The house majority whip gets some support from a couple of house Negroes.

So now the spin begins for Steve Scalise. According the latest conservative talking point, he did not really speak to a white supremacist gathering in Metairie, Louisiana back in 2002. Apparently it was all a huge misunderstanding, and the liberal blogger who broke the story didn't have a clue what he was talking about.

Well....not so fast.

"Congressman Steve Scalise apologized earlier this week for speaking to a group of white supremacists in 2002. You would think that would settle the question of whether Scalise spoke to a group of white supremacists.
But no.

Two days ago, Slate ran a piece quoting Kenny Knight, a close associate of David Duke, who booked the room for the white supremacist group, known as EURO. Knight claimed that he invited Scalise to speak to the “Jefferson Heights Civic Association, which was largely comprised of elderly people who lived in his and Scalise’s neighborhood.” The meeting of the civic association, Knight said, just happened to be held in the same room as the EURO conference held later that day. Knight told The Times-Picayune that he “was not a member of EURO and did not arrange for any speakers at the 2002 conference.”

The right-wing ran was the story, billing the entire controversy as little more than a hoax.

But, as it turns out, Knight was lying. Not only was Knight a member of the EURO group but “documents filed with the Louisiana secretary of state’s office list him as treasurer…” He is also listed as a member of the group in a 2002 news release for the conference in question, where he was scheduled as a speaker.

Asked about the discrepancy and the state document listing him as treasurer of the group, Knight hung up twice on a reporter for The Times-Picayune. Eventually, Knight said “Is that 15 years ago? I don’t even remember that. I’m not communicating any more with the news media. I’m finished with y’all.”

If you have any further questions, ask David Duke. In an interview with the Washington Post, Duke said he “recalled Knight reaching out to Scalise in the weeks before the conference to come and update attendees on state affairs, and that Scalise accepted without reservation.” [Source]

Don't you just love when folks try to cover for racists?

I think it's especially egregious when some of these slave catching Negroes jump over each other to protect the honor of the racist. No one asked them, no one told them that they had an obligation to look into the heart of the racist and say it is pure, they just felt a need to jump into the fray and do a nice little jig for us all because...well...that's what house Negroes do. (I see you Cedric Richmond, more on you in a minute.)

Take my man Ron Christie, for instance.   

"What I find ironic is that Scalise is being excoriated for one speech before one group in which the gentleman in question professed no knowledge of white supremacist ties—while the current occupant of the Oval Office had to have known about the racist invective Pastor Wright issued from his pulpit each Sunday.

Have you ever heard of the “Black Value System” adopted by the Trinity Church in 1981, some seven years before President Obama joined their congregation? Chances are you haven’t, as I hadn’t either.  Scrolling through this hate-filled manifesto for the first time made the hairs on my arm tingle with discomfort.  There is reference after reference to the “black community,” “black worth ethic,” and adherence to the “black value system.”

Can you imagine the outrage if Representative Scalise had spoken before a group in Louisiana whose attendees vowed fealty to a “white value system?”  Calls for his resignation and an investigation from the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice would have been swift and immediately forthcoming." [Source]

Nothing "ironic" about it Ron. If you understand the history of racism in this country and the role of the black church in trying to overcome it, you will not find Pastor Wright's sermons or his manifesto to be that troubling.

I suspect that you already know all of this, but there are slaves to catch, jigging to perfect, and you must do whatever it takes to please massa.

Which brings me to  my man Cedric Richmond. A man I have hung with on occasion and used to have some respect for. Not anymore. Not after he jumped through hoops to defend Steve Scalise when Steve Scalise himself did not ask him to do so.

Not when I learned that there is a prominent African American group in Baton Rouge, Louisiana who has been begging Congressman Richmond to speak to their group for the past few years and he keeps refusing.

I suspect that if Mr. Scalise asked him to address his church group or some of his constituents, Cedric Richmond would jump at the chance.

If it turns out that there are more sheet covered skeletons in Mr. Scalise's closet, I wonder what Congressman Richmond will say then.

Pssst, Cedric, I know that you used to pitch for Morehouse, and that your colleagues like to feature you in various athletic events in D.C., but that does not mean that they don't  talk about you and your people behind your back.

If republicans aren't rallying around your boy, and if even wingnuts like Sean Hannity are calling for the Speaker to step down because of this and other issues; you might want to reconsider jumping out in front of this story and playing the good Negro friend for your fellow Nola politician.

Anyway, there might be some good that comes from all of this. Apparently David Duke is threatening to expose other politicians who tend to see things  the way that he does.

"Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke issued a warning to Republicans who have criticized House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) for speaking to a white nationalist group in 2002, saying they "better be looking over their shoulders."

In an interview with Fusion, Duke said he has ties to politicians on both sides of the aisle, and he is ready to release names if criticism of Scalise continues:

Overall, Duke was rather flabbergasted by the new focus on Scalise. He said he has hosted both Democratic and Republican legislators at everything from conferences to his children’s birthday parties. He said he has met with Democratic legislators at least 50 times in his political life. 

And he delivered a warning to both Republicans and Democrats: Treat Scalise fairly, and don’t try to make political hay out of the situation. Or he said he would be inclined to release a list of names of all the politicians — both Republicans and Democrats — with whom he has ties.  

“If Scalise is going to be crucified — if Republicans want to throw Steve Scalise to the woods, then a lot of them better be looking over their shoulders,” Duke said." [Source] 

Oh ohh, it looks like  Ron Christie and Cedric Richmond better work on their moves. They might have a lot of jigging to do over the next few days.


*Pic from ArtMaggot.