Who Was Source For Claim About Reid’s Racial Comments? Reid Himself!
Could Harry Reid himself be the source for the explosive anecdote about his racially charged comments — ones that have created the biggest mess of his political lifetime?
Yep. Reid himself is the source of the anecdote, the Majority Leader’s office confirms. And this raises a bunch of questions about what happened here.
The authors’ note at the beginning of Game Change, the book about Campaign 2008 by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, states clearly that any comments that appear “within quotation marks” come from “the speaker himself, someone who was present and heard the remark, contemporaneous notes, or transcripts.”
The quote is within quotation marks. From page 36, about Reid:
He was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama — a “light-skinned” African American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,” as he later put it privately.
Reid’s office confirms that Reid himself was the source of the anecdote to the reporters. His office declined to elaborate. But it looks as if Reid used the language to one of the reporters in some way or other.
The authors’ note further specifies that “all our interviews” were conducted on a “deep background” basis. So it looks like Reid used this language in an interview on deep background. That must be what the reporters mean when they say Reid said this stuff “privately.”
Did Reid have any earthly idea that these comments would end up in print? Was he told they might? Doesn’t look like it. Indeed, Mike Allen reports that Reid’s office feels “burned” by what happened, though I was unable to confirm this. Seems like there’s more to what happened here than we have been told.
Politics is replete with ironies, but it would be pretty amazing if Reid himself was the unwitting source for an anecdote that has created arguably the biggest crisis of his whole political career.
***************************************
Update: Smart point from Ben Smith: Whether Reid got burned depends entirely on what ground rules were worked out beforehand. Still unclear right now what happened here.
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Ethan | January 11th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Troops, since you are so comfortable with African-American people, do you understand the difference between racist policies (segregation) and the use of politically incorrect language?
Also, the right wing has been extremely vocal about “political correctness,” even moreso since the Obama Administration…
Why don’t you now stand up on behalf of Leader Reid and support him for saying something that was not politically correct?
-
Sounds like YOU Ethan are uncomfortable with negro’s! I would not stand up in behalf of Harry Reid on any matter the man is a corrupt cowardly lying politician.
It was this blog that went ballastic friday over the use of the word negro when it came from someone other than the lunatic left. It is this blog that went on and on about how racists it is to use the word “negro” and attacked me all day. It was this blog that NOW wishes the word Negro and harry reid would go away because it has shown all viewers what a bunch of hypocritical biggots the lunatic left is!
If folks want to say negro who cares.
What Reid was refering to was that Obama was acceptable to him because he wasn’t black as the ace of spades and did not speak rap talk! So that tells me Reid is a racists he would not support a dark negro that talks in shuck n jive!
Oh the irony is so sweet to watch the biggots on this blog try to defend what they attacked just the day before.
“WTFCI”, you are referring to the FALSE claims of a pair of writers that looked at money and ignored history.
The Republicans racist “Southern Strategy” was explicitly articulated by Republican strategists decades ago.
Republican’s racist “Southern Strategy” was used by:
Republican Nixon: a blatant racist who taped himself saying racist comments.
Republican Reagan: who advocated racists favorite call for ’state’s rights’ (aka: segregation and slavery) in the county where civil rights advocates where murdered.
Republican Bush 1: Who used racist TV ads developed by the guy that now runs FOX.
Republican Bush 2: Whose right wing allies attacked McCain’s adopted foreign child with suggestions he’d fathered a black child to hurt him amongst racist Republican voters.
Republican McCain: Who didn’t have the honor to repudiate the racism used by his Republican supporters.
Republican’s racist “Southern Strategy” is extremely well documented.
Ethan | January 11th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Troops, since you are so comfortable with African-American people, do you understand the difference between racist policies (segregation) and the use of politically incorrect language?
–
I sure do now do you?
I highly doubt it because most policies from the left towards blacks do nothing but keep them in poverty and on the liberal plantation!
Dave Chappell once said…black people are bi-lingual. They speak street English and job interview, LOL. Harry Reid was right no matter how unfortunate it was.
I love that Harry was outed…by his own stupidity.
For too long have the self-righteous Liberals believed that they hold the patent on racial relations. The fact of the matter is that they are the racists. They are the ones that bring race into everything, treat people of different races differently, and suffer from the white guilt that makes Political Correctness run rampant. Then when you get them off the record they immediately show just how ignorant they are of race relations.
Republicans treat people the same way no matter what race color or creed they are. Democrats treat people BASED on what race they are. Even if they are trying to help a certain faction of people, they still treat them differently.
Harry Reid and the dems are the racists. Vote Republican.
Harry Reid is a typical Liberal. A holier than thou racist. If it had been a Repub who said this there would have been a march on Washington. But since it was a Dem..it is OK?????
Just remember people, it was a Republican who freed the slaves, and it is the Democrats who currently have a former Ku Klux Klan leader in it’s party. Before you start calling people racist you shoul check your facts. Fact One: Harry Reid uses derogatory, socially insensitive racial speech when he thinks he is off the record. He is a racist.
Why are we upset at Reid for acknowledging the bias that MANY americans have against darker skinned black people who speak “ebonics”. Many Black, Latino and Indian people have this same kind of color bias against the darker of their respective groups; and many minorities work their butts off to develop an “american” accent. Obama did indeed benefit from not sounding like Jesse Jackson or looking like Al Sharpton. Although it is sad and it hurts to hear, these were factors in Obama’s electability.
It’s important to repeatedly note that while the right wing’s racist base has been doing extremely racist things (such as right wingers and Republicans e-mailing pictures of the President as a witch doctor, the White House with watermelons in front of it, and the President shining shoes) it’s the Republican LEADERSHIP that has deliberately used racism as a political strategy.
Republican’s racist “Southern Strategy” was used by:
Republican Nixon: a blatant racist who taped himself saying racist comments.
Republican Reagan: who advocated racists favorite call for ’state’s rights’ (aka: segregation and slavery) in the county where civil rights advocates where murdered.
Republican Bush 1: Who used racist TV ads developed by the guy that now runs FOX.
Republican Bush 2: Whose right wing allies attacked McCain’s adopted foreign child with suggestions he’d fathered a black child to hurt him amongst racist Republican voters.
Republican McCain: Who didn’t have the honor to repudiate the racism used by his Republican supporters.
Typical Liberal lie incoming:
It’s important to repeatedly note that while the right wing’s racist base has been doing extremely racist things (such as right wingers and Republicans e-mailing pictures of the President as a witch doctor, the White House with watermelons in front of it, and the President shining shoes) it’s the Republican LEADERSHIP that has deliberately used racism as a political strategy.
End of typical liberal lie.
You actually belileve that these things were done? And that they were done by the Republican base???
You are a fool who will believe any propaganda thrown your way. In fact there have been several arrests for liberals vandalizing emocratic offices with swasitikas and anti-african-american slurs and images just so they could take the high road and call Republican’s racist. I suspect it is you who has an issue with race an not the republican “base”, if you even know what that means.
More Liberal Lies:
Republican Reagan: who advocated racists favorite call for ’state’s rights’ (aka: segregation and slavery) in the county where civil rights advocates where murdered.
Republican Bush 1: Who used racist TV ads developed by the guy that now runs FOX.
Republican Bush 2: Whose right wing allies attacked McCain’s adopted foreign child with suggestions he’d fathered a black child to hurt him amongst racist Republican voters.
Republican McCain: Who didn’t have the honor to repudiate the racism used by his Republican supporters.
End of liberal lies.
You have not one ounce of proof for any of these comments. Yet you spout them out in ignorance as if they are absolute facts. That is a Democrat for you.
If it will make some of you white people feel better; some of us colored folk feel the same way about Barack Hussein Obama as Reid does. The difference is that we can accept both sides of the man’s rich heritage and not be offended or disturbed by the enigma of Obama’s black side. We have long understood the white man’s propensity for miscegenation; which produced some very colorful offspring among the bretheren. Although Barack’s mother was a willing participant; after all this time; I don’t quite get why it’s so hard for white people to accept the man for who he is. (Believe it or not; all of us aren’t pimps, drug dealers and welfare queens. Some of us actually have the uncanny ability to Anglisize our vernacular when we find ourselves in fancy places where white people congregate. We only break verbs among ourselves;we don’t like to offend our less learned brothers and sisters.
Harry Reid simply said what plenty of you good culture shocked white folk wouldn’t say out loud. P.S. We don’t need to be validated by white people anymore; Barack has at least provem that.
Here are your Democrats:
Ted Kennedy: Murdered a woman
Harry Reid: Racist
Rep.John Murtha: believes all his constituents are racist
Sen. Robert Byrd: Former Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan
Bill Clinton: Rapist, Adulterer, liar
Barrack Obama: Racist Church member, describes “typical white people”, friend of Anti-American bombers, Friend of Blago the extortionist (and Democrat).
and on and on and on.
You guys really think you have the upper hand in telling people who is good and who is bad? What a joke.
and now it seems the true thinking comes from Obama himself, using slighlty different wording:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/in-reids-comments-hints-of-obamas-own-words/?hp
!
Right wing racism is extremely blatant and has grown even more blatant the last couple of years.
Republicans rely on their racist base in order to win elections and Republican’s racist “Southern Strategy” has been used in every national election for decades.
Republican Reagan’s racism was a perfect example of how Republican’s racist right wing supporters were appeased by Republican leaders.
Republican Reagan was clearly and regularly inciting right wing racism in order to stoke his racist base, starting with announcing his run for President by calling for a return to racist’s “state’s rights” to institutionalize racism in the county where civil rights activists were murdered by racists.
Harry Reid says Obama’s look and feel is more marketable than Jesse Jackson’s look and feel. No drama Obama, Mac vs. PC
Troops, if you know the difference between racist policies (segregation) and political correctness, then why are you upset at Harry Reid? Please explain.
Also, do you think it is important to be politically correct? Or do you dislike political correctness?
Thanks for your answers.
To answer your question, yes, I understand the difference between advocating for racist policies (like segregation) and making a politically incorrect statement. Waiting on your explanation of why you are upset at Harry Reid.
Seems to me Reid’s purported “racism” is more anachronism. His vocabulary, ex., the term “Negro dialect,” might have seemed OK even for a liberal 50 years ago. Republicans’ use of the incident is blatantly cynical, and the MSM’s treatment, blatantly stupid (so what’s new?) But that Reid still speaks that way does shows that he’s badly out of touch. Not good in a leader. What’s needed is for young people to take more part in the national dialogue and KEEP VOTING.
While the word “negro” and blunt talk about the color of skin are certainly signs of racism, what he says, that White people can be racist in the way they vote, strikes me as a historically accurate description of American politics. The quote is not in context, so we have no way of knowing how Reid feels about this reality. I wish commentators would explain why they think it is “explosive” and racist, instead of just assuming it is self-evident. There is a more valuable conversation about race we could be having.
We could ask Reid, for example: “Senator Reid, given your recognition of the racist tendency of White voters, what do you as Majority Leader plan to do to improve the situation of Black Americans who struggle with racism and prejudice everyday?”
As a black female, evangelical, I would NOT vote for the Republican hypocrital party. I support Sen. Reid and I am actually praying that his constituents vote him back in to continue the good work he is doing for this country.
He spoke the truth.
Well, Amw, I hate to break it to you, but the liberal Democrats on this blog think that your being an evangelical and praying for your candidate to be elected makes you a dangerous, theocratic, deluded, fanatical nutjob.
I won’t even go into the Democrat hypocrisy you are overlooking.
The members of a particular Lobby group will never dare tell the source as by law none can force to divulge the source.
With the legal backing behind, whatever the congressmen admits has to be taken swallowed as truth even if it is not.
Political analysts and eminent journalists opined that the congressmen and more members of the same clan are followers of another senior congressman recently condemned by activists and senators of the same party and singled out as betrayer, double agent and a traitor who is also a very important official of a very Powerful Lobby group looking after the interest of a foreign country.They the Political analysts and the eminent journalists thinks that the source could be that congress gentleman mentioned above.
For detail of functioning of this Powerful Group and the working of the members is known to J street group members, in case the want they can but they are scared to death of the Powerful Lobby group.
>It’s certainly not comparable to when Republican Trent Lott made a deliberate endorsement of a RACIST policy of segregation
Well no, it wouldn’t be if that were anywhere close to what Trent Lott said when he made a token compliment to a retiring senator on his 100th birthday. Harry Reid’s comments are not something that he should have to step down for judged alone, but considering what would happen if a Republican had made the comment, then yes, he should have to step down. It doesn’t really matter. Reid is getting beat pretty bad in the polls for the 2010 race.
What Harry Reid said was politically incorrect, but it was not racist, he is not racist, and all those who say it was offensive are nutz! I said NUTZ!
Would it be sexist if a man, while commenting on Sarah Palin’s prospects had said “she really stands a chance at winning, I mean she’s not blonde and she doesn’t have that “shrill” as most women do.
I have heard worse from whites. This was not an ah ha moment. It is typical. The real problem is the Klansmen/women at the tea parties. They are the problems and are being watched very closely!!!!!
Again:
It’s certainly NOT comparable to when Republican leader Trent Lott made a deliberate endorsement of a RACIST policy of segregation.
Republican Trent Lott’s racist support for segregation was made publicly and Republicans approved the comment at the time and have been trying to justify the comment ever since.
After reading many posts, I have come to the conclusion that people here are angry with everyone except Harry. With the liberal left, it always seems to be somebody elses fault. Do the progressives ever take personal responsibility for anything?
Harry, it was a mistake. Stay where you are and say nothing more to anyone. Answer no questions and give no comments.
News Reference | January 11th, 2010 at 03:24 pm
Again:
It’s certainly NOT comparable to when Republican leader Trent Lott made a deliberate endorsement of a RACIST policy of segregation.
+++++
Can we nip this fallacy in the butt? Lott made a comment honoring a US Senator who happened to still serve in the caucus years AFTER he ran on a segregationist platform. It is open to interpretation whether he supported a racist platform rather than flattering a colleage.
What is NOT up for question is that Reid clearly stated that Obama’s complexion and speech separates him from the rest of american “negros.”
While it may seem complimentary to Obama, it IS an insult to the rest of american negros.
Thank god he didn’t have a negro dialect or dark skin.
Senator Reid brought forth an issue that Obama supporters do not want to talk about; they supported him because he is “light skinned”. Blacks do not have the numbers to elect a president. So, many sought redemption in supporting a candidate that is part white. It would have been impossible for Obama to enjoy that same support if he was the son of a black Kenyan father and an African American mother. That remark coming from Reid is not a surprise for those who remember that it was the Democratic Party who gave us the Ku Klux Klan. Reid will not resign and will enjoy the support of his party including the CBC. Republicans have to stand by Blacks the same they did not so long ago when Democrats worked so hard to keep Blacks from voting.
A blogger here is under the impression that Harry Reid is majority leader because of seniority. Not true, he is elected by his fellow Democrats, has been elected twice and the last time unanimously.
Like many other Democrats, I’m glad the right-right tea baggers fight with the Republican establishment. Let’s hang tight as Democrats and not give into their efforts to make us fight with each other too.
Ried is a Convert he did not grow up and the Mormon Church.
For being a politician, Reid is a gullible person.
A simple ” I don’t recall making that statement” does wonders. He isn’t paying attention to Reagan or Dick Cheney
Reagan got re-elected simply by using these fine words …
I DO NOT RECALL
ROFLMAO!
Republican Trent Lott made a deliberate, PUBLIC endorsement of the RACIST policy of segregation.
Republican Leader Trent Lott wanted to return to the days of the racist policy of separating races and Republicans agreed with Republican Trent Lott.
Republicans even defended Republican Trent Lott’s racist POLICY.
Dems on the other hand have called out the use of the word “Negro” as inappropriate (just as I did in my first post above).
Trying to compare using the term “Negro” (a term that is still used by the official CENSUS because many older African Americans still self-describe themselves with that term) with the open and public support of the racist policies of segregation is obscenely deceitful.
This is “much to do about nothing”. Look, Harry said what many of us (African Americans) also believe about America. In certain jobs/positions, light skinned blacks have an easier time. For instance, our very first AA Senator and Congressman were “light-skinned”(Adam Clayton Powell, Rep. and Sen Edwards(Mich)…There is nothing to see here…let’s just move on ppl!
Lost on this topic is the fact that Reid was evidently praising Barack Obama.
Caucasion
Negro
Asian
Puppy
Asparagus
Why should any of these words, which provide descriptions, create such a volitile reaction?
Vomit!
===============================
Harry Reid’s comments were smearing Americans as being racists and that it would take a candidate with light skin and no evidence of a negro dialoct like Obama to come in under the radar of all us negro-haters.
===============================
Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, obviously believes the majority of African Americans
speak an unintelligble dialect.
This is pretty silly. Reid just pointed out facts, and that the American public could deal with a black who wasn’t too far from the mainstream in speech or looks. In fact, Obama was not raised by one black parent or grandparent and had little contact with blacks on the US mainland until his speech patterns and attitudes were well-established. The Obama campaign itself played up pictures of him with his white mother. The same point that Reid made could be said about the political viability for President (or for a corporate board) of any American who speaks with too much of an ethnic dialect, whether it is black or Italian, or Eastern European or Hispanic, or whatever. In fact, in jobs across America, people are well-advised not to stray very far from what white males expect in order to advance in the workplace or politics. It is just a statement of fact and an assessment about whether that person is likely to win that position, not about their intrinsic worth as a human being or whether they are capable of performing the job. What Trent Lott did was totally different: Trott supported Strom Thurmond explicitly as a racist and said that he wished Thurmond’s overtly racist campaign had been more successful. That is different than the commonplace observation by Reid in 2008 wondering if a black man could succeed in winning the Presidency. Just about every commentator wondered the same thing.
Being from a small town in Kentucky, Senator Reids’ assessment was 100% correct. The white population in this country still well out-numbers both blacks and hispanics. I first watched Obama on the Oprah show a few years ago and was very impressed. I knew he could be a president barring some skeleton in his closet. I saw a light black skinned, articulate, and educated man who had passion.
Come on folks! Are so many so short sighted? I truly hope not but may be wrong.
Gem, what is your explanation for Reid believing
African Americans speak a Negro Dialect?
All the nonsense may actually turn out to work in favor of Senator Reid. The big dust up has nothing to do with the Republican’s concern that Senator Reid made racially insensitive remarks, because quite frankly if that were the case, they would not be commenting. They couldn’t care less and they prove that every day by not speaking out against all of the other bigoted statements and racist pictures and e-mails their party displays on a daily basis. I pray that this works to the advantage of Senator Reid. Never underestimate the power of prayer.
A final word from Rep. James Clyburn (from TPM):
“House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said today that Harry Reid is “one of the most stand up guys I have ever met in my life.”
Speaking on The Ed Show on MSNBC, Clyburn added that Reid’s civil rights record is
something “all of us in the African American community can be proud of and can support,” and defended the Nevada Senator against charges of racism and GOP calls for him to resign for making racial comments about Barack Obama in 2008.
He went on to question if Reid’s comments should even be considered racial: “What is the big fuss about the word ‘Negro’?” Clyburn said. “I support the United Negro College Fund, I support the National Council of Negro Women. We still use those two terms, because they have been part of our history for a long time.”
Clyburn ended by proclaiming: “It is not their words that we ought to be cognizant of, it’s their deeds,” before ending “[Reid]’s work speaks for him.”
The Democrats are the party of Reid, Bill Clinton and former Klansman Robert Byrd. Disgraceful bigots, all three.
Greg, I gotta take issue with you on this one. I find it difficult to believe that Sen. Reid told all of this to a reporter. Even if we were to side-step the issue of race, how can he possibly tell a reporter that Obama did not possess a Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” The “unless he wanted to have one” is in and of itself demeaning! Something’s not right here. Secondly, you say: “The authors’ note further specifies that “all our interviews” were conducted on a “deep background” basis. So it looks like Reid used this language in an interview on deep background. That must be what the reporters mean when they say Reid said this stuff “privately.” Was Clinton’s coffee comment also gleaned in an interview on deep background. I dunno…..
Republican’s racist “Southern Strategy” was used by:
Republican Nixon: a blatant racist who taped himself saying racist comments.
Republican Reagan: who advocated racists favorite call for ’state’s rights’ (aka: segregation and slavery) in the county where civil rights advocates where murdered.
Republican Bush 1: Who used racist TV ads developed by the guy that now runs FOX.
Republican Bush 2: Whose right wing allies attacked McCain’s adopted foreign child with suggestions he’d fathered a black child in order to hurt McCain amongst racist Republican voters.
Republican McCain: Who didn’t have the honor to repudiate the racism used by his Republican supporters and refused to stand up for a Martin Luther King Holiday.
The Republican’s Racist Party even includes Republican leader Trent Lott racist encouragement of separating the races in the 21st century through segregation.
Even Republican Party leader Michael Steele’s racist language just offended Native Americans this week by calling them “injun[s]“.
It is always a no-story when the Republican says or commits an error. If it is a corrupt democrat it is always ok. President George Soros has all his attackers and/or defenders ready. The puppet is a great speaker but has an empty brain. Pres. Soros wants to make USA like Cuba.