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Republican Congressman: A 'Monkey Problem' Anecdote Told in DC
Republican Congressman Roy Blunt of Missouri, appearing before of crowd of about 2,000 in Washington, D.C., after being introduced by Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council as " .... the second highest ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee", identified as an important committee for participation in heath care reform, launched into an anecdote about wild monkeys coming in from the jungle, wreaking havoc. From the article:
"I could go into great and long detail about how many things they did to try and eliminate the 'monkey problem.' But they never got it done, so finally this golf course and this golf course only, they passed a rule and the rule was - you have to play the ball where the monkey throws it. [audience laughter swells] And that is the rule in Washington all the time."
It seemed like a direct window into the psyche of the revanchist wing of the GOP; politics is a golf game and unruly Democrat "monkeys" have swarmed out of the jungle to disrupt the play. Since it is impractical to "eliminate" the monkeys, accommodations will have to be made. Republicans will now "play the ball where the monkey throws it."
Blunt's anecdote was all the more risque' for Tony Perkins' past association with elements of the racist right. As described in journalist Max Blumenthal's new book Republican Gommorah (2009, Nation Books), in 1996 while working as a GOP Senate race campaign manager Perkins paid $82,500 to buy a phone banking list from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Then, in 2002, Perkins spoke at a fundraiser for the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a national white supremacist group. The CofCC "Statement of Principals" states that "We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called 'affirmative action' and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races."
Click here to read the article. Video of the Congressman's remarks is also available at the link.
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Karen Hatter
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (10)
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Ron Higgins (not verified)at 05:00 on September 22nd, 2009
So here we go again, inferring that somehow, there are nuisance beligerent monkeys running about the capitol/White House. This is a subtle but biased undertone, that some folks find amusing at the expense of others. Some of us are still demonizing others, and at the same time, projecting blame with racial and insenstiive comments.WE are not stupid, we know where you're going with this! We wonder why the world and in particular, the US, is in the mess it's in. The blatant negative comments don't solve or address the unemployment issues, the money stealing decievers, the classism, sexism, and the serious injustices, suffered by the have nots and unrepresentated, GET GRIP.
at 09:00 on September 22nd, 2009
Roy Blunt's believe in "The Real American" values, but for sure for the real white American only, Brits invading a country, imposing their culture and not understanding how to deal with the local issues, ignoring the local problems, after so many years, we did not advance too far, we are still under the same Conquistador ignorant stigma.
at 09:02 on September 22nd, 2009
Karen:
Thank you for your contribution. Whenever racism rears its ugly head, it must be exposed and stopped at the base. You article does precisely that.
Roberto.
at 09:53 on September 22nd, 2009
Thank you so much, Roberto.
at 10:45 on September 22nd, 2009
It's difficult to know where to start with Mr. Blunt. His hate speech needs to answered by more speech, and additionally in his case hate legislation needs to be answered by better legislation.
Blunt, who chairs the House Republican Health Care Solutions Group, has opposed plans for health care reform. including proposals that include a public option of medical insurance offered by the government.
In July 2009 he suggested that the government should not have created Medicare and Medicaid. His position on current health care reform is not surprising, and his past legislation favoring business interests or human beings is illustrative of his views.
In 2002, Blunt attempted to insert a provision, in support of tobacco corporations, into the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security. The "rider" would have made tobacco sales over the Internet more difficult, allowing tobacco companies to control distribution. At the time, Blunt was dating Phillip Morris lobbyist Abigail Perlman, whom he later married. It was removed from the final bill by agreement between Blunt's staff and the Speaker's staff. The same basic provision was later adopted by the Senate and became law, restricting the ability of criminals and terrorists to use black market Internet sales of tobacco to underwrite illegal or nefarious activity/
Citizens for Ethics released a report in June 2007 in which they pointed out that two of Blunt's children are lobbyists in addition to his wife. Altria Group has made a $180,000 contribution to Blunt's PACs and is the largest donor to Blunt's campaigns, giving Blunt a total of $270,000 as of late 2006.Son Andy Blunt is a lobbyist who has worked for Altria subsidiaries Kraft Foods, Miller Brewing, and Philip Morris, along with UPS. Blunt inserted a rider into an Iraq War appropriations bill in 2003 that benefited UPS. Daughter Amy Blunt is a registered lobbyist for Lathrop & Gage.
Citing the Homeland Security rider benefiting his largest donor Altria Group and the rider inserted to benefit UPS and FedEx after receiving campaign contributions from the companies totaling $58,000.
Citizens for Ethics in September 2006 called Blunt "one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress."
at 10:50 on September 22nd, 2009
Thank you, A, for all of the additional information. Very informative.
at 10:49 on September 22nd, 2009
Oh my Lord! This is absurd! Do you know how many stories about monkeys I have told to children in my career?
He is not so stupid to get up and imply that monkey's are an application for blacks!!! The application applys to all obama's wild thugs from Chicago..now running frantically in Washington.
at 04:12 on September 23rd, 2009
Despite the centuries old traditional overtone of racism toward African Americans/Black people tied to the imagery of monkeys, Queenshart, in this particular instance, the video makes it clear the Congressman's story is best understood to be meant to be referring to the Democrats currently in power in Washington, D.C.
The writer of the article mentions the inconvenient consequence of Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, and his ties to Ku Klux Klansman David Duke and the White supremacist organization, the Council of Conservative Citizens, in relation to historic racist imagery.
A conference hosted by the Council of Conservative Citizens was attended by David Duke, as well as Don Black, the founder of the largest White nationalist/supremacist website on the internet, Stormfront, in June 2009.
Don Black and David Duke often co host programming on the internet and make appearances together.
Tony Perkins' group, the Family Research Council, is the political lobbying arm of the conservative Religious Right umbrella organization, Focus on the Family.
at 11:46 on September 22nd, 2009
Clare McCaskill is a crook too. I actually believe there are very , very few who have not made themselves some deep pockets from being a politician. It is why I support term limits.
Thanks for the infor A1123. You always come of with great statistics.
I guess if that is really true that he is corrupt I do not like him. If he was implying what you suggest then I say "roast' the bastard.
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J2B (not verified)at 13:22 on September 22nd, 2009
another sick aspect of American society and this guys needs to be censured by his party, such speech is not acceptable in today's life!