Hispanic media coalition calls Limbaugh’s comment ‘nasty, bigoted, racist.’
Hispanic media coalition calls Limbaugh’s comment ‘nasty, bigoted, racist.’
Brian Maloney of the right-wing site Radio Equalizer defends Rush Limbaugh’s comment about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa being a “shoe shine guy.” “As to Limbaugh’s remark, was it indeed racist? This one’s easy: not at all!” writes Maloney. “There’s nothing race-specific about his comment. Are ‘shoe-shine guys’ usually Hispanic? No.” Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, has quite a different take:
What can I tell you? It’s the same kind of nasty, bigoted, racist type of comment that has become so prevalent in today’s society, as practiced by Lou Dobbs, as practiced by [Sean] Hannity, [Bill] O’Reilly, [Michael] Savage — all these guys who are appealing to a particular bigoted audience, and fanning the fires of bigotry and racism by doing these kinds of things without real concern about the consequences of their words.
Media Overlook Limbaugh’s Ethnically-Charged Insult Against LA Mayor
Media Overlook Limbaugh’s Ethnically-Charged Insult Against LA Mayor
Yesterday, as ThinkProgress reported, Rush Limbaugh went on Fox News and insulted Los Angeles’s Hispanic mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Limbaugh said that when he first met Villaraigosa, he thought he “was either the shoe shine guy or a Secret Service agent.” Yesterday on his radio show, Limbaugh again repeated the story:
I shook his hand, he left, comes back, the mayor of Los Angeles, I thought it was a Secret Service agent, maybe a shoeshine guy. Turns out he gives me his card, I said, “Oh, my gosh, it’s the mayor of Los Angeles.” I stood up, I said, “Hello, Mr. Villaraigosa.
Limbaugh’s remarks were in response to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) joke that he has a crush on her. While major media outlets reported on Limbaugh’s Fox apearance, all overlooked his insult to Villaraigosa:
ABC’s Jake Tapper: Tapper noted the “shoe shine” quote, but did not note its discriminatory nature. [Link]
Time’s Mark Halperin: Halperin did not note the “shoe shine” quote at all, focusing instead on Limbaugh’s allegations that President Bill Clinton hit on his date. [Link]
Politico’s Jonathan Martin: Martin also did not note the “shoe shine” quote and also focused instead on Limbaugh’s allegations that Clinton hit on his date. [Link]
Portfolio reports that Villaraigosa plans to release a statement today in response to Limbaugh’s comments. Perhaps then the media might notice.
There will be no national debate about whether he should step down as there was when Imus referred to a women's basketball team in a derogatory fashion. There will be no national outrage like there was following the racist vocal vomiting of "comedian" Michael Richards. There will be no slam down and painful lame excuses like those offered by Mel Gibson after his anti-Semitic comments. The rules for Latinos are different.Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition also responds here.
Limbaugh on Hispanic mayor of LA: I thought he was either a ’shoe shine guy or a Secret Service agent.’
Limbaugh on Hispanic mayor of LA: I thought he was either a ’shoe shine guy or a Secret Service agent.’
Today, Rush Limbaugh appeared on Fox News to discuss to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) joke that he has a crush on her. Limbaugh responded with a story about how President Bill Clinton once allegedly tried to hit on his date. He said that Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was with Clinton, distracted him, because he wasn’t sure if Villaraigosa was a “shoe shine guy” or a “Secret Service agent”:
I understand now why Bill Clinton hit on my date about a year ago at the Kobe Club in New York. I was minding my own business and Clinton came in. And the short version is he used the mayor of Los Angeles to distract me, while hitting on my date. […]
He came over three or four times, had Ron Burkle with him and the mayor of Los Angeles, who I thought was either the shoe shine guy or a Secret Service agent.
Watch it:
More here on Limbaugh’s knowledge of the “Spanish” people.
Geraldo: ‘Once you go black, you don’t go back.’
This morning, Geraldo Rivera appeared on Fox and Friends and commented on Barbara Walters’s newly-disclosed affair with former senator Edward Brooke. Gretchen Carlson made a point of noting that Brooke is African-American. “Once you go black, you don’t go back,” Geraldo said. The Fox and Friends hosts laughed, and one added, “I don’t know if that’s a song…” Watch it:
Matthews: Whites are ‘willing’ to support Obama in the same way they ‘root for black athletes.’
Matthews: Whites are ‘willing’ to support Obama in the same way they ‘root for black athletes.’
Last night on Hardball, host Chris Matthews sought to give Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) some “advice” on how to get white Americans to vote for him for president:
MATTHEWS: You got to talk like a firebrand because if you‘re carrying their fight for them, they‘re going to like you. You know, a lot of white people root for black athletes because they‘re winning for the home team. People are quite willing to pick up black heroes, if they‘ll win for their side.
Watch it:
Matthews has previously said of Obama: “This gets very ethnic, but the fact that he’s good at basketball doesn’t surprise anybody.”
McCain’s ‘gaffe’ on South Philly.
In a recent radio interview with Tavis Smiley, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that he was going to talk to African-American voters by going “all over this country. I’m going to go to South Philadelphia, I’m going to go to the Black Belt in Alabama.” An op-ed in the Philadelphia Daily News, however, fact-checks McCain:
If McCain wants to win over black voters, first he’d better know where to find them.
South Philly has changed from a mostly Italian-heritage enclave to one that includes growing numbers of Asians and Hispanics. According to the latest census, while Philadelphia is a majority-minority city, African-Americans are less than a third of the population in South Philadelphia.
The press had a field day with John Kerry’s swiss cheese moment - front-page news in our town.
But McCain’s gaffes, and his serious policy differences with most Americans, attract much less press and public attention. They don’t seem to make a dent in McCain’s self-portrait as the most seasoned and experienced candidate for the presidency.
Conyers slams McCain for 1983 vote against MLK Day.
Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) apologized for voting against a 1983 bill creating a holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In fact, McCain also supported former Arizona governor Evan Mecham in 1987 when Mecham rescinded the holiday in the state. On MSNBC today, Conyers took McCain to task for apologizing decades later — the midst of his presidential run:
Well look. I’m happy. That was in 1983, he didn’t make any apology, he didn’t make any apologies in 1987, so I guess I’m thrilled and forgiving that finally when he’s running for President he remembers to apologize. No, that’s great.
C&L has the video.
McCain Faces ‘A Little Bit Of Heckling’ During MLK Speech
McCain Faces ‘A Little Bit Of Heckling’ During MLK Speech
Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spoke to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Memphis to commemorate the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. As ThinkProgress has noted, as a congressman in 1983, McCain voted against legislation creating MLK Day.
Most Republicans (including then-Rep. Dick Cheney) supported the bill, later signed by President Reagan. McCain complained it “cost too much money, that other presidents were not recognized.” He eventually came around to supporting the holiday in a 1990 Arizona referendum that failed.
In his speech today, McCain tried to explain his misguided vote by stating, “We can all be a little late sometimes in doing the right thing”:
We can be slow as well to give greatness its due, a mistake I made myself long ago when I voted against a federal holiday in memory of Dr. King. I was wrong and eventually realized that, in time to give full support for a state holiday in Arizona. We can all be a little late sometimes in doing the right thing, and Dr. King understood this about his fellow Americans. But he knew as well that in the long term, confidence in the reasonability and good heart of America is always well placed.
During these statements, some in the crowd said, “We forgive you,” but many others began loudly objecting to McCain’s comments. CNN reporter Soledad O’Brien called it “a little bit of heckling.” Watch it:
O’Brien also noted that when McCain first emerged and greeted the crowd, there were some cheers, but there were also “some loud boos.”
McCain’s Tribute To MLK Spotlights His Opposition To MLK Day, Support Of Confederate Flag
McCain’s Tribute To MLK Spotlights His Opposition To MLK Day, Support Of Confederate Flag
Today at noon, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will be speaking in Memphis to mark the anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in this city 40 years ago. In a statement released today, McCain paid tribute to MLK, saying he “stirred the conscience of our nation”:
The power of his work and vision was not ended forty years ago in Memphis. Across the world, men and women are living Dr. King’s dream as they strive to extend the blessings of human liberty and human rights to all. Today, we mark a tragic day in our nation’s history while honoring the work of a man who was the voice for our nation’s highest ideals.
But this week, McCain has been “testy,” after the public has raised questions about his record on civil rights. In 1983, while serving in the House, McCain voted against legislation creating MLK Day. Most Republicans (including then-Rep. Dick Cheney) supported the bill, later signed by President Reagan. McCain complained it “cost too much money, that other presidents were not recognized.”
Discussing his record this week with reporters, McCain said, “I was pleased to be part of the fight for that recognition” of MLK Day in Arizona, one of the last states to recognize the holiday. But in 1987, when then-governor Evan Mecham rescinded the holiday, McCain said Mecham was “correct in his decision.”
McCain may pay great tribute to Dr. King today, but his support of civil rights issues has been tepid, and at times, offensive. Some highlights:
Honoring the Confederate flag: In 2000, McCain called the flag “offensive.” Later, he lauded it as a “battle flag” and a “symbol of heritage.”
Honoring racists: In 2000, Richard Quinn, McCain’s South Carolina spokesperson in 2000, called the MLK holiday “vitriolic and profane.” McCain defended Quinn, calling him a “respected” and “fine man,” refusing to fire him. McCain’s current campaign has paid the firm Richard Quinn and Associates $180,000.
Skipped African-American debate to campaign: McCain joined Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson in September 2007 in skipping PBS’ presidential debate, which featured “a panel exclusively comprised of journalists of color.”
McCain expresses regret for his earlier opposition to MLK Day, but his delayed judgment is noteworthy, as the 1983 vote was nearly 15 years after MLK was assassinated. “I had not been involved in the issue,” he says. Nevertheless, McCain still opposed the 1990 Civil Rights Act.
More at the Wonk Room.