amThat’s one of my favorite juvenile troll games — log in, spout a few ridiculous statements, claim that you’ve achieved something, then bugger off to hide under the bed again.
Well played, Wesley. Even if you are wasted.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:44 amdrick23,
I’d rather spar with a sofa pillow. It’ has a few IQ points on you.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:45 amdrick23 Says:
keep the balck man down woth welfare right?
And the white, backwater boobs, with Sterno, and bad spelling..
June 24th, 2008 at 12:47 amNot “wasted,” Ralph — a waste.
That boy’s parents are paying for school, and he’s not learning a thing. :|
June 24th, 2008 at 12:47 amDon’t be mean to drick, he’s my sassy teen.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:48 amHAHAHAHA
It’s funny when a troll gets the taste smacked out his mouth and has to leave.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:49 amSorry, Hussein McCain.
I guess I should give him credit for being as smart as a sofa pillow. ;)
June 24th, 2008 at 12:51 amC’mon Dreck, get off the floor. This is only the first round, f’godsakes. You can’t be winded already!
June 24th, 2008 at 12:54 amOf course it feels like a Friday night with the trolls. School’s out for summer. Every night seems like a Friday night to them.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:54 amTP really needs to get better trolls. I didn’t even break a sweat.
Goodnight, all!!
June 24th, 2008 at 12:55 amIn the event that we are grading on a curve, Imus’ statements, although in very poor taste, absolutely pale in comparison with the comments of other reich-wing shock jocks.
One must ask: “Why is Imus being held to a different standard?”
For the sake of reference and comparison, please consider the following lists of outrageous comments from 2005 and 2006, courtesy of Media Matters:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200512230006
http://mediamatters.org/items/200612220013?f=s_search
So where’s the outrage with regard to O’Reilly, Limbaugh, Boortz, Coulter, Beck, et al?
And for one of the most recent comments that you’ll never hear about on the reich-wing dominated corporate “news”, check out the following video of Michael Reagan, might well set the gold standard for impropriety:
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=t_4NMx0Vd7Q&feature=related
Again, where is the sense of proportion?
June 24th, 2008 at 1:00 amWesleyJI Says:
Imus isn’t the only one making racially charged comments. Obama last Friday (June 20) said to a crowd in Jacksonville, FL:
“We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. ”
Is Obama not playing the race card here? Is he not stereotyping his opponents? Was this not a racially charged comment?
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 pm
_______
No, he’s not playing the race card. Talking about race, and how race is perceived in the media, is not “playing the race card.” He’s talking about how the Republicans, the swift-boaters, and Fox News are going to spend the months between now and November instilling fear of the scary black man in as much of the U.S. electorate as they can. It’s not stereotyping, it’s predicting the mind-bogglingly obvious.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:03 amdrick23 Says:
can i get a ;arge corporation fry with that?
Judging from your past posts, I’d say lay off the greasy food; it’s clogging your arteries, and apparently causing mini-strokes that make it difficult for others to understand you.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:07 amThe poor GOP has to go back to Lincoln to find a GOP-er that hasn’t campaigned with the wink and nod to the racists Southern Strategy.
We weren’t the racists in the 1860’s!
Funny stuff.
-GSD
June 24th, 2008 at 1:07 amOr are you just punch-drunk?
June 24th, 2008 at 1:08 amdrick23 Says:
CHANGE is awesome!!!
With McCain as president, you’ll have a whole pocketful!
June 24th, 2008 at 1:10 amRe: Comment #63 –
If fascism is a product of the left, then communism must be a product of the right? A difficult concept to wrap one’ mind around, huh?
You would most assuredly be astounded to learn that Nazis actually persecuted socialists, and then attacked the U.S.S.R. during World War II.
So, where are you attending college? Liberty University or Bob Jones University?
June 24th, 2008 at 1:15 amSorry about the typo…this should read a little better…
Re: Comment #63 –
If fascism is a product of the left, then communism must be a product of the right? A difficult concept to wrap one’s mind around, huh?
You would most assuredly be astounded to learn that Nazis actually persecuted socialists, and then attacked the U.S.S.R. during World War II.
So, where are you attending college? Liberty University or Bob Jones University?
June 24th, 2008 at 1:18 amwhat a joke the drive by media has pasessed on to you guys
I wish one of these Einsteins of the Right would explain what this nonsensical term means to them.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:22 amlook in the mirror. socialized medicine, gas, taexs, open ur eyes.
Another pie-in-the-sky republican, who wants all his favorite projects funded, but doesn’t want to pay the taxes necessary to fund them.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:26 amWow! It seems Mr. P’s Loony Squad has been busy, making the rounds in this thread, posting their usual nonsensical babble.
As for Imus, I still think his comment was out of line. And quite frankly, I don’t care what Gregory thinks.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:32 amsorry i dont want to pay for some loser that doesnt work. you sound like you fit the part?
You losers don’t want to pay for anything. That’s what being a republican is all about.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:33 amRe: Comments #122 and #123 —
Imagine how horrible it would be if we had state-run oil companies, operated on a non-profit basis. How much lower do you think our gas prices would be if we didn’t have to pay a huge premium (i.e., corporate welfare) in the form of subsidies, tax breaks, rock bottom lease prices for oil drilling rights on federal lands, lobbying expenses, the costs of buying politicians in Washington, D.C., environmental cleanup (such as Exxon Valdez) and other expenses related to the private sector which are too numerous to enumerate.
Isn’t is much better for Big Oil to line their own pockets with our part of our money every time we fill the tank (or buy groceries, for that matter, since transportation costs are factored into the price) than to have government running such a business, returning profits to the taxpayers in the form of reduced federal debt, repairing crumbling infrastructure or a rebate to taxpayers that doesn’t depend upon additional loans that indebt us to China?
Yes, Big Oil is thankful for every citizen of this country who thinks the way you do.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:37 amBuild the pie higher, more out of reach.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:42 amGoodnight Jimbob.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:44 amWesleyJI Says:
——————————————————————————–
just so all of you know, I’m not a republican. I’m not independent or democrat. I am just a strong believer in small government. The Democrats are the furthest from this, and Obama has no intentions of reducing the size of government. For these reasons (and many more), i find him a unsuitable candidate and i would never ever cast a vote for him. Period.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:26 am————————————
Personally, I doubt anyone really cares. I know I don’t.
It is HARD to figure out whether the man is a Racist or just INFATUATED with a person’s skin color! OsiSpeaks[dot]com
June 24th, 2008 at 3:52 amIsn’t it always funny that these peoples problems are always someone else’s fault. He didn’t do anything wrong. It’s OUR fault for misunderstanding what he meant by his bigotted racial comments.
They put him back on the air, they got what they deserved. He’s become a bigotted, decrepit old fart and just needs to go into a home somewhere. Maybe they can give him a room on that ranch of his and he can yell at all of those poor children to get off of his lawn.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:45 amImus is a burnout.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:15 amLooks like the trolls have begun letting their 8 year olds take over posting here.
Such idiotic nonsense, with poor grammar, just to let you know how fcuking young and dumb they truly are.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t reflect well on TP overall either and will continue to keep me at arms length from the school-yard immaturity that takes place here daily…
“I know you are but what am I” is an argument I refused to engage in while in grade school.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:19 amp.s. Don Imus is a NON-ISSUE and Adam “Pacman” Jones is a dipshit, no matter what color he is.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:24 amI am gonna have to defend Imus on this one. I think he was trying to say that Pac Man was arrested so many times BECAUSE he is Black, not that he keeps getting into trouble because that’s what Black people do. I believe Imus was implying that had it been a White football player, he problably would’ve have been arrested so many times.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:36 amIn Imus’ mind, that’s what he meant, but just taken as it is, those few sentences could be misconstrued.
However, since he didn’t know who Pac Man Jones was, or why he was arrested so many times, maybe he would’ve been better off punting on this one.
Hey it looks like the mumbling cokehead forgot his big stupid hat
June 24th, 2008 at 8:46 amWow — I’m just seeing what I missed last night. Two trolls managed to hijack this thread way off-topic. The first one, WesleyJI, blasted in here with virtually every racist talking point against Obama, including the mindset that Obama is not permitted to mention race, even if it’s to defend against racism. Then he goes on to talk about how intelligent and educated he is, even though his posts are riddled with typos and grammar errors. And then, when he is challenged as to why Obama is unacceptable, he mutters vague things about how Obama wants bigger government without giving any specifics. I guess he feels that spending money on ANY program that helps the American people is worse than pouring money down the drain in Iraq. And he’s probably OK with a government big enough to spy on him, as long as it’s not headed up by a black person.
Yet this guy looks downright cerebral compared to the other troll, drick23. This guy feels that we shouldn’t have to pay anything out for anyone — that all problems would be solved if everybody just got a job and nobody got a handout of any kind. It’s obvious that this guy has never had to look for a job in his life, so he’s probably living at home supported by his parents.
Don’t these trolls realize just how predictable they are?
June 24th, 2008 at 9:02 amI just hope they return so that I can have the opportunity to hang out with them. I always miss all the truly zany ones.
Now as to the topic. I was thinking that maybe if Imus stopped mumbling incoherently, he might be less likely to be “misunderstood”
June 24th, 2008 at 9:15 amWow Senile Dementia gets its own spokesman.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:19 ambarackocarter Says:
You forgot to pull your tiny head out of your enormous a-hole before posting, as usual…
June 24th, 2008 at 10:19 amGiven the severity of the statements made by other pundits (see links in my Post #110), doesn’t going after Imus parallel our legal system?
A system where a poor person can steal a video from a convenience store so they can give it to their child for a birthday present, but let corporate criminals who steal millions of dollars go free.
And then there’s Scooter Libby. Anyone remember him?
June 24th, 2008 at 10:26 ammisshusseinmolly I respectfully disagree that you could think this was an honest misspeak I listened to the whole thing and there is no way he misspoke. He sure tried to clean it up after he realized he stepped into shit but if you listen to him talking about of course when you go to clubs there will be women and drinking and guns. He knew exactly what he was saying before he said it. He is a racist pig and he knows his audience and he was speaking to that audience.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:11 pmImus follows sports very closely. There is no way he didn’t know who Pac Man Jones is and he definitely intended to insert PacMan’s race into it by asking the other person what color he [pac man] was, which to me was total insulting to begin with. As to the racist trolls in here, go peddle your racist crap somewhere else. The website here is Think Progress – Not Think Backwards like those of your ilk
June 24th, 2008 at 7:15 pm