Finger Shakers and Muckrakers

Posted on by
The former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland Mic...
Image via Wikipedia

By Chuck Ring (GadaboutBlogalot ©2009 – 2010)

Quote Freely From The Article – Leave The Pseudonym Alone

It’s been a while since the finger of racism and homophobia was pointed by the main stream media (MSM), and some members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Democratic Party, toward Tea Party members and other demonstrators that showed up to protest the actions of the United States House of Representatives in leading up to and finally voting for approval of the “health care bill.”

It has also been a considerable amount of time since a reward was offered for the Democratic Party and the CBC to give proof of their accusations about racism and homophobia.  Proof has not been forthcoming and the chances for its coming grows more scant with each passing hour.

It may be the time for the accusers to dose themselves and their MSM buddies with a liberal shot of Syrup of ipecac to rid themselves of the poison of untruth.

Andrew Breitbart, reporting here and pointed out on this blog, has denied the accusations and had this and more to say:

The press went straight to petrified Republican leaders like John Boehner and Michael Steele over the falsified “N-word” allegations, who dutifully offered apologies that they were not qualified to give. It was a set-up.

I smelled a rat so I offered at first $10k five days after the highly publicized alleged incidents happened. How could we be five full news cycles into this major controversy and not have any evidence? In fact, the existing footage showed the Congressional Black Caucus walking and never once moving their heads toward any “racist outbursts.” Is it conceivable that all of them stoically walked by the N-word as it was hurled 15 times — as they were holding up cameras to convey they were suspicious of the crowd to begin with?

Breitbart further informs that it has been two weeks since the purported incidents and nothing of substance has been presented by the left:

We are now two weeks since the bill was signed and the $10k reward jumped to $20k in a day after it was mentioned on both Hannity and O’Reilly. At the Searchlight Tea Party event last weekend I upped the ante to $100k. So where’s the evidence? Ken Vogel of Politico covered this story and said calls to Rep. John Lewis — one of the originator’s of the N-word storyline – were never returned.

What started out as an ill-conceived (at best) plot to smear the demonstrators, now appears ready to devolve into a series of muckraking hullabaloos with the rakes wielded by Breitbart and the Tea Party crowd. There’s much more to read and contemplate as Breitbart continues his story and  challenges.  Just poke here.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

10 thoughts on “Finger Shakers and Muckrakers”

  1. In my opinion, this idiocy is getting far too much play from both sides. While the lack of video/audio confirmation doesn’t necessarily mean that the incident didn’t happen, it certainly does support the conclusion that if it did happen, it was probably a few people out of very many misbehaving. It seems as if any time somebody on either side of any debate holds a protest, a few people doing things that the rest of the attendants probably wouldn’t approve of get the lion’s share of the attention – and then the opponents of those holding the rally paint the entire movement with the same brush as the miscreants.

    As for Mr. Breitbart as a source: It is perhaps worth noting that Mr. Breitbart asserts that it is an act of racism for “a block of black people [to] walk slowly through a mostly white crowd,” at the U.S. Capitol (two of these alleged racist walkers were U.S. Representatives), a statement which seems racist in and of itself. At least from my point of view, this certainly does not do much for his credibility on the issue.

    • Surely irony has not escaped you. Breitbart’s statement, if we take into account that the Representatives could have taken the tunnel, but instead walked through a crowd of those that thoroughly disagree with them on the issue which was then at hand, then it certainly appears that they were looking for sacrifice or self-flagellation … or, they were trying to fish for racial epithets using human bait. Absent any proof of spitting and hurling of epithets, it seems ironic that the scheme could have or has actually backfired.

      As to the lack of video/audio confirmation, surely with all the telephone cameras and regular video recorders in the crowd and among the periphery of the crowd, someone could have saved a $100,000 audio or video which verified the accusation. Even high-salaried politicians could use $100K.

      Only my opinion.

      • Okay, what you and Breitbart seem to be suggesting is that the African American people in question should have, for all intents and purposes, gone in the back door because to go in the front door would upset the white folks standing out side who disagree with them on a completely non-race-oriented issue: health care reform. You both further insinuate that these black people going in the front door was some sort of scheme to elicit a racist response. Sorry, but I hold those positions to be racist, and I’m disappointed to read them here.

        You also seem to be taking the position that all of the witnesses who claim to have observed the behavior are lying, based on the lack of video/audio evidence of the epithet in question. I’ve viewed the available footage, and it does nothing to either confirm or cast doubt upon whether racial epithets were hurled. Very little individual vocalization from anywhere not immediately next to the camera is recognizable. Neither the words of the “spitter” nor whatever Rep. Cleaver said back to him are audible, and they were relatively close to the microphone. The available video does not appear to support the suggestion that hundreds of people were there with their video/audio/camera capabilities. In the video available online, I saw one professional (or semi-pro) video camera that may have had a directional microphone, two or three devices that might have been either cell phone cameras or Mino-type video cameras, and one apparent still camera. With the very dubious but possible exception of the larger unit, none of these would be likely to pick up anything distinctive over the incredible din that was prevalent at the time, unless they were literally standing right next to it. Further, let us also consider that these cameras were all apparently carried by protesters, and there is some doubt as to whether they would release any video that would damage the cause they support.

        • No, there is no suggestion of the sort, except in your mind. Suppose I should say that your comments in your first paragraph above are race baiting. Would my statement make it true? Absolutely not, and your poor and misguided attempt to paint me with your race brush is shameful and more than a little silly. Try reading the words for what they say, rather than putting a spin on the words. By the way, your back door, front door analogy is a poor attempt at reinforcing your unsupported assumption of racism on my part.

          I stick by my beliefs that if the “N” word was hurled 15 times as has been reported as stated by Representative Lewis, someone with a recording device would have picked it up or there would be account after account by others of the epithets. You use the term, “all the witnesses.” I don’t recall many witnesses claiming to have seen/heard the alleged activity. What I have seen and heard is media reports of the allegations with no proof to back up the allegations (in some cases not even classifying the reports as allegations) along with remarks from the Democrats that the incidents happened … also with no proof to back up their statements and with no claim that they heard or saw the alleged actions. In my mind it is absolutely bewildering that no main stream media person has come forward with an account or claim of their personal hearing of the “shouted” epithet or the spitting.

          A union president has come forward in a question and answer period after a speech given by him at Harvard and claims to have heard the epithets and seen the spittings. I might mention that this is the first time that I have heard of multiple instances of spitting during the event on the 20th of March. I don’t know if Larry Trumpka (the union president) was present during the stroll of the Representatives, but I’m sure more than a few searches for his presence there are being conducted through examination of video records.

          While there is story after story on both sides of the allegations, there is still no proof that epithets were thrown at the Representatives or that any intentional spitting occurred.

          There is plenty of denial as to the allegations tossed and I believe the ball is in the accuser’s court to prove their accusations. Again, $100 K is a lot of hay. I leave you with this:

          http://www.frugal-cafe.com/public_html/frugal-blog/frugal-cafe-blogzone/2010/04/03/case-of-two-liars-mo-dem-rep-cleavers-ga-dem-rep-lewiss-racism-lies-exposed-videos-prove-deception-of-democrat-party/

          I don’t know if you have time or even care to access and read the material, but it might have you realize that my opinions are not unique among whites or blacks and neither does your opinion count for much when you express your belief that I have written racial material; more so, when similar remarks to mine are found all over the blogosphere (on white operated and minority operated blogs.)

  2. I’ve accessed the material and viewed the two videos provided there. One is heavily voiced over with commentary, and the other is cut off before the Representatives and those accompanying them reached the steps. Neither video provides much in the way of proof one way or another that the alleged incidents did or did not occur. I take no position on that one way or another, and I doubt that there will ever be any way to prove whether or not the incident occurred as described. I also stand by my prior assertion that if it did happen, it is not necessarily indicative of the overall sentiment of the crowd, or of the movement. If the behavior occurred, it was clearly not widespread. For what it’s worth, it is not clear that the “spitting” was intentional, although one might feel a little differently upon finding somebody else’s saliva on their face, and we all have an obligation to keep our saliva inside our own faces and away from those of others.

    As for the reference to the newly noted witness, his name is Richard (not Larry) Trumka. Video may be found at: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/AFL-CIO-chief-claims-he-witnessed-disputed-racial-insult-at-health-care-rally-90254092.html.

    There is no spin, here. Trying to turn this into a personal attack on you just doesn’t wash. It is the position, and not you, with which I take issue. Your response states that “they could have taken the tunnel,” suggests that not doing so was a provocation and that” it certainly appears that they were looking for sacrifice or self-flagellation … or, they were trying to fish for racial epithets using human bait.” You have no evidence to suggest that this was the intent, merely the opinion that because these people were black and walked through a crowd of mostly-white protesters with whom they disagreed, they must have been race-baiting. That position, also expressed by Mr. Breitbart, is what I believe to be racist – and it makes no difference to me that other people share that opinion or have written similar opinions. As far as I’m concerned, nobody in this country needs an excuse to walk across a street; they are free to do so regardless of who else may also be in the street. I acknowledge that there will always be those who will tend to disagree.

    In following through on this topic, I found some interesting video of Mr. Breitbart claiming to witness eggs being thrown at the Tea Party Express bus in Nevada, purportedly by Reid supporters (http://www.libertyscout.com/2010/03/29/video-harry-reid-supporters-egg-tea-party-express-bus-and-threaten-andrew-breitbart/; there is no video of the eggs being thrown, so apparently they weren’t, even though it looks like something hit the bus). Mr. Breitbart appears shocked and dismayed at the fact that he, a well-known and highly visible figure who spends a good deal heaping contempt upon the beliefs of those protesting, is met with resentment by one of the protesters. “I haven’t said anything provocative!” laments the poor “unintentional provocateur.” I find it interesting that it’s provocation when it’s Democratic congressmen walking across the street and up the Capitol steps, and NOT provocation when Mr. Breitbart shows up with a film crew and makes loud comments about the protesters. Perhaps he has a point; when he does it, it’s not provocation…

    …It’s theater.

    • Through innuendo or otherwise your statement paints me as a racist. That’s the way I take it and since I’m on the receiving end of your comments, I’m the one that interprets your words. As to all the rest of your post above, nothing has changed from your second post, except you again attempt to roll me into the racist role. I believe, you are deluding yourself if you believe the reason they chose the street instead of the tunnel was for any reason other than confrontation. If it was just a bright sun-shiny day and they didn’t have a crowd to work their way through, then I might believe it was done in the ordinary course of their day. Of course they have the right to walk along any path which is legally open to them, but that still does not take away the fact that their accusations have not been supported by hard evidence.

      As to your continued playing with pitting black against white, in this particular case they could be white, pink or any color in the spectrum and my opinion would still be that they were fishing with flesh as they knew they were walking into a group of people who were very much against what they were intent on approving. Remember, there were other Representatives, white and otherwise that chose the same path to the final vote. I’m of the opinion that on that day, all of the Representatives (no matter their color) had the objective of forcing confrontation and in a way to demonstrate their overwhelming power, in so far as completing the task they were intensely bent on finishing. Their right to walk where they want to does not change my belief that they took the difficult path for no reason but to confront the demonstrators.

      Go back and look at the video of Breitbart at the Searchlight demonstration. You should see an egg pass by his head and then hear a “splat” against the side of the bus. Here is one article blog article that shows the culmination of a search for at least one of the eggmen. He has an egg in his hand and by connection, egg on his face.

      Mr. Breitbart appears to be a very excitable and passionate individual. Whether his excitement and passion detract from his effectiveness and camera warmness in the opinion of others, makes little to no difference to me. What matters is the appearance that he has trumped his detractors time and again and he looks to be well on his way to a repeat performance with the eggs and epithets. Here a blog article that touches on Washington on March 20th and Searchlight during the eggcidents and the spitaments

      I’m out of this discussion with you until the Representatives prove their accusations or some other party or parties proves them in their stead. If such should occur, you’ll have my apology for being wrong about the facts, but not for being or sounding racist. If the facts should support Breitbart in all instances, as they do with the eggcidents, then that will be a spin of a different top.

  3. I just wrote a long reply, and found it’s “in moderation.” I haven’t run into this here before, but I’m figuring it’s because you have the “two or more link” WordPress rule enabled. I can sympathize; I hate blog spam too, and I tend to moderate link-heavy responses myself.

Comments are closed.