Jones: (Tennessee) Senate is racist

nashvillecitypaper.com ^ | 4/24/03 | Joe White and Skip Cauthorn

[Brian Mosely]

Jones: Senate is racist
By Joe White, joe@nashvillebureau.com and Skip Cauthorn, scauthorn@nashvillecitypaper.com April 24, 2003
	State Reps. Barbara Cooper, from left, Tommie F. Brown and Johnny Shaw are among legislators calling for the removal of state Sen. David Fowler following remarks he made Monday. Photo by Mike Strasinger. Black state lawmakers Wednesday accused state Sen. David Fowler (R-Signal Mountain) of racism and of insulting working class Tennesseans. Fowler cried he was taken out of context. In Monday night’s debate on the lottery scholarship bill, Fowler argued against an additional $1,000 award to scholarship recipients who come from families making less than $36,000 a year. “Just a question: Where does a thousand dollars go?” Fowler asked Monday night. “Do we write a check for a thousand dollars just so they can snort it up their noses and buy kegs for fraternities?” House Rep. Ulysses Jones Wednesday demanded “the removal of Sen. David Fowler because of his outrageous racial remarks on Monday night.” Eight members of the House African-American caucus backed Jones at a morning news conference — Memphis Democrats Lois DeBerry, Larry Miller, Henri Brooks and Joe Towns, and Tommie Brown (D-Chattanooga), Johnny Shaw (D-Bolivar), Edith Langster (D-Nashville) and Joe Armstrong (D-Knoxville). Five were absent — Memphis Democrats Kathryn Bowers, John DeBerry, Larry Turner, and Mary Pruitt (D-Nashville) and Nathan Vaughn (D-Kingsport). No senators attended. Jones said Fowler’s statement “was in reference to African-American children and targeting against a certain class, those earning $40,000 or less. “His remarks were racist and inappropriate for the floor of the Senate,” Jones said. “These remarks should be kept under cover,” Jones read. The original prepared statement said he “should be kept under the cover of his white hooded sheet,” but at the press conference Jones said, “I’m taking that part out.” “Sen. Fowler’s remarks show a serious deficiency in intelligence,” Jones said. “No one in the Senate challenged Sen. Fowler’s comments. Could it be that Sen. Fowler is the spokesman for the racist regime in the Tennessee Senate?” “We are calling upon the Senate to censure Sen. Fowler and further demand a formal apology to the citizens of the state of Tennessee.” Wednesday Fowler recalled his own college days. “I went to college and I observed my colleagues and I dare say nothing’s changed in the last 25 years. I’ve seen advertisements for Girls Gone Wild and I realize that $1,000 may get you to the beach someday. “Is that to say all students will do that? No. Is it to say that African Americans will do that? No. Is it to say that poor people will do that? No. “It is to say that before I take $1,000 away from a pre-school program I want to make sure it’s going to actually go to an academic purpose and not just go in somebody’s pocket. And why that’s not a legitimate question I have no idea. “‘What assurance do we have that they’re not going to use this money frivolously?’ is what I should have said. “It had nothing to do with ethnicity. It had nothing to do with poverty. It had to do with giving $1,000 to an 18-year-old kid. And if all of the sudden we think that they’re going to be irresponsible in their studies, so we need to give them a break on their GPA. Why when we hand them $1,000 are they going to be paragons of virtue?” Wednesday Jones said, “In our minds he offended 88 percent of the people of Tennessee,” the percentage that make $36,000 a year or less. Questioned as to why Fowler’s remarks should be considered racist, Jones said, “Knowing the Senate, and you all know the members of the Senate, his remarks were so stupid that his remarks were probably racial but it offended a whole class of citizens in the state of Tennessee.” It should be considered racial “because of the Senate’s mindset. We know that the Senate, many of their members are very racist,” Jones said. Fowler complained that his statement was taken out of context by newspapers. Fowler said everybody that was at the press conference should apologize to the Senate. “Certainly an apology and retraction is due our Speaker, our leaders and the rest of the senators for the suggestion that the Senate is a ‘racist regime.’”

[Brian Mosely]

Previous Thread: Senator Responds to Calls for Resignation (Tennessee)

Looks like Jones is seeing racism where none exists. This is getting downright silly.

[Argus]

Just to get this out of the way, I want to confess right now that I'm a racist. I think the whole human race is nuts.

[RightWingNut]

Perhaps Jack Nicholson said it perfectly "You can't handle the truth".

The truth hurts !!

[Drango]

“Just a question: Where does a thousand dollars go?” Fowler asked Monday night. “Do we write a check for a thousand dollars just so they can snort it up their noses and buy kegs for fraternities?”

Huh? How is this racist? As a frat boy I take deep umbrage, and never mind my beer consumption, but how is it racist? The Dems need to grow up. Cryin' wolf too often and playing the racist card every time, just makes people laugh at you.

[Gang of Five]

It's "racist" when someone dares to disagree with a mental lightweight who has no logical riposte. This is one of the reasons why many believe that "racist" has lost its meaning, due to overuse.

[zingzang]

The best way to avoid being branded racist when you're a conservative is to never open your mouth after being elected, and agree (in writing) to everything propopsed by liberal whackos.

This is just like the supposed gay bashing that Santorum has been accused of. You just can't speak the truth, or express an opinion or the liberals will jump all over you -- especially since they were proven dead wrong on every issue about the war in Iraq!!

[Kuksool]

Ping!

The hate card game is getting really tiresome.

[Brian Mosely]

This is exactly the same as what they are doing to Santorum...so much so that the thought has occured that we will probably see a lot more of this kind of thing now that the war has wound down. I wonder what kind of attack plans and talking points the Dems were whipping up during the past three weeks while we've been busy freeing the Iraqi people. I don't think they've been sitting on their hands all this time, do you?

[cubreporter]

Enough is enough. These people have to stop accusing everyone of being racist. It's time it stopped and these people stand their ground against this kind of evil nonsense.

[bert]

Well then, how about Nathen Vaughn? Is he a racist?

One of his first actions after being elected was to join the black Caucus, a group that defines the meaning of the term "Racist"

[joesnuffy]

all white people (who dont give me what I want) are racist until further notice

[CGTRWK]

The only racism I see here is this black caucus assuming that a reference to cocaine and alcohol abuse just has to be about blacks. Now that's racist indeed.

[Political Junkie Too]

House Rep. Ulysses Jones Wednesday demanded “the removal of Sen. David Fowler because of his outrageous racial remarks on Monday night.”

What gets me is the reflexive calls for resignation or ouster. What happened to "overturning the will of the people?" Let's say, just for example, that Fowler actually represents a racist district. Aren't those people still entitled to representation of their choosing? It is not right for one representative to call for another's removal solely because the former disagrees with the latter. That is the business of elections and constituencies.

It is obvious that the Santorum business is about the 51-48 Republican majority in the Senate. Since the Democrats can't win on the issues, they resort to the politics of personal destruction by getting operatives to falsify quotes and then attack the alleged speaker.

All these calls for resignation have to be coordinated. The Democrats don't have anything else to offer.

-PJ

[lilylangtree]

"Black state lawmakers Wednesday accused state Sen. David Fowler (R-Signal Mountain) of racism"

Why don't these same black lawmakers accuse WV Democrat Senator Bobby Byrd of racism when he acknowledges using the word "nigger" on national television plus he's a member of the Ku Klux Klan?

[Randjuke]

“Just a question: Where does a thousand dollars go?” Fowler asked Monday night. “Do we write a check for a thousand dollars just so they can snort it up their noses and buy kegs for fraternities?”

Since most of the keg-buyers when I went to college were white, I'm guessing they mean this is anti-white racism?

[Brian Mosely]

All these calls for resignation have to be coordinated.

Exactly. This just may be the beginning.

[wardaddy]

Just as foolish as the whole lottery scholarship/cash in hand charade itself..

Sure glad the rest of the state can keep Memphis proper contained to a degree.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[FourPeas]

This is getting downright silly.

You've got that right.

[cyborg]

and assuming all black students are poor too... don't forget.