Mr. Hudson Apologizes
By Erick Posted in 2006 — Comments (17) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
By all accounts Tramm Hudson is a decent and nice person and a heck of a businessman. Earlier we posted a video clip of a remark he made that he should not have made. He has since released this statement:
“I said something stupid. I apologize for it and would apologize in person to anyone hurt by my comments. To those who are understandably offended, you have my deepest apologies and I want you to know that it was out of character for me and those who know me know that to be a fact. This was a thoughtless remark that does not reflect my lifetime commitment to treating everyone fairly and without bias. I apologize to everyone who is offended by this comment.”
Well done Mr. Hudson. It's nice to know there is a candidate out there who will not try to back peddle from mistakes, but takes ownership and apologizes. If the media is going to do justice to this story, they should point out how the left called Jane Hamsher's black facing of Joe Lieberman "edgy" and there was no apology.
Mr. Hudson, it seems, lives up to his reputation as a class act.
You can check out reaction from the black community by going here to the update in the original post.
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Mr. Hudson Apologizes 17 Comments (0 topical, 17 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Not many blacks are cross-country skiers either, but it's not because their legs don't work. I understand why the candidate has to apologize, because it can be taken the wrong way, but I don't understand all the outrage. In fact, blacks as a group, for whatever reason, don't do much distance swimming. Who knows why? Don't play much hockey either.
Blacks are fast and can play ball, too? Just the facts, Mr. Hudson. Forget about the Olympics and the NBA.
I don't think that is a terrible thing to say.
Much worse is said openly by politicians about gay people - with no consequences - even about fellow gay Republicans.
This comment about swimming is harmless - maybe not the smartest thing to say - but harmless nonetheless.
Go away, you pathetic waste of an Internet connection.
--
"In this day and age, you're not going to get a fair shake in the media" -- Lance Armstrong
Why are so many fellow Republicans hostile towards gays? I don't get it. It does not bode well for a political party.
We are not going away and many of us are just as, if not more, conservative than other Republicans. Is the hostility due to male insecurity?
Just FYI.
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Even those who learn from history are surrounded by those doomed to repeat it.
Allow me to present a draft of the apology he should have given.
"I am sorry. I said something really stupid. I allowed myself to make a comment on an issue that has absolutely no business being debated during a Congressional election campaign. Congress has no role in sports. Congress has no role in choosing which athletes will represent the United States in sporting competitions. I allowed my campaign to get diverted into trivia, when we should be discussing the constitutionally mandated role of Congress.
"Today I am going to be a serious candidate. I am going to talk about real issues. We need a Contract with America. Fortunately I have discovered that James Madison wrote one a little over 200 years ago. It has been lying dusty and neglected in the bottom drawer of someone's desk in Washington. I have rediscovered it and if elected to Congress I will live by it"
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
I didn't hear him advocate a racist position, defined as saying one race is better than another. I heard a common preconception of an ethnic group that statistically may or may not be true. Given that people are oversensitive to such comments, it was dumb. It was also likely wrong. But if he said that blacks tend to get sickle cell disease he'd be right. If he said blacks are disproportionally represented in prisons or the NBA, he would probably be right in the former and certainly right in the latter. Just got to be real careful about those things. Facts are facts, and assumptions and wild generalizations aren't.
I would have liked to heard the rest of the story. He's talking about leading soldiers (including black ones) in the army. I'm sure his soldiers can vouch to his views towards blacks.
"If the media is going to do justice to this story, they should point out how the left called Jane Hamsher's black facing of Joe Lieberman "edgy" and there was no apology."
umm...yes there was an apology.
http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/...t-that-graphic/
In fact, the first three words are "I sincerely apologize."
Now...it took me less than five minutes of searching through FDL's archive to find that.
How come Redstate couldn't find it??
Yes, I can see Hamsher is really wracked with remorse over what she did. I hope her friends and family are keeping a close eye on her. Someone so consumed with guilt may take desperate action. She really has to learn to let it go and try to forgive herself.
The point is, RS said there was no apology when, indeed, there was. This was either a blatent lie, or a statement made without actually knowing the facts.
I wonder: how can you trust the "facts" on this blog when they aren't researched and aren't correct.
How do I know this? Like I said, in less than five minutes I was able to prove these guys wrong.
If i really tried, I wonder how many other "factual inaccuracies" I could find.
Good for him and I wish more politicians would step up to the plate and just admit it when they say something so clearly stupid.
However I do question his judgment now. It doesn’t take a braniac to know before hand one shouldn’t make such stupid, racists comments.
And if he says something like that again, then you know the boy just can’t help himself and deserves every ridicule and criticism coming his way.
Why mention Hamsher? She's a blogger. She isn't even running for dog catcher.
This whole thing is crazy, what he said was No Big Deal. So what if he said blacks can't swim, it's nothing. He is just speaking his mind and I think that we need people that are willing to say what they really mean representing us in elected office.
This liberal PC propaganda must stop!