Meanwhile… In The Mainstream Media… It Was “Gays Behaving Badly”
Last night’s protest at the Harold Ford/Stonewall Democrats event caused a great deal of “conversation.” My response, “Harold Ford’s Treatment No Better Than Tea Party Protests,” seems to have stirred up almost as much.
Let me add this.
Yes, I have a problem with the Tea Party style protest at last night’s event.
But had the protesters let Ford speak, THEN protested, I would totally have been fine with that. Had they restricted their protest to before and/or after his speech, or had they restricted it to outside the debate room before, during, and/or after his speech, I would totally have supported that too.
Protest? Absolutely!
Civil disobedience — done right, designed to change hearts and minds? Absolutely!
We are in the business of winning our civil rights — rights that I believe are “unalienable.” Being in the business of winning our civil rights from a majority who do not seem to want to hand them over to us means we are in the business of having to win hearts and minds.
Not the heart and mind of Harold Ford, but of the rest of America.
Nasty, rude, juvenile tactics designed to shut down conversation and debate are exactly what the Right has done to us for centuries. To emulate their oppressive behavior is simply not a smart tactic. It does not help us.
There are two arguments going on here. The folks who are on the side of the protesters, I believe, only care about sending a message to Harold Ford. They thought a rude, unruly, shout-down, Tea Party style protest was the best way to do it. Obviously, I disagree.
Those who have a problem with the protesters, at least, myself, know that Ford will either not run, or not win if he does. And so, I’m more concerned with our reputation, with winning hearts and minds, with having the average American not see us as “the mob,” so that they will WANT to support us. At least, so we don’t give them reasons to hate us more than they do.
I’m a fighter. I spend all day long fighting. But I’m smart enough to know that we need to be big-picture oriented. Not juvenile-tactics focused.
One thing I haven’t said publicly yet also is this.
My disagreement here comes at a price. I know these folks. Some of them I consider my friends. And while I was unaware of what they were going to do specifically — yes, I knew there would be a protest — I did not know what that would consist of, I assumed it would have been outside the debate room. And I have no doubt that they no longer will consider me their friend. Politics does that to people. I’m sorry to see that happen. But I cannot change my mind when so much is at stake.
Meanwhile, to prove I’m far from alone in my disagreement with the tactics of “The Power,” here’s what the “non-gay,” mainstream media — the one that voting citizens read, too –Â had to say.
(Although, again, I’ll mention even Queerty agrees with me, as have many other bloggers. Queerty’s front page says, “Did New York’s Terribly Rude Gays Give Harold Ford Jr. a Chance to Explain.)
And an update: Joe.My.God, whom I respect immensely, weighed in too:
“While I’m no fan of a carpetbagger like Rep. Ford, I don’t see the point of disrupting an ostensibly friendly speech on our own turf. Ford was the invited guest of the Stonewall Democrats.”
Look at the way we were represented in the mainstream media. Look at how we were perceived last night. Did we help ourselves in the media? No.
New York Magazine: “New York Gays Are Rude to Harold Ford Jr.”
Read some of the comments there:
“Though,
I don’t agree with the Tea Baggers at the town hall meetings last year. The respectful Tea Partiers spoke & listened with respect & dignity.
As a gay man, I can’t approve of the way that those other gays acted last night. I have no problem with activists protesting in the streets, however, when you’re inside at a meeting, there has to be some form of respect.
You can dissagree with him, you can tell him a lot of things but do it with respect.”“Rob,
I called out the Tea Partiers who were rude at the town hall meetings because they were.
As a gay man, I’m calling out my fellow gays for being rude.
Never kiss the politican’s @$$, however, have respect, I don’t care what politcal or social or cultural issue is at stake.”“Wow. I can’t imagine a situation where I wouldn’t let someone speak and just chanted insults at them. Was he an invited guest? Yikes.”
“It’s really not cool to set off things like confetti poppers at political events. I’m sure it scared the shit out of him. Not cool man.”
“They’re like any other group of NY liberals. They’re always rude to people who are not kissing their asses at the moment. They are better than everyone else, you see…and they deserve that respect!”
Gothamist: “Gay Rights Group Heckles Harold Ford”
Comments:
“So they invited him to speak there just so they could heckle him? Kinda lame.”
“Would have been better if they invited him and no one showed up to listen. Heckling is sooo 1900s.”
DNA Info: “Harold Ford Jr. Gets Hostile Reception from Stonewall Democrats”
NY1: “Crowd Heckles Ford Jr. On Gay Marriage Stance”
New York Post: “Ford lambasted by gay community at Democratic Club”
I rest my case, except to say this: There are too few of us, and too few of our supporters. The LGBTQ community needs to find a way to work together. It’s OK to disagree over tactics and positions, but it’s not OK to make ad hominen attacks. When that starts happening, we’ve already started to lose.
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U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, Republican of Georgia, is under fire after praising University of Mississippi students, some wearing American flag outfits, mocking a Black woman protester by making monkey sounds and shouting, “lock her up.”
“Counter-protestors at the University of Mississippi made racist remarks — including monkey noises and comparisons to Lizzo — towards a Black woman who was part of a planned protest against the war in Gaza,” Los Angeles Magazine reported Friday.
Collins, who tried to defund Vice President Kamala Harris’ Office in November, declared his support for the counter-protesters at “Ole Miss,” as the University is called.
“Ole Miss taking care of business,” he wrote on social media, atop the video (below).
The counter-protesters, as evidenced in the video, appear to be mostly white.
A large number of users on the social media platform X responded, accusing the Congressman and the counter-protesters of racism.
“When is the inevitable ‘I don’t have a racist bone in my body’ tweet coming,” wondered Rewire News Group editor-at-large Imani Gandy.
“Which part is your favorite, Mike?” asked Fred Wellman, the former executive director of The Lincoln Project. “Is it the white kid acting like a monkey at the black woman or the white security guy acting like she’s a threat? I’m trying to figure out which flavor of racism has you all excited the most?”
READ MORE: MAGA State Superintendent Supports Chaplains in Public Schools – But Not From All Religions
Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic clinical instructor Alejandra Caraballo responded to the Georgia GOP congressman, “Thanks for confirming you’re a massive racist piece of sh*t.”
Mississippi Free Press news editor Ashton Pittman wrote: “Rep. Mike Collins, R-Georgia, praises a video showing a University of Mississippi frat boy dancing like a monkey and making monkey noises near a Black woman student who was protesting for Palestine while other frat boys chant ‘lock her up.'”
In a separate post describing a separate video taken of the same group Pittman wrote: “Frat bros at @OleMiss chant, ‘Lizzo! Lizzo!’ and shout, ‘F**k you fatass, f**k you b*tch’ at a Black woman who was protesting for Palestine. Do people really think these counterprotestors are doing it to support Jews?”
Journalist John Harwood did not mince words, writing, “Congressman proud of the racism.”
“Okay, Mike. We get it,” wrote podcast host, documentary director, and author W. Kamau Bell. “You want to be famous for being a racist. Fine. I’ll help you become a famous racist. You’re welcome.”
The original video is here.
See Rep. Collins’ post and the video below or at this link.
Caution: the video is disturbing.
Ole Miss taking care of business. pic.twitter.com/JiL9hs2pHz
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) May 3, 2024
READ MORE: Noem Heads to Mar-a-Lago After Branding Kids She Ministered in Church ‘Little Tyrants’
Amid more damning revelations from her soon-to-be released book, embattled South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem will head to Mar-a-Lago this weekend as ex-president Donald Trump auditions potential vice presidential picks in front of high-dollar donors. Noem was also slated to attend a Republican fundraiser in Colorado this weekend but it was canceled over alleged safety concerns after news broke she had bragged about shooting her 14-month old dog.
While Noem’s shooting to death of her wirehaired pointer, Cricket, which she detailed in the book, is still making headlines overnight a new revelation made news: Noem falsely claims in her book she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
A spokesperson for Noem “seemed to concede that the Kim story was false Thursday night,” and notified her publisher, Politico’s Ryan Lizza reported in his exclusive.
But less noticed appears to be the actual text of Noem’s false story, in which she brands children she ministered in church “little tyrants,” and compared them to the murderous North Korean dictator.
READ MORE: RFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties
“Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee,” Noem wrote, according to Politico, “I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”
CNBC reported this week Trump “will mingle with potential vice presidential running mates and wealthy Republican donors at the Republican National Committee’s spring donor retreat. The meetings are likely to act as informal tryouts for a short list of politicos in the running to join the Trump ticket.”
The list of Republican “special guests” includes U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, and J.D. Vance, Rep. Elise Stefanik, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
Also expected to attend are House Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and other elected Republicans along with RNC co-chair Lara Trump.
READ MORE: Election Denialism Embraced by ‘Large Proportion’ of Trump’s Followers: Report
NBC News, which says Rep. Donalds is also under consideration, on Friday added there will be “a fundraising retreat that could serve as a screening session” for potential vice presidential running mates.
Meanwhile, the Jefferson County, Colorado Republican Party chair announced a fundraising dinner Noem was slated to attend was canceled after threats were made, The Denver Post reports.
“We understood there was a planned organized protest outside of the hotel, led by Progress Now,” Nancy Pallozzi said. “I felt that our event would be negatively impacted, and we could not take the risk that those who made threats would cause physical harm.”
Over the weekend independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. spoke at a fundraiser for a far-right anti-government group in Erie County, New York – a slice of the country that had a large proportion of residents arrested and charged for crimes related to the January 6 insurrection. Kennedy, a conspiracy theorist and vaccine denialist, increasingly is embracing the far-right.
“That group, Constitutional Coalition of New York State, has founders who not only have ties to Donald Trump but are also connected to the stop-the-steal movement through their activist network, which includes groups that had a presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6,” The Daily Beast reported Friday. “It’s yet another instance of Kennedy—who is mounting one of the most well-funded third-party presidential threats in decades—serving as a peculiar bridge between his own anti-establishment movement and Trump’s.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center includes the Constitutional Coalition of New York State (CCNYS) on its page of anti-government groups. Political Research Associates, which detailed the high proportion of January 6 residents arrested and charged, included the Constitutional Coalition of New York State in its February report on “The Rise of the Far Right in Western New York.”
READ MORE: Election Denialism Embraced by ‘Large Proportion’ of Trump’s Followers: Report
“If you don’t think the government is lying to you, you’re not paying attention,” Kennedy told attendees at the CCNYS fundraiser, The Buffalo News reports.
“CCNYS founders Nick and Nancie Orticelli are also affiliated with the Watchmen, a nearby militia who Nick has encouraged his social media followers to join. The Watchmen had several members at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and one member, Pete Harding, is still facing charges for violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds,” The Daily Beast noted. “Nancie Orticelli has also hosted the Watchmen’s founder, Charles Pellien, on her weekly radio show on several occasions.”
One of Kennedy’s goals in traveling to New York was to get on the ballot for the November presidential election. Various polls show him taking votes from both President Joe Biden and ex-president Donald Trump, but Kennedy currently has only qualified to be on the ballot in three states, Utah, Michigan and Hawaii, the newspaper reported.
But The Washington Post on Thursday reported The American Independent Party of California, which has a history of “far-right ties,” and “backed segregationist and former Alabama governor George Wallace in 1968, nominated Kennedy for president.”
Kennedy “said this week that he has qualified to be on the ballot in California and will accept the nomination of the American Independent Party, which has a history of associating itself with far-right figures and individuals who have expressed racist views.”
Some news reports and RFK Jr. himself say the Trump campaign was actively courting Kennedy, attempting to convince him to consider being the ex-president’s 2024 vice presidential running mate.
“That MAGA dalliance with Kennedy could be coming back to bite the Trump campaign, some Republicans close to the former president worry,” The Daily Beast also reported.
“’They can only blame themselves,’ a Trump-aligned strategist told The Daily Beast, requesting anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations about the risk Kennedy poses, ‘because they cozied up to him and thought it was funny.’”
Watch WIVBTV’s report on Kennedy’s trip to New York below or at this link.
READ MORE: Trump Won’t Commit to Accepting Election Results if He Doesn’t Win State He Falsely Claims He Won
Congressman Pummeled for Praising Students Mocking Black Protester With Monkey Sounds
Noem Heads to Mar-a-Lago After Branding Kids She Ministered in Church ‘Little Tyrants’
RFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties
Election Denialism Embraced by ‘Large Proportion’ of Trump’s Followers: Report
Trump Won’t Commit to Accepting Election Results if He Doesn’t Win State He Falsely Claims He Won
News3 days agoCongressman Pummeled for Praising Students Mocking Black Protester With Monkey Sounds
News3 days agoNoem Heads to Mar-a-Lago After Branding Kids She Ministered in Church ‘Little Tyrants’
News3 days agoRFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties