Washington Post Racist Rant Backfires

Controversy over Richard Cohen’s comments on de Blasio family

Richard Cohen has a knack for making venom-spewing enemies out of people who should be his allies. On Tuesday, when The Washington Post columnist wrote about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s chances in the 2016 Iowa Republican caucuses and took a detour to consider Bill de Blasio, New York City’s newly elected mayor, and his multiracial family:

“People with conventional views must repress a gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York — a white man married to a black woman and with two biracial children. (Should I mention that Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, used to be a lesbian?) This family represents the cultural changes that have enveloped parts — but not all — of America. To cultural conservatives, this doesn’t look like their country at all.”

The baying for Cohen’s head on the Internet quickly ensued.

Good grief, not only is this guys thinking seriously warped but he had the sheer gall to print it in the newspaper. What on earth was he thinking or could possibly make something like this OK? His answer:

“I don’t understand it,” said the columnist, who lives in New York City. “What I was doing was expressing not my own views but those of extreme right-wing Republican tea party people. It’s a slander” to suggest otherwise. “This is just below the belt. It’s a purposeful misreading of what I wrote.”

He added, “I think it’s reprehensible to say that because you disagree with something that you should fire me. That’s what totalitarians do.”

Of course it must be OK to try and print this stuff and blame it on the Tea Party. Sometimes there is justice.

He is part of what is wrong in America. And the world.

He actually doesn't understand that political viewpoint transcends race. He is race baiting for his political party. That is all he is doing.

A real POS if ever I did see one. Not only am I glad that people are "purposefully misreading" him, but I hope it makes him sit on the bathroom floor and sob over it.

reply to post by Bassago

Seems to my personage like he only said it was what they wanted to hear when he got called on it. Let`s play pass the buck; washes the egg right off one`s face!

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

He actually doesn't understand that political viewpoint transcends race. He is race baiting for his political party. That is all he is doing.

Maybe so, I don't really get this. The guy is WaPo, he totally flames out, and then the article is in the WaPo.

Huh?? What am I missing here, is this some attempt at newspaper penance? Are they tossing him under the bus? The guy is a piece of work.

Know the funny part?

It's much easier to make light of the Tea Party just based on their policy and their behavior when they get elected. You don't even need to touch the parts like racial disparity and sexual orientation discrimination.

You can't make a decent argument against a political movement based on social policy or behavior. You have to hit them where it actually matters. In the finance sector, international diplomacy and overall problem solving.

None of which the Tea Party seem to have any interest in talking about or providing answers, because they have none.

~Tenth

reply to post by Bassago


I read this earlier and I too was shaking my head. A poignant reminder that there is too little empathy and too many self-righteous people presuming to know just how other people think. I read it twice and I still can't figure out a) what the hell he was trying to accomplish and b) what the hell his editor was thinking.

how strange. maybe the wapo has been confiscated by the adminstration

reply to post by theantediluvian

and b) what the hell his editor was thinking.

Initially the editor probably just missed it. Now perhaps they're trying to get ahead of the problem they created.

I love how he refers to people's reactions as a slander towards himself, while he is himself slandering a political movement as a whole.

theantediluvian
reply to post by Bassago

 

I read this earlier and I too was shaking my head. A poignant reminder that there is too little empathy and too many self-righteous people presuming to know just how other people think. I read it twice and I still can't figure out a) what the hell he was trying to accomplish and b) what the hell his editor was thinking.

They *accomplished* everything they wanted to accomplish.

This was not a mistake.

Their message was clear enough.....

Regardless of any illusions of *apology* and 'punishment', or the appearance of astonishment.

reply to post by Bassago


I don't think he was speaking from first person there...
But none the less expressed his soul...
Freudian slip much?
However, he is right... Totalitarians speak from both sides of their mouths, yet power, and control lie beneath.

Well the man is 72, and known for his comments about black people sadly. Even his editor supports him so it sounds like he is just a controversial man, who is still stuck in the age of segregation to some degree.

reply to post by Bassago


I think you've all got it wrong. He's not expressing his own views, but the views of someone else. If he had written, "Members of the Westboro Church must repress a gag reflex...", his intended meaning would be clear.

reply to post by Elphineas

I think you've all got it wrong. He's not expressing his own views, but the views of someone else.

I just quoted the article and what he said. Maybe he did mean it to be "This is what the Tea Party thinks" but that's not the way it came out. Freudian slip indeed.

It's amusing how when people thought it reflected his beliefs he say it's slander. When he tries to pin his venom on the TP it must be freedom of the press.

So a man that has spent his fairly long life writing, and works for a newspaper uses the excuse that he failed to properly convey his real thoughts in writing?

Sounds like he needs to retire.... or he picked the wrong line of work.

reply to post by Bassago


After reading it, I interpreted it as those questionable comments emminate from some conservative group, not himself. At least that is the way the sentence reads.

I guess one could argue it is ridiculous to put words in other peoples mouths and then criticize those people for something you, yourself invented. He is guilty of that. However, he does not "gag" at the thought per the sentence structure. Still, I know people will 'read' the stuff and get wound up for various reasons.

Elphineas
reply to post by Bassago

 

I think you've all got it wrong. He's not expressing his own views, but the views of someone else. If he had written, "Members of the Westboro Church must repress a gag reflex...", his intended meaning would be clear.

No. I got it right. He attempted to leverage the pathetic tool of cries of racism for political reasons. He is employing "divide and conquer" strategies to promote his politcal ideas.

He is nothing but a propaganda tool for a crooked political machines. I feel absolutely no pity for him.

reply to post by Bassago


Despite what the media tries to push daily TEA party people are not racists. (I'm sure some racists exist in every pool of people) They don't care if you marry someone from another race. They don't care if your children are bi-racial. TEA party people come in all shapes, sizes, colors, wealth groups, and locations.

As for the wife who "used" to be a lesbian, I don't understand that. Doesn't everyone say you were born one way or the other? This would imply she made a decision on whether to be Lesbian or not.

Politics are viable in the imaginary worlds of government games,not reality.

tothetenthpower
None of which the Tea Party seem to have any interest in talking about or providing answers, because they have none.

That's bullcrap, 10.

Answer: STOP TAXING MIDDLE CLASS AMERICA INTO THE GODDAMNED ABYSS. Do this by CUTTING SPENDING in ALL sectors of government.

We have answers, good answers... the problem is there are way too many people shoving their fingers into their ears and shouting "lalalalala!!!" while the answers are given because they don't want to hear them.