Boxer: But You're Black!

Boxer doesn't actually say that, she just implies it. And the black male she's questioning takes great offense. Chuck Devore is certainly going to have plenty of material to work with thanks to Boxer herself!

Update: Lifted from comments via Dan at GP with more - so true. Evidently, she was shaken but not stirred!

why didn't she object when this guy called her ma'am?

Comments

[rtl]

He called her ma'am! Good grief!

Anyway, I wish more people would engage the senators like this.

Harry C. Alford!!!

[Henry Bowman]

Hmm. Potential candidate?

[Ron]

Give 'er hell Harry!

[WBestPresidentEver]

U O. Boxer is in a pickle.
I can't stand the women.
Would like to see more folks challenge her and put her out to pasture.

[Ron Coleman]

I love this. I do wish he'd spat out "condescending" right the first time. I could have made the same mistake under the circumstances, I'm sure.

[megapotamus]

Whoah! Finally someone who objects ON PRINCIPLE to this crapola. The NAACP... what?? 100 Black Men of Atlanta... um, is there any analysis of any sort undergirding these blandishments? If so, as Alford said, they should be there to put it up, as he is. But the guy is wrong. This IS racial. The stimulus is racial. Energy is racial. Healthcare is racial because it is really all about money and who gets what from whom and that, friends and foes is ALL racial and has been since January 20th of this year, not quite six months ago.

[Bill]

Why doesn't he simply say

"That's mighty white of you, lady"

And have it at that.

[Patrick Bateman]

Wow, that's relevant. Boxer is still on the committee righ and likely questioning Sotomayor? Oh, she's not?

Was this before or after Thomas voted to permit school officials to strip search a 12 year old girl ... over Tylenol? Why did he not disclose his *preference* in his confirmation hearings? Do conservatives support his position or will they condemn it?

[Free-range Oyster]

Wow. Just... wow. I would bring that man my business any day of the week - for tell her off, for standing up for truth, for not screaming at the witch (which is what I might well have done) and for telling it like it is. A man more concerned with what is right than what is acceptable. I salute you, sir! Oyster out.

[Victor Erimita]

This is truly beautiful.

[Sgt Tim]

Good on Mr, Alford. What she really tried to play was 'black with no facts' card against because he of the color of his skin, to defuse his testimony and diminish his supporting information. She might as well have tossed an Oreo at him but had she done that, she would have had to duck from the force of his return toss.

[Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest)]

why didn't she object when this guy called her ma'am?

[Jim T]

Wow, finally someone points out how the Democrats work. Hey, this guy's black, let's bring out a couple of black groups that support our energy policy, even though they know nothing about energy. Let's point out that Exxon funded the study Mr. Alford is citing (of course Exxon doesn't know anything about energy). Boxer never did explain the relevance of the NAACP's endorsement, except for the fact she was interviewing someone who happened to be black.

The Democrats are beginning to wear thin. Can 2010 come too soon?

[syn]

And again, Wow...Mr Alford is sexy hot; I simply adore men who possess conviction and the character to know how to use it.

As for Sen Boxer? Frankly, I've given up on California, it's a lost cause.

[Anon]

The funny thing is, when he calls her for demeaning his opinion by quoting other blacks, she is totally flumoxed, she has no idea even how to react because it has never occured to her that treating "Black People" as their own special class would be found offensive by a black guy who thinks he's an American businessman, who happens to be black.

Priceless.

[P]

A simple person would say that Clarence Thomas "voted to permit school officials to strip search a 12 year old girl". A person who actually understand how our judicial system works would realize that Thomas actually voted that the Federal government had no right to intervene in the matter.

There's a difference, but then progressives are all about the "nuance" so I'm sure you realize that.

[Anon]

Not to get off topic but I thought Thomas's dissent on that case was as fully an insane 'i refuse to accept a common sense interpretation of events' as Ginsberg batty dissent was in the Ricco case.

It should not take the U.S. Supreme Court to tell anyone with a functioning brain that it is wrong and illegal to strip search a 13 year old girl for prescription strength Tylenol, the fact that anyone would defend such asinine behavior on any grounds at all is pathetic.

[Darren]

Do you point this out because Justice Thomas is black? Don't lefties *ever* get tired of playing the race card?

[Anon]

I pointed it out in response to a previous post, and um, you might be careful who you are calling a "lefty" as I was under the impression that it required more than believing that 13 year old girls shouldn't be strip searched for Tylenol, but maybe I was wrong.

[LaurieK]

Mr. Alford, I love you. Please come back to California, we need all the good people we can get!

[Patrick Bateman]

"A person who actually understand how our judicial system works would realize that Thomas actually voted that the Federal government had no right to intervene in the matter."

Which is of course *not* what Thomas' dissent said. What Thomas said was that the school district should be granted deference greater than the search and seizure provision of the 4th amendment. Why? Because a contrary ruling would put school districts in a difficult bind of knowing when they could and could not search little kids without their parents' permission or without a warrant granted with the existence of probable cause.

I thought conservatives all of a sudden were interested in the constitution. Since when do school board deserve more deference than the 4th amendment? I suppose supporters of Thomas would approve of having their child strip searched for Tylenol.

[My race is human]

When Boxer goes on about those other groups being "proud," she's about one millisecond away from calling them "a credit to their race."

[mark l.]

sweet.

[Troll Hunter]

Ah, the great rhetorical master Bateman offers up yet another self-pleasing attempt at diversion. Pound away Pat! No. We don't want to watch.

[Joshua Sharf]

That whole exchange at the beginning about his residency would have been better directed at Pete Stark.

[tim maguire]

Bravo.

[Dave M.]

Patrick Bateman, Stop trying to change the subject. Boxer is a bigot. She thinks all black men should think alike. That's probably your problem with Justice Thomas. He left the plantation and you cannot handle it.

[anon]

How did Thomas and the strip search ruling get on this thread anyway? What does this have to do w/Boxer and Alford?

But, I have to answer the question as to 'since when do school boards deserve deference...'

Answer: Since the Supreme Court gave it to them and said that they could operate on different/easier/vaguer standards when enforcing discipline and since they said that constitutional rights were not the same for children or children at school as for everyone else. 'probable cause' is not the standard for school searches, I believe it is 'reasonable suspicion' with many caveats as to the specific case/situation, etc. Exactly why Thomas's dissent was so asinine.

[Rich]

I love it - the man put her right where she should a stupid white B---- that thinks she is better than everyone!

[Notso]

Doesn't everyone realize that Barbara Boxer is absolutely as dumb as a post? My guess is an IQ of about 89. So you see, she can't be held responsbile for the stupid comments because stupid people make stupid comments!

[Kensington]

She's not even listening to him at the end. You can hear her talking to someone else in the background while he's making his point. What a jerk.

[J Thomason]

Sorry, as much as I try to enjoy it, I find the faux outrage from this guy pretty ridiculous. If he was representing the "American Chamber of Commerce", or some other similar group, then this would be terrific. However, he's representing the National BLACK Chamber of Commerce. If you're going to explicitly identify yourself and your organization by your skin color, I don't understand how you can plausibly pretend to take offence when your views are contrasted with other groups that do the same.

[Jeffersonian]

How dare Alford express an opinion contrary to that of Official Blackdom. This is an outrage!

[Dennis D]

J Thomason I agree with you

At first I was shocked at Boxer and agreed with Mr Allford. Then it dawned on me that his organization bases membership on SKIN COLOR. So addressing him as a Black Leader and not a Leader who happens to be black is the correct venue. Bravo Senator Boxer.

[sestamibi]

Many years ago I taught a college class in energy and environmental policy (most assuredly not from a Gaian perspective). This was during the Jimmy Carter "malaise" years, at which time the NAACP issued a position paper on energy policy asserting that environmentalism should not be used as a tool to keep the poor in their place, and that a secure energy supply was necessary to provide an economy healthy enough to generate sufficient numbers of jobs well-paying enough to lift their constituents out of poverty.

Sad to see that the NAACP and other black advocacy organizations now toe the Gaian line that poverty ain't so bad after all.

[Mark Turner]

Mr Alford,

Please run for President. We need your combination of smarts, balls and common sense.

[Lala]

Alford was there to discuss what his organization discovered about cap n'trade and how it will affect the membership. Why would he care what the NAACP has to say about it.

Here's his paper -
http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=750:nbcc-study-generates-concerns-about-waxmanmarkey-climate-change-bill-costs-are-high-but-benefits-are-uncertain&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=7

[oldguy]

Boxer forgot that she wasn't talking to a white man.

[Dr. Dean]

Mr. Alford, you rock! America needs more people with the guts, will and intellect to stand up to the racial-governmental complex that has a grip on the throats of American citizens and tell them, in no uncertain terms, that what they are doing is wrong.

God bless you Mr. Alford and keep up the great work.

[megapotamus]

I second those who are bothered by the explicit racialism of the Black CofC but at least this group is focused on work and business as a means to their stated goals. Only when they realize that the black power structure is ideologically hostile to freedom, fairness and prosperity (except for the Sharptons of this world) is there a possibility that they might, perhaps, on a dark and moonless night, decide that colorblind is the way to go after all. Decades late but, whatever.

[Lala]

There's a Korean Chamber of Commerce

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7157153/new_york_ny/korean_chamber_of_commerce.html

[Lala]

And a Chinese Chamber of Commerce

http://www.lachinesechamber.org/

[Lala]

And a Jewish Chamber of Commerce

http://www.lajewishchamber.com/

[Dan Riehl]

Honestly, I considered this. But you are missing the point:

"If you're going to explicitly identify yourself and your organization by your skin color, I don't understand how you can plausibly pretend to take offence when your views"

The NAACP did no study, nor did the Atlanta Business group she cited. The NNACP didn't even support this specific bil, not yet, anyway. Alford was there to present objective data. That was his point in responding to the other Senator at the end. His "data" had nothing to do with race. What organization he is from is irrelevant - he also made that point. Invoking the NAACP and other group was done purely on terms of his race. They offered no conflicting data - only black opinion. If you reason it out fully, his outrage stands.

[Lala]

There seem to be many ethnic Chambers. In minutes I found lots of them including Irish and Italian.

[Rich K]

Dont confuse the facts with Facts Dan, You will confuse the children.

[Jason S]

About the time Babs quotes John Grant, she sounds like she is reading a bedtime story to the guy.

"Well if this black group doesn't interest you, perhaps I can point your attention to this black man, who also approves of the energy bill. I know you black folk are mighty proud, and this black fellow would be proud that you are here today. You are black and you are proud, aren't you Mr. Alford?"

It is almost like trying to coax a child to do something he doesn't want to do. "But Timmy, that spinach will make you grow tall and handsome. Now you want to be tall and handsome, don't you Timmy?"

It makes me want to vomit, listening to this woman patronize an obviously much smarter and more genuine person in Mr. Alford. Not to mention a vet, who knows this country and the world way better than she does.

[Brian]

All businesspeople are the same color once the taxman's done bleeding them white.

[OssianSweet]

Summed up:

"Look at THESE black people, and look at how well THEY behave/think. You DO want to be considered one of them, don't you? Or would you like us up here to brand you a misbehaving/wrongthinking black person? Hmmm?"

[DirtCrashr]

Sheesh. She was just trying to tell him that there would be plenty of work for His People down on the energy-plantation, once her own Chamber of Commerce had lined up all the directorships and other white-collar jobs.