Cross-posted from michiganliberal.com.
I'm
still bothered by the speech I heard Michigan Republican State Chairman Saul
Anuzis give before several hundred high school kids at the annual Boys
State conference a few weeks ago (see
earlier post). This was the
occasion where Saul used a quotation to the effect of: "there are two
kinds of people, Democrats and Americans." To make such a statement -
even in jest - before a group of high school students seemed to me
incredibly asinine and irresponsible.
So I decided to go ask Saul about it.
This morning, I took my recorder and sauntered down to Saul's newser at
the Capitol. As soon as Rick Albin (WOOD-TV) was done with his stand-up
I weaseled my way in and got to work.
Listen here to find out what went down (.mp3)
(More - including a full transcript of the "interview" below the fold)
No apology or remorse whatsoever.
The fact that it was former Reagan Interior Secretary
James G. Watt - NOT former Oklahoma Congressman
J.C. Watts,
as Saul originally said - explains why I've had a hard time finding the
source of that quote. Well, anyway, it's possible he could have used
some other variation some other time, but
this one from Wikipedia looks pretty similar - and is particularly appropriate for this website:
"I never use the words Democrats and Republicans. It's liberals and Americans."
Incidentally, be sure to
take a look at Interior Secretary Watt's rap
sheet. Nice guy. Here's a couple of other Watt quotes Saul apparently decided
not to use:
"My responsibility is to follow the Scriptures which call upon us to occupy the land until Jesus returns." -- James G. Watt, The Washington Post, May 24, 1981
This one is really nice:
"We have every mixture you can have. I have a black, a woman, two Jews
and a cripple. And we have talent." -- James G. Watt, describing the
members of the U.S. Commission on Fair Market Value Policy for Federal
Coal Leasing to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on September 21, 1983;
from Bartlett's Online
And by the way, when I said rap sheet I wasn't kidding. Watt has a criminal record. In 1996, Watt pleaded to one count of witholding documents
from a federal grand jury and wound up with five years probation and a
$5,000 fine. And dude, what's up with banning the Beach Boys?
All in all a fine and shining example for the youth of America.
Matt Ferguson's interview with Saul Anuzis
July 11, 2006
About 10:20AM
The State Capitol, Lansing
MF: Hi Saul, howya doing? Can I talk to you for a
few minutes? I had a question I wanted to ask
you.
SA: Absolutely! (speaking to his aides) Here's my
Michiganliberal blogger.
MF: Hey, very good. I was think that maybe you
wouldn't recognize me since I lost the goatee.
You know, that's the new fad these days.
SA: Is it? Do you think I'm gonna lose mine?
MF: Well, we'll see...we'll see...Um, so Saul,
like that Boys State thing we went to...
SA: (laughter)
MF: Look, man, I mean, is that...I mean, what's
up with that? Like, seriously...in front of a few
hundred high school kids...
SA: Wasn't that fun, didn't you have a good time?
MF:...in front of a few hundred high school kids
you say that Democrats aren't Americans, I mean...
SA: I didn't say that.
MF: You quoted J.C. Watts, you said...
SA: Actually, I quoted um..uh..um...
MF: You said it was J.C. Watts.
SA: It's not J.C. Watts, it was Secretary of the
Interior under Reagan.
MF: OK, alright. Well, even still. Same thing
applies. I mean, why was that a...don't you think
that was a little bit over the top?
SA: Nope.
MF: Why not? I'm not an American because I'm a
Democrat?
SA: I didn't say that.
MF: Well, what were you saying?
SA: Well, you were there, you heard it, you know,
Watt said, during his time - it was in jest, and
we were having fun at that conference, as I was,
and I said, you know, there's two kinds of people
in this country, they identified them as
Democrats and Americans. And so the implication
is that, you know,
good Americans ought to be
Republicans, and that's what we're saying.
MF: Good Americans ought to be Republicans.
SA: Yeah.
MF: Good Americans can't be Democrats either?
SA: They
could be.
MF: But, I mean, the kids there - do you think
they really got that? I mena it wasn't clear to
me that that was in jest.
SA: I...you didn't hear the laughter? Which part
of the room were you sitting in?
MF: Well...maybe in your part of the room. I
heard a lot of people groaning, I mean...
SA: Well, you were probably sitting with the
other Democrats.
MF: That's true, I was.
SA: I would groan if I were sitting amongst a
bunch of Democrats...
MF: Well, listening to you, yeah...
SA: (laughter)
MF: ...What do you expect. So it was in jest. You
don't think an apology is in order?
SA: No.
MF: No apology whatsoever.
SA: No, no.
MF: Don't you think that's kind of polarizing?
What about that?
SA: Have you read your website? Do you think it's
polarizing? Do you think it's polarizing?
MF: Yeah, well, we've got to fight against you!
That's why I started it. I read your website.
SA: I know, I read yours almost every day.
MF: Almost? Well thanks, I appreciate that.
Great. Okay, well, good luck Saul.
(Anuzis walks away)