NAACP Attacks Democrat For Allegedly Racist Comment
LA State Representative May Lose Seat Over Comment
By Adam C Posted in 2007 — Comments (10) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
A Democratic Louisiana state representative, Carla Blanchard Dartez (LA-51), called a civil rights leader "buckwheat." The NAACP is upset with this unsavory reminder of Southern Democrats and their past. But more importantly, I feel it is necessary to give credit where it is due. The AP article identifies Dartez as a Democrat immediately. This is notable because generally Reuters and AP mention party in bad articles about Republicans but put it at the end (or not in the article at all) when bad articles are about Democrats. So kudos to the AP for moving toward non-partisanship.
More important to the politics of Louisiana, Rep. Dartez is in a runoff against a Republican on November 17th. In the jungle primary, Dartez led 44-36 with other Ds splitting the other 20%. Thus the runoff was likely going to be a Dartez victory.
This incident could swing the election in "macaca" fashion. And it is a reminder why contesting all elections is important.
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NAACP Attacks Democrat For Allegedly Racist Comment 10 Comments (0 topical, 10 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Someone noticed and changed it. Now the beginning reads:
" HOUMA, La. - A white state lawmaker in a runoff election called a black civil-rights veteran who had helped her campaign "Buckwheat," prompting the NAACP to urge voters to kick her out of office.
Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, a Democrat, acknowledged that she ended a Thursday night conversation with Hazel Boykin by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat." Dartez had been thanking Boykin for driving voters to the polls."
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it may be a completely different article, or a near-complete rewrite, though I read about it on yahoo too.
at any rate, unless I'm losing my mind, the first mention of "Democrat" that I recall in the article I read was in connection I believe with her husband, not specifically with her, and it doesn't look like her husband is even mentioned in this article.
it wasn't the AP/yahoo story after all. I remembered I had CNN and yahoo both open at the time, and sure enough, it was the link provided by CNN (which looks like a local New Orleans TV station's website): here
I wonder just how racist that comment was meant to be. Often I have seen Black/White friends and colleagues kidding with one another. Of course I am not running for political office. What does the recipient of the comment say? Oddly the article does not say. This must be one of the few times I've seen the NAACP refered to in a positive manner on these pages.
This is the third time we've had to call Stanley Steemer to clean up after you. You're getting too expensive. You just resigned to spend more time with your family.
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.
From the article:
"I've never had no one talk to me that way and I considered it a racial slur," Hazel Boykin said. "I know the meaning of it, it's just like the N-word."
Jerome Boykin said Monday he planned to ask voters to cast ballots against Dartez, who faces Republican Joe Harrison in Saturday's runoff.
And who referred to the NAACP "in a positive manner." I referred to them neutrally, just stating their view on the issue.
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But if it helps a dem lose, so be it.
The Jena story turned out to be myth making of the same intensity as the Katrina stores, albeit on a tiny scale.
...when you read the excuse Dartez offered Boykin's son. According to WAFB:
Boykin says, after his mother told him about the conversation, he called Dartez and she acknowledged she had used the "Buckwheat" reference. He says Dartez started to cry and apologized. "She said she'd gone to Walmart a couple of days ago and bought an Eddie Murphy tape and that's what they said on the tape." He says Dartez indicated she did not realize that the term could be interpreted as a racial slur.
Dartez believed that "Buckwheat" is just a common term of endearment because she watched a tape of Eddie Murphy? Does she also watch tapes of Rosie O'Donnell to learn how to endear herself to her Chinese supporters?
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"We want great men who, when fortune frowns, will not be discouraged." - Colonel Henry Knox
because I don't recall the party being mentioned until at least halfway through when I read it. could be wrong, as I was skimming and didn't have time to go back and check to see if I had missed an earlier mention, but that's the way it struck me.
still, I suppose even in that case, credit is due. old habits are hard to break, after all.