Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Legislature / Politics / Woods House Republicans Feign Outrage, Demand Apology from Turner; He Scoffs
Posted by Jeff Woods on Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 1:00 PM
House Republican leaders aren't the sharpest knives, but they recognize an opportunity to grandstand when they see one. Hoping to create their own little media firestorm over health care, they threw a press conference today to denounce House Democratic caucus chairman Mike Turner. (Didn't they do that yesterday?) Turner's crime? He made the shocking statement that some of President Obama's wingnut critics are racists.
The way House GOP leader Jason Mumpower translates this, Turner actually said all Tennesseans who oppose the health care overhaul are racists, including Mumpower's mother. That's right, Turner threw down on Mama Mumpower. The GOP leader's comments:
"We are offended on behalf of millions of Tennesseans who Democratic caucus chair Mike Turner singled out as being racist simply because they oppose a heavy-handed government takeover of the best health care system in the world. The fact of the matter is that people, business people, citizens, my mother who oppose this plan for Obamacare, they're not racist. They simply oppose the plan. We recognize that Democratic chairman Turner is very fond of President Obama and his policies. We recognize that chairman Turner is simply empty and devoid of ideas himself other than what he marches in line with with President Obama. Because he doesn't know how to respond when someone opposes him on principle, he simply resorts to name-calling, in this case calling the people of Tennessee racist."
Mumpower demanded an apology from Turner and he demanded that
Democratic Party chairman Chip Forrester denounce Turner, and he
demanded that House Democratic leader Gary Odom do it too. State GOP
chairman Chris Devaney also made a few demands in a letter to Forrester.
When he was asked about the tea party protesters who heckled and spit at Democratic House members,
including various civil rights icons, over the weekend in Washington,
Mumpower called an abrupt end to his big media event and
walked briskly out of the room.
Outside the Legislative Plaza's dingy little pressroom, Turner just
delivered his retort:
"All I said was some people are against Obama because he'sAfrican American. That's all I said. If that strikes a little too close
for comfort for them, that's not my fault. They need to have a little
self-soul searching on that. This is a party that hasn't had a real
initiative since the Emancipation Proclamation. They're the party of no.
And they're trying to make me the bad guy in this. If they're having a
hard time sleeping at night, it's not my problem. They need to go talk
to their priest or their preacher about that."
We don't think that was an apology.
Update: Odom defends Turner.
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
Wow, Mumpower said "Democratic" rather than "Democrat"! That's going to cost him some Republican credibility points.
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Republicans are fighting furiously to protect laws that shield insurance companies from actually assuming risk - as if an "insurance" company should be anything other than an entity that assumes risk. Republicans are fighting furiously to make seniors continue to pay the outrageous cost of the Medicare donut hole. Republicans are fighting furiously to continue to allow insurance companies to kick hard-working Tennesseans off their rolls just because they get sick.
You, Leader Mumpower, are a pawn of greedy insurance companies. To be blunt, you can suck it.
Turner "singled out" "millions" of individuals? He must have a lot of time on his hands.
Hmmm....Democrats actually standing up to Republicans? I'm sensing this health care bill will bring more than just, well, health care to people. I think it's giving the democrats back their balls. At least I hope it is.
“We’ve got a lot of bills on states’ rights here, state sovereignty and all that,” he added. “We went through that fight once before. All of a sudden, we have a black man elected president and everybody wants to start acting like something’s wrong with our country. I didn’t agree with a lot of things George Bush did, but I wasn’t ready to secede from the union.”
Asked to elaborate afterward, Turner said, “I think some of the people who are against Obama are just against Obama because he’s African-American.”
Hey Mumps - perhaps you didn't read Turner's comments in one of your comic books, but the operative word here is "some" you effin' skinhead!
Isn't wasn't mentioned by Woods, but just how many Tennessee state flags did Mumpower ordered to have flown during his "My Mama Mumps" press conference?
And why is Mumpower running for re-election during 2010? As a Tennessee House freshman (1996?), Mumpower pledged to his constituents within a Project Vote Smart questionnaire to support state and federal term limits...Mama Mumps raised a liar.
he's still not over his mama witnessing his ass-whipping in front of the entire legislature.
Turner is simply speaking truth to power and I respect him for that.
And you Ds out there better man up on the bill to exempt TN from the new health care law. I want all dead-beat 26-year-old kids on their parents policies. Seriously.
Jason, quit worrying about this silliness and come worry about me . . .
You hairless, hypocritical fuck.
A couple of years ago I found the perfect test for whether you are a racist.
If you don't think the ad Mumpower sent out against Nathan Vaughn with 4 Black elected officials painted as crows is racist, you are.
It is too true. In a diverse society people can deny their responsibility to their neighbors by painting them as different, and so not worthy. Thank God, we are better than that, at least sometimes.
