More jerks on the scene:
You basically have three choices when you’re a politician caught saying something that’s inappropriate or offensive: 1) apologize right away and throw yourself on the mercy of the court of public opinion, 2) strap the helmet on, take a low profile and hope to ride it out, or 3) double down.
John Raese, a Republican running for Senate in West Virginia, has decided to double down.
After POLITICO first reported in this blog Thursday on a speech in which Raese equated local anti-smoking regulations with Hitler’s policy of forcing Jews to wear yellow Star of David badges, he told the Charleston Daily Mail’s Ry Rivard, “I’m not apologizing to anybody or any organization. It’s my perfect right to make a speech about meaningful subject matters in this country.”
Raese, who’s challenging Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, showed no sign of backing down in the face of criticism from national Jewish groups.
“I am not going to be intimidated by a bunch of bullshit,” he told the Daily Mail.
Someone really doesn’t get it. Why would a building with a no smoking sign be anything like a Jew being forced to wear the Star of David during NAZI occupation? I thought the Republican clown parade was over? John Raese has some serious problems with political correctness to the point that he has just committed political suicide.
Is there any excuse for this kind of political ignorance and stupidity?
This part is OK, his objections are valid:
“I don’t want government telling me what I can do and what I can’t do because I’m an American. But in Monongalia County you can’t smoke a cigarette, you can’t smoke a cigar, you can’t do anything. And I oppose that because I believe in everybody’s individual freedoms and everybody’s individual rights to do what they want to do and I’m a conservative and that’s the way that goes.
But in Monongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. Ok?”
THIS is just stupid: “Remember Hitler used to put Star of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing.”
FAIL.
“I’m not apologizing to anybody or any organization. It’s my perfect right to make a speech about meaningful subject matters in this country.”
EXACTLY! He does have the right to say stupid stuff. Here, I’ll fix it for him.
“I’m not apologizing to anybody or any organization because I’m stubborn. It’s my perfect right to put my foot into my mouth up to my knee in this country.”
Statements like this are an embarrassment to Republicans. When someone says something really stupid we shouldn’t rush to their defense just because we belong to same party.
Moreover, one of the dumbest campaigns I remember is “smokers’ rights.” Smokers have no right to force me to inhale the toxins they put in the air. I’m allergic to smoke and get quite ill if exposed to cigarette smoke. His “freedom” to do what he wants (i.e., smoke in public) deprives me of my right to be able to go into public areas without becoming sick or exposing my children to known toxins and cancerous agents.
He can do what he wants in the privacy of his own home but he has no “right” to subject me to the health impacts of his bad habits. Stupidity is not a conservative value.
I have very mixed feelings about the cigarettes but to liken the building stickers to the Holocaust is totally stupid and just something that cannot and should not be defended. there has been a lot of defending the indefensible around here this past week, up to and including a teacher who fired a blank gun at students, I am assuming all in the name of gun rights.
That makes about as much sense as defending the behavior of John Edwards or that clown who was fooling around with Chandra Levy before her death.
“Statements like this are an embarrassment to Republicans. ”
Statements like this are an embarrassment to EVERYONE.
It didn’t embarrass me in the least. I just thought he was another jerk.
“Defending the indefensible around here this past week, up to and including a teacher who fired a blank gun at students”
We were not defending the idiot with the blank gun. We were pointing out that his actions are a good example why there should be SOMEONE in school able to respond to idiots like that in case he brings a real gun and uses it against the innocent. All we want is that someone has a chance to fight back.
Guns are tools. That’s it. Tools can be misused. He misused that blank gun and should be in jail.
Now…back to our regularly schedule thread.
I think what this illustrates best is…..nobody really cares what happens in West Virginia.
Reminds me of West Virginia’s new tourism slogan: West Virginia…..can’t remember why.
He does have the right to be stupid, lets just hope the voters recognize his right not get elected!