Rep. State Senator calls candidate 'raghead'

[hongi]

You know the pattern. Since the 2008 campaign, every few weeks or months some minor political figure in the GOP utters something scandalously racist about the president. The Republican Party distances itself from the comments. Democrats mutter about how the conservative movement is riddled with troglodytes. Nobody gets anywhere.

Yesterday, as Alex Pareene noted, South Carolina Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts gave us an unusually frank rendition. Of his party’s front-running gubernatorial candidate, state Rep. Nikki Haley, Knotts said, "We already got one raghead in the White House. We don't need a raghead in the governor’s mansion." Haley immigrated to the United States as a child from India. She is a convert to Methodism, from Sikhism.

Sikhs are, of course, not Muslims. Hailing from what is now the border area between Pakistan and India, Sikhism bears some similarities to Islam and Hinduism both, but is not a sect of either. To lump it in with Islam makes about as much sense as an insult as calling a Christian a kike. Same geographical origin, very rough theological similarities — close enough, right?

Anyway, despite the crude literalism of the slur — like many Muslims, orthodox Sikh men wear turbans — it's fairly clear from the thrust of the insult that Knotts thought he was just calling Haley a sand nigger. (Like the president!) So here we have our troglodyte.

Cue damage control. The state Republican chair, Karen Floyd, issued a statement condemning Knotts. And if it sounds a bit halfhearted, well, this is how these things always sound. "The South Carolina Republican Party strongly condemns any use of racial or religious slurs. Senator Knotts should apologize for his inappropriate comments, so that we can put this unfortunate incident behind us and focus on issues important to moving our state forward."

Knotts, for his part, has offered up a halfhearted retraction. He was kidding around, he says. Except, also, not. "Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologize. I still believe Ms. Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur."

Salon.

Bolded the part that had me literally shaking with laughter. Nikki Haley is a Republican to boot. They're not even trying now are they?

Oh, and Obama is a raghead. That's taken for granted.

[Edward Yee]

Just to get more fucked up... Haley was endorsed by Sarah freakin' Palin, who's put out a phone call referring to "made-up nonsense" and continuing to back Haley. I've heard of a longer version where he more explicitly accuses her of faking Christianity (hey... doesn't this sound awfully like the accusations of "secret Jews"?) and declares "we need a Christian governor."

From what I am hearing though, South Carolina GOP politics is fucked up, period. :/ *facepalm*

[Tanasinn]

It makes you wonder what this woman is doing in a Republican party too stupid to even hate the right "ragheads," as they put it.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

I would like my governor's opinion of this miscarriage of political discourse. I'm of course waiting for him to Drop the Hammer on BP as well, but first things first...

[sketerpot]

It makes you wonder what this woman is doing in a Republican party too stupid to even hate the right "ragheads," as they put it.

Haven't you heard? Sikhs hate our freedom because we won't accept the teachings of the prophet Mohammed. And don't even get me started on those super-violent Jains!

[ArmorPierce]

Off topic but this reminds me of an incident that I witnessed.

Funny thing occured at the airport. I (picture to left), my father (blonde hair and green eyes), a white guy, and a indian sikh with the head thing on walk into the monorail for the airport. There were two military guys standing there. Out of all of us, guess who they called over to check their bags. When the Indian sikh was called over we all stood there to see if we had to show our bags but it quickly became apparent that we did not and continued walking.

It was fairly obvious that the search was motivated by racial profiling. The funny thing is that they probably intended to racially profile the 'muslims/A-rabs' but the Indian guy wasn't even the religion that they were trying to profile and the two actual guys of muslim descent walked by without any problem (my father, 100% muslim descent and I who is half but people probably would expect the reverse were true if they had to guess).

[bobalot]

You know what I hate? Pussy shits who whine that blatantly racist shit they have said is "taken out of context".

With a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face outside a Columbia bar, Republican S.C. Sen. Jake Knotts called Lexington Rep. Nikki Haley, an Indian-American Republican woman running for governor, a “raghead” several times while explaining how he believed she was hiding her true religion from voters.

“She’s a f#!king raghead,” Knotts said.

He later clarified his statement. He did not mean to use the F-word.

Knotts says he believed Haley has been set up by a network of Sikhs and was programmed to run for governor of South Carolina by outside influences in foreign countries. He claims she is hiding her religion and he wants the voters to know about it.

“We got a raghead in Washington; we don’t need one in South Carolina,” Knotts said more than once. “She’s a raghead that’s ashamed of her religion trying to hide it behind being Methodist for political reasons.”

President Obama’s father is from Africa. His mother is a white woman from Kansas.

On her website, Haley says, “Being a Christian is not about words, but about living for Christ every day.”

Source

This douchenozzle must make the Republican party proud. It's interesting that this is not the first time a Republican has acted like someone's personal belief has a huge bearing on how they would perform their job. Nobody in Australia (except fundy arseholes who get about 1% of the vote) gives a shit about politicians personal beliefs as long as it doesn't effect their ability to perform their job.

[RIPP_n_WIPE]

Off topic but this reminds me of an incident that I witnessed.

Funny thing occured at the airport. I (picture to left), my father (blonde hair and green eyes), a white guy, and a indian sikh with the head thing on walk into the monorail for the airport. There were two military guys standing there. Out of all of us, guess who they called over to check their bags. When the Indian sikh was called over we all stood there to see if we had to show our bags but it quickly became apparent that we did not and continued walking.

It was fairly obvious that the search was motivated by racial profiling. The funny thing is that they probably intended to racially profile the 'muslims/A-rabs' but the Indian guy wasn't even the religion that they were trying to profile and the two actual guys of muslim descent walked by without any problem (my father, 100% muslim descent and I who is half but people probably would expect the reverse were true if they had to guess).

Yeah I've had my moments where I get pulled over by the police because I "match a description".

Curious though, how can you say you're of muslim descent? Wouldn't you be of Arab or middle eastern descent? Islam is a religion and the last time I check there aren't any obvious physical traits associated with being muslim or christian or wiccan. I'm asking because I always get confused when people say this (save jewish people since they're more of an ethnic group).

[Flagg]

I'd get all offended for her, but frankly she chose her company and she has to live with it. So I don't give a fuck beyond it making the Rethuglicans look just as racist as they are.

[ArmorPierce]

Yeah I've had my moments where I get pulled over by the police because I "match a description".

Curious though, how can you say you're of muslim descent? Wouldn't you be of Arab or middle eastern descent? Islam is a religion and the last time I check there aren't any obvious physical traits associated with being muslim or christian or wiccan. I'm asking because I always get confused when people say this (save jewish people since they're more of an ethnic group).

Not Arab but middle eastern (Turkish to be specific). No there is not traits because anyone can be muslim but that's the point. They were attempting to racially profile muslims or arabs but they couldn't even do that correctly. I say Muslim descent because we are both atheist.