Daily Kos

TN-08: GOP close to fielding racist candidate

by kos

Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 05:22:07 PM PDT

This guy makes David Duke seem like a hero of multiculturalism:
Republican congressional candidate James L. Hart acknowledges that he is an "intellectual outlaw."

He is an unapologetic supporter of eugenics, the phony science that resulted in thousands of sterilizations in an attempt to purify the white race. He believes the country will look "like one big Detroit" if it doesn't eliminate welfare and immigration. He believes that if blacks were integrated centuries ago, the automobile never would have been invented.

Despite his radical views, Hart may end up winning the Republican nomination because he is the only GOP candidate on the ballot in Thursday's primary. His presence in the campaign has embarrassed Republican leaders, who were blind-sided by Hart after they didn't bother fielding a candidate. Democratic Rep. John Tanner has held the seat for 15 years and is considered safe in November.

This is a safe Democratic seat, so Hart is nothing more than an embarrassment for the Republicans. It is a nice reminder of what the "Southern Strategy", taken to its extremes, can produce.
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  •  we should use this (none / 0)

    to turn out black voters in Memphis, maybe Tenn is winnable after all.

    After Obama's eighth straight victory, Penn told reporters: "Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election.

    by nevadadem on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:24:42 PM PDT

  •  Where did you find (none / 0)

    out stuff about this guy?

    "What we have here is a form of looting."-Nobel Laureate George Akerlof, about Bushonomics.

    by bjako on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:25:23 PM PDT

  •  small request from the almighty (none / 0)

    Please G-d, tell me Hart is also a delegate to the RNC this month. PLEASE!!!!!

    by UofAZGrad on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:25:48 PM PDT

  •  One of the most (none / 0)

    progressive congresscritters in the House is Harold Ford, an African American from Chattenooga, so don't judge all of the state by this one wingjob.  That said, bigotry is a long way from being gone in this country.  A long, long way.

    Just a Bump in the Beltway

    by Melanie on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:27:54 PM PDT

    •  Wrong. (none / 0)

      Ford is from Memphis, not Chattanooga, which are on opposite sides of the state. In addition, he is most definitely not progressive, despite the fact that his seat is safe.

      by hamletta on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 10:05:16 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Either your understanding of (none / 0)

      One of the most progressive congresscritters in the House is Harold Ford

      "progressive" is very different from mine or "most progressive" is an exaggeration. Ford is progressive on some issues and not at all progressive on others. Just about every other member of the CBC is more consistently progressive and that's just the CBC.
      There are many, many members of congress more progressive than Harold Ford.

      by colleen on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 12:27:16 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  The guy's got a website (none / 0)

    The guy goes door to door in a bulletproof vest and gun saying that his white kid deserves the same chance that all the other kids get.

    There is another man running as a write in, I think, and he has grassroots GOP support.

    Hart is a pariah even within the GOP.

    Oh, crap.

    by seriously blown cue on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:29:05 PM PDT

  •  Ford's from Memphis (none / 0)

    I think

    After Obama's eighth straight victory, Penn told reporters: "Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election.

    by nevadadem on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:29:12 PM PDT

  •  TN just tipped a little (none / 0)

    bluer.

    We need not think alike to love alike -- Ferenc Dávid

    by ogre on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:32:27 PM PDT

  •  Someone get to the Cook County (none / 0)

    chapter of the Aryan Brotherhood and ask if they are aware one of their own is running.

    Yea, I'm sure the GOP will welcome him into their party...After he wins.

    Guess they're trying to extend their base...Oh wait, those types were already there.

    by jackemoe on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:35:32 PM PDT

  •  What we need to do (none / 0)

    Is give the full MoveOn Hitler ad treatment to him -- make it seem like Bush himself endorsed this guy, just like the GOP tried to make Kerry out to be a loon because of the MoveOn competition.

    by 99paa on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:38:36 PM PDT

  •  White supremacist groups (none / 0)

    Shoot, I just posted this in the previous thread, but it's even more apropriate here...

    I just noticed that there are "Nazi" and "neo-Nazi" Yahoo Groups. A simple keyword search turned up over 400 of them just now. And the "Panzer" music scene is cranking out separatist propaganda nonstop. With many groups like that right here in America openly promoting hatred, racism and often suggesting aggressive or violent actions toward non-whites, I would venture that a Sikh taking photographs of a building poses a pretty low-grade threat. But I never hear about Ashcroft and company taking any action against white hate groups.

    Don't blame me. I voted for the SMART one.

    by gogaddy on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:38:49 PM PDT

    •  The Irony About Sikh-Americans (none / 0)

      Sikhs are among the most honest and honorable of ANY American subgroup. For this reason they are prized employees in the security industry. Without being patronizing, let me say the Sikhs I know would rather die than have their reputations besmirched by criminal behavior.

      Besides, even if you are unaaware of the honor code among Sikhs, what terrorist is going to wear a turban to the bombing?

      JEE-BUS CRISP!

      The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

      by easong on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:55:00 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  The thing about the turban (none / 0)

        I really don't know, but don't only Sikhs wear turbans?  What Osama and the Saudis wear is not a turban.  Why is a turban associated with Islam?

        McCain: Less jobs, more war.

        by Unstable Isotope on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 10:03:52 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Sufis Wear Turbans Too (none / 0)

          The mystical branch of Islam. It's not mandatory as with adult male Sikhs, and you see it less in this country, for obvious reasons. Certain other Muslim sects in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan wear turbans, traditionally, I believe.

          The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

          by easong on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 10:08:48 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

  •  David Duke for Senate 11/2/04 -- Hurt Bush in LA? (none / 0)


    According to this, he may be back.

    http://www.hillnews.com/campaign/060804_state.aspx

    The Senate open primary for Breaux's seat is the same day as the presidential election, so Duke would be on that day's ballot, regardless of who makes the runoff.  In Louisiana (only), the U.S. Senate and U.S. House (that is, Congressional) have a nonpartisan open primary on the same day as the national general election in November, and then hold the runoff in December (think Landrieu v. Haik Terrell in '02).

    http://www.sec.state.la.us/election...tions-index.htm

    Your opinion: Help Bush, hurt Bush or no difference in Louisiana?

    by Salmehra on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:42:23 PM PDT

    •  Ironically (none / 0)

      David Duke is an opponent of W because of the Iraq War.  Duke believes that we sent "European-Americans" to fight a war in a Middle East country, and thus it was not worth it, and is opposed to W's election.  But Duke also said that Kerry is no better because Kerry opposed the war.

      I think it is fair to say that Duke's entry hurts W if most voters assume that Duke is for W, although he's not.  It may also hurt W among hard core racists who love David Duke, who would know that Duke is anti-Bush.

      John McCain's Something for Everyone Plan: Military draft for youth, SS benefit cuts for elderly, Middle Class destruction, stock market plunge for wealthy.

      by IhateBush on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 11:30:07 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  This is another example (none / 0)

    of why the pigment of your skin should not be the determining factor in judging a person as the wingnuts believe, its how dark one is on the inside that really determines a persons credentials.
    On the lighter side, I prefer whole wheat over white bread, its healthier for you!
    PEACE!
    ABB&B!!!
    KERRY/EDWARDS 2004

    by PC on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:44:44 PM PDT

  •  embarassment (none / 0)

    next question: how do we make this guy a national embarassment for the GOP?

    l'audace! l'audace! toujours l'audace!

    by zeke L on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:54:52 PM PDT

    •  Make it KNOWN (none / 0)

      Send it to people you know, send it to columnists and radio show hosts, and if it's a story on Yahoo!, then make sure it's on the main page.

      "What we have here is a form of looting."-Nobel Laureate George Akerlof, about Bushonomics.

      by bjako on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 11:10:38 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Yeeee Haawww!!!! (none / 0)

    "Never, Never Give Up!"

    by mississippi john on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:58:49 PM PDT

  •  Yeeee Haawww!!!! (none / 0)

    "Never, Never Give Up!"

    by mississippi john on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 09:59:36 PM PDT

  •  This is almost enough to ... (none / 0)

    ...make you feel sorry for the GOP.

    I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land. -- Mark Twain

    by Meteor Blades on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 10:29:00 PM PDT

  •  James Hart's a man with evil views (4.00 / 2)

    Yeah, that's evil Hart is spouting.

    But, really, is he any different than most of the GOP?

    And, I love this comment:

    He believes the country will look "like one big Detroit."

    I'd love to show that little bitch Hart my hometown, god-damned, redneck, Tennessee hillbilly.

    by Brian Bell on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 11:24:32 PM PDT

    •  I like Detroit (none / 0)

      I wouldn't mind. I've lived many times in practically all- black neighbourhoods. My parents are firm believers of racial interaction starting at a young age. It really does make a difference. The rest of the white people always start escaping from areas, when black people start to move in. Oh right, racism is dead....

      I didn't say voluntary segragation.

      I wonder why the repukes would let this guy run after Bush made an effort to cour the black voters. IMO, blacks are much smarter than most white people, as they vote democratic for something like 9/1. Fantastic.

      And also the point Bush was making about black people reaching to repukes too, so they could get more influence in the Capitol, load of crap. Obviously the right-wing nutters are very happy with one party, so he's logic is lost on me.

      They can keep the fundamentalists though.

      The Bush Administration: Delivering Pain, Suffering, Destruction and Death Worldwide since 2001

      by Jonesyboy on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 11:47:29 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Easy (none / 0)

      I'm a goddamned, redneck, Tennessee Hillbilly. This nutjob is running in the District that abuts my County to the North. I'll try to get on a couple of local talk radio stations up there today and talk this goober up, he NEEDS to get the Repub nomination. That will force the Repubs to run away from him, which is bound to cost W some votes in what is looking like a VERY close State.

      We have no intention of prosecuting Rush Limbaugh because lying through your teeth and being stupid isn't a crime.

      by The Baculum King on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 05:56:38 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Crossovers! (none / 0)

        Tanner's probably running unopposed, so Dems could vote for the clownhole.

        Problem is, they probably want to vote in the other Dem primaries.

        by hamletta on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 06:38:06 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  I Honestly Don't Know (none / 0)

          anything about other races in that District, wish I had heard about this nutjob sooner. This is the kind of opportunity that needs grabbing. The Repubs are pushing the write-in campaign as hard as they can, but that line on the ballot will be hard to overcome.

          We have no intention of prosecuting Rush Limbaugh because lying through your teeth and being stupid isn't a crime.

          by The Baculum King on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 07:14:35 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

      •  Hell, I'm *in* Tanner's district (none / 0)

        ...and IMHO the best thing to do is keep very, very quiet about this. That's the way the guy got on the ballot in the first place.

        Madison County (Jackson) GOP officially denounced Hart and is promoting another guy, a Marine just back from the war, as a write-in. But if people don't hear the story they won't bother with the hassle a write-in represents.

        No other contested races on the ticket around here (Carroll Co.) anyway so turnout will probably be extremely low. Might be a few school board or town-council races but those will only affect a couple of precincts.

        BTW I think I read back a few months ago that Hart actually lives in Kentucky.

        Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?

        by Xan on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 12:02:48 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Another Redneck Hillbilly for Kerry (none / 0)

      No offense, but before you pile on a few fun epithets about an entire state based on one wack-job loon running for Congress, think about the fact that there are a few million people who don't fit the bill.

      Wanna know how I learned to be a liberal? From my poor, hillbilly family who taught me that it didn't matter what color you are, you help your neighbor.

      Support a real progressive woman for the Tennessee House! Elect Schree for Tennessee!

      by TNliberal on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 03:13:34 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Alright, you're right, to a degree (none / 0)

        The hillbilly comment was out of line. You're right, and I'm sorry for that particular part of my comment.

        However, Hart is from Tennessee. I can't help that.

        As for the redneck comment, well, redneck specifically means a racist, bigoted white person -- a term derived from the red, sunburned neck of white people down south or, possibly also, the disease of pellagra, which is a vitamin deficiency that can result in confusion and delusion, an apt metaphor for a racist Republican. If someone does not subscribe to neandrethal views, then they're not a redneck.

        But, I am acutely aware that hillbilly and redneck are not one and the same. And I am sorry to hillbillies everywhere that I used the term as an insult.

        by Brian Bell on Thu Aug 05, 2004 at 01:32:35 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  "Sothern Strategy" (none / 0)

    "It is a nice reminder of what the "Southern Strategy", taken to its extremes, can produce. "

    That 's one of the funnier, sadder, and truer things I have read lately.
    Wow.

    So much hate from those Republicans. . . .

    by airron on Tue Aug 03, 2004 at 11:46:09 PM PDT

  •  Detroit (none / 0)

    "If we do not suppress the Detroit vote, we're going to have a tough time in this election cycle."

    -- State Rep. John Pappageorge, R-Troy, while discussing election strategy at a meeting of the Oakland County Republican Party

    "It's like my mom always says -- the weak are always trying to sabatoge the strong."

    by Merkin on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 10:57:16 AM PDT

  •  Once again, thank you dKos and the collective! (none / 0)

    With links like these.... Oh, well, you've made my day.  

    be good, c

    by c on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 11:22:31 AM PDT

  •  Blockquotes (none / 0)

    I would put that Fox news snippet in blockquotes, Kos. It's hard to tell where you stop and the quote begins. Don't want to run afoul of copywrite cops.

    I rock knobs!

    by Jumbo on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 11:23:19 AM PDT

  •  GOP - eugenics guy- no suprise (none / 0)

    It does not suprise me that they have this guy running in their party.  They probably don't like the national attention and now want to disown him, but if it were not for the story, they would have been okay with it.  Many outrageous statements and people have made their true ideas known in this time of hate, just look at Rhea County in Tennessee, a couple of months ago their commision voted to outlaw homosexuals.  Yes, people elected into office without a clue about the Bill of Rights, Constitution or the Supreme Court decisions.  It is despicable.  One more thing, our State Senator David Fowler, dearly loved by the Republican Party, last month made a statement about office workers in the state lottery office and referred to them as "a dime a dozen" and they did not deserve vacation time or any perks.  Guess that is just for the Republican politicians.  

    I got the news today

    by Sandy on Signal on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 12:33:38 PM PDT

  •  Hmm...this (none / 0)

    story even made it into my free local morning rag--and he was characterized quite boldly as a "racist candidate". They didn't mention the state of the race, (ie that the Dem would win regardless), but did say that even the rest of the GOP in that area was embarassed by this guy.

    Barack Obama will only become president if enough people pay attention, so pay attention, dammit!

    by JMS on Wed Aug 04, 2004 at 01:30:18 PM PDT

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