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Republican Blogger Reaction to Racist Emails: Silence, Misdirection, Slander

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The reaction – or lack thereof – of Virginia Republican bloggers to the racist emails pouring out of the Virginia Beach Republican Committee has been highly revealing.  In short, it’s been a combination of silence, misdirection/red herrings, and attacks on the messenger that border on libel/slander/defamation. Let’s take these in order.

1. First off, Republican bloggers have been silent. The question, as NLS correctly asks, is why?  Is it because, as NLS wonders, they are “completely out of the loop and really shocked when this stuff surfaces?” Or, do they know deep down that their party is filled with racism, and simply don’t know how to respond when it comes out into the light of day? Or maybe when they don’t get clear direction from above? It’s pathetic, but it’s also highly revealing.

2. Second, we have misdirection, mostly about the “backstory” of how the emails came to be forwarded around, and also how they ended up on a Democratic blog (this one). I can answer that latter question, although I’m not going to reveal my source(s) for reasons that should be obvious to any journalist, blogger, etc. On Monday afternoon, I was going about my business when I received (at 2:38 pm) a forwarded email with the racist “joke” by (now ex-) Virginia Beach Republican Party chair David Bartholomew. I was disgusted, so I posted it (at 2:54 pm, a whole 16 minutes after receiving the email). I also posted a screen shot of the email, which clearly shows that it had been forwarded from Mr. Bartholomew on March 15, 2010. Why I only received the email on October 18, 2010, I have no idea. If anyone would like to look into this and let us all know, that would be great. Personally, I’d be curious.

As for the second email, I received that one yesterday (at 1:25 pm) and was even more horrified, as the racism was far worse (in my opinion) than in the first email. I posted that email as well (at 2:17 pm, a whopping 52 minutes after receiving it), along with a link to the far-right-wing website that posted the video and a screen shot of Scott Rigell’s website showing that the forwarder of the email was listed as one of his endorsers.  That email originally was forwarded by former VB Republican Committee chair Karen Beauchamp on July 31, 2010. Again, if anyone wants to look into the status of Ms. Beauchamp’s email between July 31, 2010 and October 19, 2010, that would be great; I’d be curious to know what they find out! In the meantime, I find it fascinating that Republican bloggers are more interested in the “backstory” – if there is one – than the FRONT story – the blatant racism exhibited by leading members of their party.

3. Finally, we get into libel/slander/defamation territory, specifically over at Republican blog Bearing Drift. There, extreme right wingnut Brian Schoeneman strongly implies that yours truly “sat on these emails for months or he is willingly serving as a patsy for someone trying to launch an October surprise on Scott Rigell.” Shoeneman proceeds to claim that “Lowell doesn’t care about stamping out racism, or calling out those who engage in it,” and also that “Lowell basically condoned the racism – it wasn’t important enough to him to out these people until it became politically helpful for his chosen candidate in VA-2.”  Fellow right-wingnut blogger J.R. Hoeft then weighs in with his own deep thoughts, asking, “If recent emails by members of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach are truly so offensive, then why has Lowell chosen to release them in parts and only in October?”

Again, note the implication by these Republican bloggers – I supposedly had these emails for months and waited until the last moment to help Glenn Nye, who everyone reading Blue Virginia knows is just my favorite Democrat ever!!!  Yeah, that latter part is laughable in and of itself, given how much I’ve ripped into Nye and how much I can’t stand the guy (he’s practically a Republican in his voting record). But as for the first part, accusing me of fundamental dishonesty and sliminess – the type that Republican bloggers so often engage in – that’s 100%, absolutely false, and I’d be happy to swear that in court. I’d also be happy, if libel and slander law would allow, to take Messieurs Shoeneman and Hoeft to court on this one. They are so wrong, it’s beyond belief, and they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this crap. The only problem is, in the United States under the 1st Amendment, they have the right to say just about anything they want, and I’m not sure I could win that case. Still, it’s extremely tempting and I will be looking into it today…

Perriello Romps Over Hurt in 5th CD Debate

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Just got done watching Rep. Tom Perriello debate Robert Hurt on WCAV CBS 19 Charlottesville.  Now that was a thing of beauty. I’m hoping there will be video shortly. For now, here are some tweets (including my own) from the butt-kicking Tom just delivered. Enjoy!

@VotePerriello: Crowd at the #va05 debate http://yfrog.com/76v38j

@NotAndySere: Immigration: @RobertHurt slams @TomPerriello for open borders. No mention of McCain, Bush amnesty plan. GOP hasn’t learned?

@NotAndySere: Do candidates have notes for debate? @RobertHurt keeps looking down like he’s reading

@NotAndySere: @RobertHurt seems like a total flip flopper. @TomPerriello is at least consistent and on message.

@NotAndySere: @RobertHurt stuttering his way through a list of pre-selected businesses

@lowkell: @RobertHurt outright lies on Cap and Trade, Stimulus, etc., etc. What a bunch of bovine excrement.

@lowkell: @TomPerriello is so far superior to @RobertHurt as a debater and in terms of substance, it’s not even fair! LOL

@bradramsey: @tomperriello says access to #broadband is critical in rural areas to expand edu opportunities

@lowkell: @TomPerriello is on fire, “we ARE creating jobs…in the 5th district!” In contrast, @RobertHurt = all negativity

@lowkell: @TomPerriello – need to do what’s right for the district. @RobertHurt voted against unemployment benefits, factory owners, seniors…

@lowkell: @RobertHurt has nothing to offer, keeps lying (“govt takeover of healthcare”), attacks Nancy Pelosi. What a loser.

@lowkell: @VotePerriello – Slams @RobertHurt for flip-flopping on trade, earmark reform, taxes…

@lowkell: @VotePerriello also slams @RobertHurt for not reading #HCR bill, not attending townhall meetings…

@lowkell: @VotePerriello knocks it out of the ballpark on the new energy economy, “green jobs.” Go Tom!

@NotAndySere: @TomPerriello’s campaign is focused on America, fighting, America, keep fighting, and AMERICA! Plus he fights.

@BradleySRees: Hurt has slammed @TomPerriello for “voting for a bill he hasn’t read,” but admitted in last #va05 debate HE hadn’t read it

@lowkell: @RobertHurt has no understanding of the new energy economy, instead launches more outrageous, false attacks on @VotePerriello

@NotAndySere: 2010 is about angry voters. @RobertHurt tells you he’s angry. @TomPerriello shows you he’s angry

@PittGirly: Hurt accuses Perriello of forgetting the people who MAKE things in the 5th CD. Umm…he just talked about them…

@mkoshark: 30 mins into Perriello / Hurt debate: Perriello is all substance while Hurt is 100% buzz words like ‘big gub’ment’ but little info

@lowkell: @VotePerriello – @RobertHurt wants to cut education at state AND federal level, what would be left?!?

@lowkell: @VotePerriello – Healthcare premiums have been rising for a long time, why does @RobertHurt want to ditch small business taxcut?

@lowkell: @VotePerriello – @RobertHurt wants Congress to get a better healthcare plan than everyone else

@bradramsey: View of the #va05 debate from above, regardless of your political preference, a great view of democracy at work http://twitpic.com/2z48m3

@lowkell: @RobertHurt – Favors bringing back preexisting conditions, donut hole, other abuses of health insurance companies. Nice.

@NotAndySere: Winner of #VA05: Jay Warren & WSLS. Their debate ROCKED compared to this.

@lowkell: @RobertHurt – mixes up “increase” and “decrease,” appears to have no idea what he’s talking about

@lowkell: @VotePerriello Under @RobertHurt #HCR plan, payments to doctors slashed, Medicare goes bankrupt, cuts in benefits, etc.

@NotAndySere: Who’s the conservative?! RT @andysere #va05 debate Hurt: No cuts to Social Security; Perriello: All Social Security cuts on the table.

@lowkell: @RobertHurt stuttering, bumbling through his closing statement, can’t keep his lies straight! LOL

@lowkell: @RobertHurt appeals to ignorance, the worst in people. @VotePerriello appeals to knowledge, the best in people.

@lowkell: @VotePerriello – if you want talking points, someone who won’t step up on tough issues, vote @RobertHurt

@lowkell: @VotePerriello – @RobertHurt, you can disagree w/me but don’t disrespect me and suggest I get pushed around by anyone!

@lowkell: @VotePerriello absolutely pummeling @RobertHurt , this is a thing of beauty. Go Tom!

@lowkell: No wonder why @RobertHurt didn’t want to debate @VotePerriello Ouch!!!

@NotAndySere: 2nd #VA05 debate over. @RobertHurt’s campaign is focused on three things, cap and trade, health care, failed stimulus.

@NotAndySere: If you think government was only broken by Obama, Pelosi, & Perriello, and fixes are easy, @RobertHurt is for you.

Lame Ducks and Their Session

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Time for me to return to the online life again. I have been in a two day session for women and nuclear security. Women from across our country came together to learn about nuclear treaties, nuclear security and what we can do to get the Senate off it’s collective butt and ratify the New START treaty.

We heard from women (and a man) who are involved in the treaties and nuclear security. Women such as Valerie Plame Wilson. Undersecretaries and women in the actual process of nuclear security treaties spoke to us.

The Senate has not ratified the treaty so we are living without the essentials of nuclear inspections of Russian (formerly Soviet) nuclear weapons facilities or places from which the bombs to blow up the U.S. would be launched. That should give you some thoughts, or I hope it starts you on the good road to asking “what the hell?”

We need to have the treaty brought up by Reid and voted on and passed by at least 67 senators in the Lame Duck Session.

I will be doing full blown diaries soon. We have two weeks to the election and one week after the election to put the pressure plans together to make sure our senators vote for the treaty.

Damned wonky stuff coming up!

Will Robert Hurt ever come clean on how he will balance the budget?

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Sunday, Chris Wallace on Fox had an interesting interview  with Carley Fiorina, the GOP senate candidate in California.

It is a lesson in how to expose the hypocrisy of candidates that say they want a balanced budget, but refuse to disclose with any specificity how they would accomplish this goal.

Fiorina, like our very own Robert Hurt, supports extending all of the Bush Tax cuts, which would blow a $4 trillion hole in the deficit, while at the same time arguing that we need to balance the budget by cutting spending. They just refuse to say what they will cut.

Citing Fiorina’s career as a “bottom-line businesswoman,” Wallace asked how, given a $4 trillion deficit, she would specifically balance the budget and what would she specifically cut. First, Fiorina tried the old saw about eliminating waste, but given the size of the gap, Wallace would have none if it, noting that would not even come close to a balanced budget. Wallace asked her seven of eight times. Fiorina hemmed, hawed, attached, whined – did everything except provide a reasonable answer before Wallace gave up, exasperated and visibly annoyed.

Will anyone finally be able to force Robert Hurt’s hand on this issue at tonight’s debate?

(more on the flip)

The interviewer at last Monday’s debate tried his best. Asked several times for specifics of how he would balance the budget, Hurt completely ruled out defense spending or entitlement eligibility as a source of balancing the budget. Those items, of course, constitute 87% of our spending.

Rather, Hurt said that we need to reduce health care costs (duh!) – even though he opposes a health care reform bill that would actually do this, and was unable to offer any idea of how to do this beyond the well-worn and discredited idea of offering health insurance across state lines.

More amusingly, Hurt also offered as a signature idea the hilarious idea of shrinking the budget by reducing Congressional salaries.

Hmm, lets see. We have a total of 435 congressmen and women and 100 senators making $185K per year, so even if we completely eliminated their salaries, this would only save $99 million.

That’s right. That was Mr. Hurt’s best idea for reducing a $4 trillion budget deficit. As they say, “You do the math.”

Whatever else you think about whether congressmen and women get paid too much, this is simply not a serious answer from a serious candidate who actually aspires to a position of political leadership.

Compare his answer to Perriello’s (everything has to be on the table, including defense and entitlements), and you can see the difference between a real leader and a typical politician who thinks the way to get elected is by pandering to voters.

I don’t know what the format of tonight’s debate will be, but hopefully it will allow for an opportunity to further demonstrate the stark difference in quality between these two candidates.

Specifically, does Mr. Hurt seriously believe that the way to close a $4 trillion budget gap is by reducing $99 million of salaries? If he wants to repeal health care reform, what is his idea for substantially reducing health care costs immediately?

It is not enough that Mr. Hurt answer these questions. We, as voters, are entitled to answers that make common sense, and are not designed to fool us , distract us or insult our intelligence.

Top Rigell Endorser Recommends Racist “Barack the Angry Negro” Video

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Another day brings yet another one of Scott Rigell’s top endorsers – this time, former (2001) Virginia Beach Republican Committee chair, Karen Beauchamp – caught sending a racist email, this time with hate video to boot. Warning: the content in the video is some of the most vile, offensive language I’ve listened to in a really long time, it’s very difficult to even sit through it. Ugh. Anyway, to say that racism is not a wide-spread problem among Virginia Beach Republicans is clearly untrue.

Yesterday, Scott Rigell did the right thing and denounced (now former) Virginia Beach Republican Committee chair David Bartholomew. Today, it looks like Rigell needs to denounce yet another VBRC chair, also a top endorser of his campaign.  Right now, Rigell’s got her name prominently displayed on his website (see image after the “fold”). After you watch the video or read the quotes from the video, I think you’ll all agree that needs to change immediately.

In her email, Ms. Beauchamp enthusiastically references a video, by this guy, which is both too repulsive to watch, and apparently too repulsive for YouTube to allow on their site. If you really want to see it, it’s available at the “Conservative Sportsmen” site. If you can’t stomach watching it, which I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t, I’ll include a selection of a few of the most offensive quotes from the video after the “fold.” Blech.

UPDATE: Scott Rigell’s campaign has condemned this email as well. Good for him. Ms. Beauchamp’s name also appears to have been removed from Rigell’s list of endorsers.

Let me be clear, racism has no place in our society and runs completely counter to Scott Rigell’s values. The Rigell campaign does not condone this type of behavior from anyone associated with our campaign. It should be noted that Karen Beauchamp is not in a position of leadership or an advisor to the Rigell campaign, and she has not been in a position of leadership within the Republican Party for close to 10 years.

By the way, that Washington Post story is almost completely wrong; the video they mention is a completely different video from a completely different story. Whatever, details details! (snark)

“Barack Hussein Obama, hmm! hmm! hmm! You been called the chosen one, the messiah, an African God, a post-racial President, Barack the magic Negro. Barack, you’re a lot of things, but you are not a magic negro. You’re an angry negro and you have now broken the hearts of more black Americans than any white man ever could. You have now proven that you are an enemy of the United States.”

“Now I’m gonna talk down in a language that I hope you can all understand.”

“If you’re a black American it’s time you need to decide, are you an American first, or are you an African or black American first?”

“You have declared war on the white man in America, putting the wants and needs of moochers, leeches, looters, and criminals ahead of the producers and the workers of America, and we don’t want 15-20 million illiterate Mexicans and Chicanos as our new welfare society living like rats in our neighborhoods, they must go, and either the government steps up or the government will have to clean up.”

“Barack, you, your advisors, pollsters, pundits, talking heads, have wanted to know, who are the pissed off people in this country? Well the pissed-off people sir are the white people. It’s the white people stupid!”

“And Barack, if you want another white face to hate, I’m ya Huckleberry!”

Felix’s Racial Vulnerability

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There’s a connection between the Virginia Beach Republican Party (VBRP) Chair (former) and George Allen. It is Kenny Golden. The three of them present as models of objectivity. And all three of them are at best ignorant and at worst, well, racially intolerant. Maybe both. Golden failed twice. Will Allen?

You see, Kenny received that now famous E-mail back in the day; you know, a few months ago when Dave Bartholomew was learning about this new internet thing and accidently forwarded a racially charged joke to the six people he deliberately added to the “To…” list.

The e-mail was dated March 15 and sent from the address that Bartholomew uses as party chairman. Bartholomew forwarded it without reading the contents when “he was first getting familiar with the Internet,” — Gary Byler, the 2nd Congressional District GOP chairman as quoted in the Virginian Pilot

So, did Golden respond to the E-mail he received from his successor as the Virginia Beach Republican Party Chair with a cautionary note? Or did he forward the E-mail to his college chum, George Felix Allen who also found it unobjectionable? That’s the problem once you’ve unveiled your intolerance. There’s always that nagging doubt.

Golden, who is running as an independent, did not call for Bartholomew’s resignation and criticized Rigell as being too quick “to throw him under the bus.”

“David would never do something like that on purpose,” Golden said. “It was a racist e-mail…. It shouldn’t have gone from anybody’s e-mail to anybody’s e-mail.” — Virginian Pilot

Two strikes against Golden for the handling of the E-mail, unless he can provide the appropriate “Reply to…” scolding of Bartholomew. We are well aware of Allen’s first public strike and here is a second unless he forthrightly condemns both Bartholomew and Golden for their gaffs.  

VoteVets Blasts Robert Hurt for Having “voted against veterans when we needed him most”

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Excellent ad, please help Tom Perriello defeat Robert Hurt in 2 weeks!

Republican Loudoun-sanity Continues: Dick Black Rails Against Gays in the Military

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This interview with former Virginia Delegate Dick Black (R-Loudoun), now running for State Senate, is truly shocking, even by this crazy election season’s standards. Perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked, though, given Black’s history and also given the name of the group conducting Black’s interview – “Americans for Truth About Homosexuality” (“dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda”). Can we say “obsessed?” Can someone call the men in the white coats, stat?

Anyway, listen to the interview yourself and see what you think. Highlights include Dick Black (yes, that’s really his name) riffing on the supposed evils of gays in the military – increased HIV and AIDS, ogling and fondling in the showers and the foxholes, and worse! Listen to this, starting at minute 21:00.

I recall one particularly terrible situation, where, this was in basic training, there was a young fellow who went to the showers at night, and there were two homosexuals lurking — they were also basic trainees – and they strangled him with a towel and forced him to submit to, you know, things that we won’t talk about on the air. But it was extremely brutal, it was extremely humiliating, and they taunted him when they were finished. And at the time of the court martial of these guys, the victim was in psychiatric confinement at a hospital. Now, this is what we’re asking the mothers and fathers of America to send their children into, is that sort of environment, where sexual bullies will prey on the smallest and least assertive soldiers.

So, there you have it. Let gays serve openly in the military, and before we know it, predatory homosexuals will be lurking everywhere, ready to commit their dastardly deeds!  

At another point in the interview (15:25), Black claims that allowing gays in the military will cause “deaths on the battlefield,” apparently by their mere existence. Even worse will be (22:30) “these homosexual predators that will be unleashed by the administration’s policy on gays in the military.”  On and on the insanity and bigotry go. Where it stops, who knows, maybe the State Senate for Dick Black?

Meanwhile, just as Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) has strongly supported another Loudoun County Republican extremist, Eugene Delgaudio, Wolf also strongly supported Dick Black with both money and a ringing endorsement (Wolf praised Black as  “a vital member of my team” and urged his reelection). Also see here for the Loudoun County Republican Committee’s photos and account of a lovely little pancake breakfast they held a couple weeks ago, at which Frank Wolf hung out with his pals Dick Black, (homosexual obsessed) Eugene Delgaudio, State Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel, Del. Tom Rust, Del. “Sideshow” Bob Marshall, LCRC Chairman Mark Sell (so extreme that even the right-wing blog “Too Conservative” said if he was elected, it would mean “a return to the Dark Ages” in Loudoun County), 10th CD Chairman Howie Lind (a member of the “Purity At All Costs crowd”), and other assorted wingnuts.

Basically, it’s a cornucopia o’ crazy in the Loudoun County Republican Party, and Frank Wolf’s an important part of it – enabler, funder, endorser, etc. The question is, how does Wolf get away with masquerading as a “moderate” while supporting a bunch of bigots and extremists? And how is it, exactly, that Wolf bears no responsibility for homophobic bigots and extremists like Delgaudio and Black, both of whom Wolf has supported in the past, and continues to support to this very day?

P.S. Part II of the interview, including lost more anti-gay ranting by Dick Black, is available here. Everything you always wanted to know about “the homosexual agenda” and the evils of gays in the military, Dick Black’s your man!

Vandalism committed by Keith Fimian Supporters

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On my way to George Mason University this morning, I saw about ten signs that were vandalized this way (see another on the upper left).

I know that sign shenanigans happen in every election, and don’t make much difference in the long run, but this speaks to one of the reasons why I am not a Republican:  I’m not mean-spirited.  I’ve seen so many instances of mean-spiritedness, hatred, even racism, that it’s hard to say they’re not part of an endemic problem in the conservative movement.

*UPDATE: Apparently the Fimian supporters don’t care about firefighters either, or else they wouldn’t be vandalizing firefighter property: