Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn apologizes

[Babe_Ruth]

What's with Congressman lately, it doesn't matter which party there in, it seems like one is the news every other week.

Doug Lamborn | Tar Baby | Apologize | The Daily Caller

Some times they should just keep there mouth shut.

Thoughts?

 

[SmilinSilhouette]

The wonderful tar baby story by Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus)

I don't think it is as bad as this:

Sources: Joe Biden likened tea partiers to terrorists - Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan - POLITICO.com

Or any one of many such exclamations by democrats that are ignored and unreported by the main stream Obama loving media.

 

[Merc]

So Biden throws a name out and it's terrible but yet another racial slip up and we're supposed to ignore it? I think racial slurs outweigh name calling, but that's just me.

 

[Smelnick]

The wonderful tar baby story by Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus)

I don't think it is as bad as this:

Sources: Joe Biden likened tea partiers to terrorists - Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan - POLITICO.com

Or any one of many such exclamations by democrats that are ignored and unreported by the main stream Obama loving media.

Goes to show that both parties need to pay a little more attention to what they say while on mic. Media of any kind is out there looking to take what they say and turn it into a huge story, when meanwhile they're merely making a joke as innocent any one of us might make while hanging out with our friends.

As BR said, sometimes they just need to shut up eh? Talk less, do more :lol:

 

[MenInTights]

This is what he said:

“Even if some people say, ‘Well the Republicans should have done this or they should have done that,’ they will hold the President responsible,” Lamborn said. “Now, I don’t even want to have to be associated with him. It’s like touching a tar baby and you get it, you’re stuck, and you’re a part of the problem now and you can’t get away. I don’t want that to happen to us, but if it does or not, he’ll still get, properly so, the blame because his policies for four years will have failed the American people.”

This is what Tar Baby means:

The Tar-Baby is a doll made of tar and turpentine used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes. In modern usage according to Random House, "tar baby" refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional contact. The expression tar baby is also used occasionally as a derogatory term for black people (in the U.S. it refers to African-Americans; in New Zealand it refers to Maori), or among blacks as a term for a particularly dark-skinned person. As a result, some people suggest avoiding the use of the term in any context.

What's the problem? Is it his responsibility that people jump to the conclusion that he used it in a racial manner? From the little amount of evidence we can say its possible that the guy has never heard the word "tar baby" used in a derogatory manner. I have kin people that can't go 100 words without saying n*gger, but they've never used the word tar baby.

 

[Smelnick]

Which further proves that the media will hype up any "misstep" by a politician, just for the chance to make a story. If what you explained is true MiT, then yah, there's nothing wrong with what the guy said. I've always been of the belief that words used in a derogatory sense are only derogatory if the intent was negative. If used as the words were originally meant, then I see no issue.

I generally ignore most news stories like this one though, since everyone knows it's just the media trying to make a buck by selling something everyone will jump on and read. Meanwhile, innocent people who originally thought that what they were gonna say was fine, end up being browbeaten into make apologies even though they didn't do anything.

 

[MenInTights]

Which further proves that the media will hype up any "misstep" by a politician, just for the chance to make a story. If what you explained is true MiT, then yah, there's nothing wrong with what the guy said. I've always been of the belief that words used in a derogatory sense are only derogatory if the intent was negative. If used as the words were originally meant, then I see no issue.

I generally ignore most news stories like this one though, since everyone knows it's just the media trying to make a buck by selling something everyone will jump on and read. Meanwhile, innocent people who originally thought that what they were gonna say was fine, end up being browbeaten into make apologies even though they didn't do anything.

I'm not sure what I hate worse. Political correctness or gotcha journalism. He screwed up when he apologized. When you apologize over this, everyone assumes that you did something wrong. Why else would he apologize, right? Dumb move.

 

[SmilinSilhouette]

In this era of a President who seeks to exacerbate the tension between races for political gain it is no surprise. When reference to a parable is taken out of context, amplified by the propaganda machine of the mainstream media, and used to impugn the right it is termed a "racial slur". When the most prominent party members accuse the right of domestic terrorism, comparing them to those that would strap bombs on children and send them to murder innocents that is merely "name calling".

The Uncle Remus story and the lessons therein would seem to be lost on a new generation that gets their news from John Stewart and their opinions from their liberal professors and the talking heads on the pop culture journ-o-list media that tells them what the "cool" people think. So be the first to tweet it and link your tweet to your FACEbook page so everyone knows that you are "cool" too.

 

[Smelnick]

In this era of a President who seeks to exacerbate the tension between races for political gain it is no surprise. When reference to a parable is taken out of context, amplified by the propaganda machine of the mainstream media, and used to impugn the right it is termed a "racial slur". When the most prominent party members accuse the right of domestic terrorism, comparing them to those that would strap bombs on children and send them to murder innocents that is merely "name calling".

The Uncle Remus story and the lessons therein would seem to be lost on a new generation that gets their news from John Stewart and their opinions from their liberal professors and the talking heads on the pop culture journ-o-list media that tells them what the "cool" people think. So be the first to tweet it and link your tweet to your FACEbook page so everyone knows that you are "cool" too.

Either way it all comes down to 'media is stupid for jumping on every stupid little thing the politicians say, in order to make money'. I don't even see it as a left vs right situation. Mind you, I guess it is different in the states, and your claims of biased media are probably more true. I know here in Canada, it's less about political bias, and more about media outlets just trying to make a buck.

 

[CaptainObvious]

I've used the term tar baby exactly as MIT posted, to describe a sticky situation, that's how I learned how the term was used. Then someone pointed out the negative conatation that has been associated with the word, I stopped.

It's clear to anyone with a reading level above the 5th grade that the term was not used in a derogatory manner. What is worse than someone making a racial slur is someone unfairly accusing someone else of using a racial slur.
------

The wonderful tar baby story by Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus)

I don't think it is as bad as this:

Sources: Joe Biden likened tea partiers to terrorists - Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan - POLITICO.com

Or any one of many such exclamations by democrats that are ignored and unreported by the main stream Obama loving media.

Weren't we just lectured by the Obama administration back in January about the use of divisive rhetoric? Didn't Obama lecture us on being more civil and not resorting to divisive rhetoric? Didn't he promise Change back as a candidate in '08? Didn't they blame Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin for what happened in January?

And now when Gabby Giffords comes back to Washington to vote on a piece of legislation we have our vice-president calling people terrorists and claims some are "holding the country hostage". Unbelievable, and quite disgusting and extremely hypocritical.