'Whatever It Takes' Republicans Embrace Intolerance (Press Release)

[ProSense]

Whatever It Takes’ Republicans Embrace Intolerance

Washington, DC--(HISPANIC PR WIRE – U.S Newswire)--September 22, 2006--A week after Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman vowed to supporters in an e-mail that the RNC would "hold nothing back" and "spend whatever it takes" to "maintain our majorities," it's clear that Republicans across the country will do and say just about anything to get elected -- even resort to some of the most insidious forms of intolerance.

In the last week alone, a Republican candidate in Minnesota attacked his opponent's faith, young conservatives in Michigan are running dangerous and divisive "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" and "Fun With Guns" events, and an Arizona Republican Congressional candidate refused to demand that former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke remove an endorsement and a link to his campaign from Duke's website.

This renewed sense of desperation among Republicans comes as the American people are rejecting the failed leadership of the Do-Nothing Congress. A new CBS/New York Times poll showed that just 25% of Americans approve of the job the Republican-controlled Congress is doing. Two-thirds said the Do-Nothing Congress has accomplished less this session then it typically does, while a majority said it could not even name a single accomplishment. (New York Times, 9/21/06)

"The shameful discriminatory and un-American rhetoric being used by desperate Republican candidates across the country is not just a reflection of how out of touch they are with basic American values and decency, it's a stark reminder of how little they have to run on this year," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. "A desperate need to cling to power is not an excuse for promoting intolerance and hate. If this is what the Republican Party needs to do to win, it doesn't bode well for the future of the Republican Party or of our democratic process.

"Americans are tired of being divided, and are looking for change. Democrats stand ready to offer a new direction for America, one that embraces America's unique diversity and works to unite us in a common sense of purpose."

Below are some of the most egregious examples of this desperate strategy:

RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman Vows To Do "Whatever It Takes." "With so much at stake, the Republican National Committee will hold nothing back in this fight. This week, I made the decision that the RNC will spend whatever it takes - $60 million or more, the RNC's entire budget - to maintain our majorities." (RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, e-mail to supporters, 9/15/06)

Arizona Republican Congressional Candidate Gets David Duke's Nod of Approval
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Founder and former Grand Wizard David Duke praises Republican Congressional candidate Randy Graf and links to Graf's campaign website from his own. The Arizona Daily Star, however, reported that Graf campaign manager R.T. Gregg told that newspaper that "Graf has no plan" to ask David Duke to remove the link to the campaign. Graf's history may shed some light on that: (http://www.davidduke.com; Arizona Daily Star, 09/21/06)

-- Graf Opposed Banning Cross Burning. In 2004, Graf voted against HB 2694, which made it a Class 1 misdemeanor to burn a cross on another person's property without permission with the intent to intimidate any person or group of persons. (HB 2694, 5/26/04; Associated Press, 5/5/04)

-- Graf Was a Senior Advisor to a Group Led by a Self-Described "White Separatist." Graf was a senior advisor to Protect Arizona Now (PAN). The chair of PAN's advisory board, Dr. Virginia Abernethy, told The Arizona Republic that she was a "white separatist."

-- FAIR Donated Thousands to Graf's Campaign. FAIR's Political Action Committee donated $5,000 to Graf's 2004 campaign for Congress. (http://www.tray.com) Between 1982 and 1994, FAIR received more than $1.2 million from the Pioneer Fund, a little-known foundation created in 1937 which openly supported Adolph Hitler. In fact, Paul Gemma, a known Holocaust denier, is employed at FAIR. (Center for New Community Report, Nov. 2004; The American Prospect, 11/05)

College Republican National Committee Intern Planned Divisive and Dangerous "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" and "Fun With Guns" Events. "Morgan Wilkins, the intern hired by the Republican National Committee to win the hearts and minds of Michigan 20-somethings, is planning events that some may find odd. To others, they may be offensive. One such idea is 'Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day,' in which a volunteer would play the part of an illegal immigrant and hide somewhere on campus while others try to find him. The winner would receive a prize. Her other ideas include an event called 'Fun with Guns,' in which young Republicans would use a BB gun or paintball gun to shoot cardboard cut-outs of Democratic leaders such as Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)" (The Michigan Daily, 9/12/06)

Similar Events Had Already Been Tested Around the Country. "The Young Conservatives of Texas played the game at the University of North Texas in Denton last spring. But campus outcry put a stop to similar plans at Penn State University and the University of Texas at Austin. The University (of Michigan) chapter of YAF will have help playing the game from its counterpart at Michigan State University." (The Michigan Daily, 9/19/06)

Minnesota Republicans Lash Out at Japanese and Muslim Americans. Former state Representative Mike Osskopp, a senior staffer for Republican Congressman John Kline was caught on video tape screaming a derogatory, anti-Japanese slur in the parking lot during a recent political event. Osskopp's insensitive remark came less than a week after Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey sent a fundraising e-mail challenging the patriotism of Keith Ellison, a Muslim-American Democratic Congressional Candidate. Ellison's opponent, Republican candidate Alan Fine, also lashed out at him in a manner that a Star Tribune political columnist called "stunning" in its vitriol. As the columnist noted, "I've received hate mail from lonely bigots with a gentler tone than (Fine's) statement." (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 9/13/06).

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Said Black Women Get Abortions At An "Appalling Rate." Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez said, "black women get abortions at an 'appalling' rate. 'I've seen numbers as high as 70 percent - maybe even more - in the African-American community that I think is just appalling,' the congressman said in an interview broadcast Monday on public radio's 'Colorado Matters' program. The comment sparked a fury among black religious and political leaders that was fanned after grassroots liberal groups called attention to the statement." (Denver Post, 8/31/06)

Conrad Burns Said "A Faceless enemy" Of Terrorists "Drive Taxi Cabs In The Daytime And Kill At Night." "First lady Laura Bush campaigned for U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns here (in Montana) Wednesday, calling the Republican a strong advocate for Montana farmers and families. . Burns talked about the war on terrorism, saying a 'faceless enemy' of terrorists 'drive taxi cabs in the daytime and kill at night.'" (Associated Press, 8/31/06)

Burns Joked About How "A Little Guatemalan Man" Fixing His House Might Be An Illegal Immigrant Seven Years After Calling Arabs "Ragheads." "A new video released this week by his Democratic challenger, Jon Tester, shows Burns joking to a crowd in June about how a 'nice little Guatemalan man' fixing up his house might be an illegal immigrant. 'Could I see your green card?' Burns tells the crowd he asked the man. 'And Hugo, says, 'No.' I said, 'Oh, gosh.'' A Burns spokesman said the senator never really doubted the legal status of the handyman, Hugo Reyes. But it wasn't the only time Burns -- a critic of illegal immigration -- has poked fun at the immigrants doing work around his house. One week after the green-card crack, Burns recounted in a debate how after watching an interview on television of an illegal immigrant headed to Virginia for work, 'I told my roofer, you better go out and get your help, or you won't get my house roofed.' . Seven years earlier, Burns apologized for calling Arabs 'ragheads' in a speech about high oil prices." (Washington Post, 8/23/06)

FL Congressional Candidate Said, "I Know From Experience, That Blacks Are Not The Greatest Swimmers Or May Not Even Know How To Swim." "A video clip in which Republican Tramm Hudson makes negative comments about the swimming abilities of black people spread across the Internet on Thursday, drawing an apology from his campaign and a mix of reactions from challengers and local black leaders. The 27-second clip, first posted on the conservative Web site redstate.com, shows a portion of a speech the 13th District congressional candidate gave at a Christian Coalition forum in February. In the segment, Hudson, a former Army commander, recalls leading his infantry company across a river during a training exercise. 'A large number were black,' Hudson said. 'I grew up in Alabama. I understand, uh, I know from experience, that blacks are not the greatest swimmers or may not even know how to swim.'" (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8/18/06)

Allen Called Webb Volunteer "Macaca" and Welcomed Him To America. "At a campaign rally in southwest Virginia on Friday, Allen repeatedly called a volunteer for Democrat James Webb 'macaca.' Depending on how it is spelled, the word macaca could mean either a monkey that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere or a town in South Africa. In some European cultures, macaca is also considered a racial slur against African immigrants, according to several Web sites that track ethnic slurs. 'The kid has a name,' Webb communications director Kristian Denny Todd said of Sidarth, a Virginia native who was born in Fairfax County. 'This is trying to demean him, to minimize him as a person.'" (Washington Post, 8/15/06)

GOP Congressional Candidate Called Racial Profiling "A Tool Of War." "Republican congressional candidate Mark Flanagan called for closer screening of Muslims at U.S. airports as a way of preventing future attacks. And the Bradenton Republican went a step further, calling racial profiling 'a tool of war,' and grabbing international media attention in a race in which he's been largely outgunned. 'Profiling is not about bigotry,' said Flanagan, a former state legislator. 'It's about history, it's about evidence. It's about common sense. Terrorists are changing their tactics constantly, and they're taking advantage of our failure not to profile.'" (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8/26/06)

When Asked What A Muslim Male Looks Like GOP Congressional Candidate Said, "If He Comes In Wearing A Turban And His Name Is Mohammed, That's A Good Start." A congressional candidate from northwestern Wisconsin says airport security screeners should search all Muslim males. When asked how to tell what a Muslim male looks like, Nelson replied 'Well, you know, if he comes in wearing a turban and his name is Mohammed, that's a good start.'" (Associated Press, 8/16/06)

Buchanan Called For "An Immediate Moratoriam. To Assimilate, Americanize . And Make Them (Immigrants) Americans." According to Pat Buchanan's book State of Emergency, "The first imperative is an immediate moratorium on all immigration. And while the moratorium lasts, we should debate and decide whom we wish to come and whether we wish to alter or preserve the ethnic-religious composition of America. After all, America belongs to us, not the world." When asked about the passage in an interview on CNN, Buchanan said, "I do believe we should favor folks from cultures and civilization that have been assimilated before. But the purpose of the moratorium is like the moratorium we had from 1924 to 1965, to assimilate, Americanize and to introduce all these folks to our language and culture, and history and heroes, and make them Americans." (CNN, 8/28/06)

Baker Thanked God For The Damage Katrina Wrought On New Orleans Housing Projects, Which Predominantly Housed African-Americans. "(Rep. Richard) Baker, a white Republican from Baton Rouge who is serving his tenth term in the US House of Representative, did little for the cause of racial trust when he was overheard talking to lobbyists thanking God for the damage Katrina wrought on New Orleans housing projects, which predominantly housed African-Americans. 'We finally cleaned up public housing,' he said. 'We couldn't do it, but God did.' Baker later claimed he was misquoted." (New York Times, 8/27/06; Advocate (Baton Rouge), 9/10/05)

Romney Used "Tar Baby" Racial Epithet at Fundraiser. Responding to Romney's use of the word "tar baby" to describe the Big Dig on July 29, 2006, Leonard Atkins, president of the Boston NAACP, commented, "(Romney) obviously has lived a sheltered life. He's completely disconnected with reality in terms of racial sensitivity. He just does not get it." (Associated Press, 7/31/06)

Romney Suggested Wire-Tapping Mosques at 2005 Heritage Foundation Event. On September 15, 2005 the Boston Globe reported that, "Romney raised the prospect of wiretapping mosques and conducting surveillance of foreign students in Massachusetts, as he issued a broad call yesterday for the federal government to devote far more money and attention to domestic intelligence gathering." The Globe quoted Romney, speaking at a forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation on September 14, stating, "How many individuals are coming to our state and going to those institutions (foreign students in higher education) who have come from terrorist-sponsored states? Do we know where they are? Are we tracking them? How about people who are in settings -- mosques, for instance -- that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror. Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping? Are we following what's going on?" (Boston Globe, 9/15/06)

Romney's Wiretapping Mosques Comments Drew Ire from Civil Liberty & Muslim Groups. On September 16, 2005, the Washington Post quoted, Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, stating, "It's irresponsible for the top elected official in any state to suggest blanket wiretapping of houses of worship." The Post also quoted, Ali Noorani, the executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, stating, "There's a need for the U.S. government and the intelligence system to better understand the Muslim community. The way not to do it is to wiretap and surreptitiously surveil an entire community." (Washington Post, 9/16/06)

Blackwell: Homosexuality Is a Choice and Lifestyle That Can Be Changed And A "Transgression Against God's Law." On a Columbus Dispatch web cast, Ohio Gubernatorial Candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell said homosexuality 'is a lifestyle, it's a choice, and that lifestyle can be changed. I think it's a transgression against God's law, God's will.' Blackwell also compared gays to arsonists and kleptomaniacs. He said they all can change despite what might be a genetic inclination to such behavior. (Columbus Dispatch, 7/23/06)

Harris Said "If You Are Not Electing Christians, Tried And True, Under Public Scrutiny And Pressure, If You're Not Electing Christians, Then In Essence You Are Going To Legislate Sin." "Harris ignited a furor with her Witness interview. She sounded a fervent evangelical tone, saying that God 'chooses our rulers,' that voters need to send Christians to political office, and that God did not intend for the United States to be a 'nation of secular laws.' Speaking to Witness editors, Harris said: 'If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin.' 'If we are the ones not actively involved in electing those godly men and women,' then 'we're going to have a nation of secular laws. That's not what our Founding Fathers intended and . certainly isn't what God intended.'" (Kansas City Star, 8/28/06)

John McCain Refuses to Fire South Carolina Spokesman Who Founded A Confederate Heritage Magazine And Wrote Against MLK Holiday. Quinn was the editor in chief of The Southern Partisan magazine, which was described by Vanity Fair as "rabidly devoted to the South's Confederate heritage." In a 1983 column arguing against the recognition of Martin Luther King Day, Quinn wrote, "King Day should have been rejected because its purpose is vitriolic and profane." As recently as December 23, 2005, Richard Quinn was identified as "McCain's South Carolina spokesman." A 2004 Vanity Fair piece on McCain's fall in the 2000 campaign identified Quinn as "the McCain (2000) campaign's South Carolina strategist." (The State, 2/9/01, Partisan View, Southern Partisan, Fall, 1983, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, 12/23/05; Vanity Fair, 11/04)

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[mcscajun]

1. Nice job of putting all that Republican hate and filth in one place

for easy reference. Should come in quite handy in the weeks ahead.