House Majority Whip Spoke at White Supremacists Conference

[Miles]

^ From what I understand, he's back living in St. Tammany Parish...close to my family .

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

If a Democrat spoke at some openly Maoist group, then yeah they'd deserve the same criticism and should resign as well.

The closest comparable Democrat you can find is probably Charles Barron. But when he ran for Congress he lost the primary by 3:1, so do your own conclusion.

[Brittain33]

Shawn Hannity thinks that Boehner's support of Scalise's addressing a white supremacist conference is the last straw and that Draco Malfoy should be the new Speaker.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sean-hannity-trey-gowdy-speaker

[King]

So 2015 is going to be  a Republican Civil War in Congress while Obama executive orders his way back into popularity with his base. Congratulations President-elect Clinton.

[pbrower2a]

If a Democrat spoke at a far-left Commie group...

Can we not pretend that's the same thing?

Maybe, but only if you can revive then hundred million people the Communists murdered in the 20th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_Communist_regimes

An actual full-on political Communist organization a la the American Communist Party, yeah. They deserve just as much scorn as Neo-Nazis and fascists.

I don't think you'll find that, though, honestly. The closest thing to a Communist in Democratic politics is Bernie Sanders, and he's a Democratic Socialist. I wouldn't have been shocked to find out about some unhinged former Dem politicians like Pete Stark, but he's gone.

The closest you'd likely find is some state legislators or city councilors in far-left states. Maybe a Mayor or two. It would likely be enough to take them out of office, but it doesn't have the wide reaching effect of this.

Of course. In view of the body count involved with Marxism-Leninism and its offshoots (Trotsky was a monster within the Soviet system, so he and his followers cannot be exempted) anyone claiming to be a Marxist-Leninist* is suspect. But so are fascists.

David Duke, as a former Ku Kluxist and a neo-Nazi  whose repudiation of both his  Klan and Nazi past is weak even if he has tried to restyle himself as a new style of right-winger, is a fascist. He certainly was in 2002. Except for the ruling parties of some Axis countries, fascists fall short of the body counts of Marxist-Leninists. But so do Ted Bundy and John Gacy fall well short of Commie body counts, and nobody misses either of them.  

*The Communist Party of China has practically abandoned the economic principles of Marxism-Leninism while preserving the dictatorship intact.

[Brittain33]

Intermoderate, if it makes you feel better, the Trent Lott fiasco happened just after the Republicans won back the Senate in 2002 but had no impact on the party heading into the '04 campaign.

[King]

The Trent Lott scandal wasn't used by the right wing of the GOP to coup their own party leadership.

[memphis]

Bush Jr famously and openly spoke at racist Bob Jones University and Republicans elected him President. This is the sort of thing that pisses off the left but Republicans don't give an Inks about. I don't know why anybody would be surprised. Republican politicians are not allowed to express outright support for racism but America has little problem with Republicans welcoming racist groups into their party. It's hardly a secret...

[Indy Texas]

I don't understand why Boehner is defending him.

He's constantly getting mad at Tea Partiers but when a member of his own leadership does something that is literally racist and reactionary, rather than merely implying such views as the Tea Party reps sometimes do, he practically falls on his sword for them.

[King]

Bush Jr famously and openly spoke at racist Bob Jones University and Republicans elected him President. This is the sort of thing that pisses off the left but Republicans don't give an Inks about. I don't know why anybody would be surprised. Republican politicians are not allowed to express outright support for racism but America has little problem with Republicans welcoming racist groups into their party. It's hardly a secret...

What makes this different is that the far right is out to get Boehner and so there might be lasting power here now.

[memphis]

Bush Jr famously and openly spoke at racist Bob Jones University and Republicans elected him President. This is the sort of thing that pisses off the left but Republicans don't give an Inks about. I don't know why anybody would be surprised. Republican politicians are not allowed to express outright support for racism but America has little problem with Republicans welcoming racist groups into their party. It's hardly a secret...

What makes this different is that the far right is out to get Boehner and so there might be lasting power here now.

The far right hates anti-racists far more than they hate Boehner. This is a non-issue.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Compared to Trent Lott, it's shocking that this guy isn't being hung out to dry. Lott said something insensitive at a tribute to an elderly reformed bigot.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Did you guys know that David Duke lived in my [Austrian] home town of Zell am See for quite some time ?

Well, well. Not only you are posting pictures of 15-years old. David Duke was also your neighbour.

[Joe Republic]

Did you guys know that David Duke lived in my [Austrian] home town of Zell am See for quite some time ?

Well, well. Not only you are posting pictures of 15-years old. David Duke was also your neighbour.

This might help explain this thread title.

[Tender Branson]

Did you guys know that David Duke lived in my [Austrian] home town of Zell am See for quite some time ?

Well, well. Not only you are posting pictures of 15-years old. David Duke was also your neighbour.

How long are you going to keep on spinning this faux-pas of mine (or rather, Google's) ?

Another 3 years ?

PS: Duke was not "my neighbour", but a neighbour of a friend of mine.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Did you guys know that David Duke lived in my [Austrian] home town of Zell am See for quite some time ?

Well, well. Not only you are posting pictures of 15-years old. David Duke was also your neighbour.

How long are you going to keep on spinning this faux-pas of mine (or rather, Google's) ?

Another 3 years ?

It's so convenient to blame everything on foreigners.

[memphis]

Compared to Trent Lott, it's shocking that this guy isn't being hung out to dry. Lott said something insensitive at a tribute to an elderly reformed bigot.

Trent Lott endorsed segregation. Unfortunately, we don't know what Scalise said to the White Supremacists. All we know is that he spoke to them. Do you seriously not see a difference? I don't condone speaking at White Supremacist rallies, but addressing these fools isn't exactly the same thing as endorsing their ideas. It's enough reason that I wouldn't want him in my party's leadership, but the Republican Party clearly feels differently.

[Adam Griffin]

David Duke is now subtly threatening other GOP House members to stop throwing Scalise under the bus, or be outed themselves:

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[Miles]

Did you guys know that David Duke lived in my [Austrian] home town of Zell am See for quite some time ?

Well, well. Not only you are posting pictures of 15-years old. David Duke was also your neighbour.

This might help explain this thread title.

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw Tender's thread title, as this story has been in the news so much.

[pbrower2a]

Compared to Trent Lott, it's shocking that this guy isn't being hung out to dry. Lott said something insensitive at a tribute to an elderly reformed bigot.

Trent Lott endorsed segregation. Unfortunately, we don't know what Scalise said to the White Supremacists. All we know is that he spoke to them. Do you seriously not see a difference? I don't condone speaking at White Supremacist rallies, but addressing these fools isn't exactly the same thing as endorsing their ideas. It's enough reason that I wouldn't want him in my party's leadership, but the Republican Party clearly feels differently.

A politician being introduced to new and controversial organization can do (or instruct staffers to do) some vetting of the organization.  Occasionally the organization is able to conceal some questionable purpose (such as being a Communist front) before one attends its function. So in such a case it is left-of-center... but of the 'wrong' part of the Left.   A sleazy club might organize an ad-hoc group that calls itself the "People of (insert name of locality) for the Defense of the Bill of Rights". The right under challenge proves to be the right of the owners to have waitresses show their bare breasts while taking orders for and serving overpriced liquor.

Oh, so it is not about protecting the right of a Vaclav Havel having a rough time with the authorities?

You can walk out on it. You can make your speech but make clear that you express that you have been snookered.

For an apolitical situation, suppose that you are a Professor of Economics at (insert name of institution). You are invited to make some pleasant speech at what proves to be a financial rip-off. The business model suggests that the only people who can Get Rich Quick are the organizers who fleece persons attending with basically a Ponzi scheme. Of course if you have any sense you will leave early... and notify the appropriate authorities. If you don't, then the supplementary income that you get will get you in trouble with the Dean of the Economics Department. You will lose your tenure and your job, and you will need a new source of income -- like working in a "stop and rob" gas station/convenience store even if you avoid prison time for participating in an illegal scheme.

...Everybody in Louisiana had to know what David Duke was for. Steve Scalise could have vetted a group called "Euro-American Unity and Rights Organization" and discovered who was involved in it. Instead the organization with David Duke vetted Scalise and found him a willing fellow-traveler.

Steve Scalise has showed himself a fellow-traveler of a fascist who left Nazism and the Klan only because he found how fruitless an association with despicable groups would hurt his ability to attract supporters and raise funds.

The Republican Party has enough potential leaders of the House, does it not? It could have found someone less controversial in his associations.

[Maistre]

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/12/david_duke_adviser_kenny_knigh.html

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[Bandit3 the Worker]

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/12/david_duke_adviser_kenny_knigh.html

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We're supposed to believe a Duke adviser?

[All Along The Watchtower]

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/12/david_duke_adviser_kenny_knigh.html

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We're supposed to believe a Duke adviser?

And I thought Scalise admitted it....

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

If a Democrat spoke at some openly Maoist group, then yeah they'd deserve the same criticism and should resign as well.

The closest comparable Democrat you can find is probably Charles Barron. But when he ran for Congress he lost the primary by 3:1, so do your own conclusion.

Uh, Raul Grijalva???

[Miles]

Good NYT article on this.

Whether the Republicans in LA want to admit it or not, Duke did as much as anyone else (except for Obama) in growing the party and they're still co-opting his message.