IS BUSH A "DIFFERENT KIND OF" RACIST? The Texas Governor has shared a stage with a well-known racist, he has given a speech at a well-known racist institution, he consorts with racists as part of his campaign strategy, he has appointed racists to high office in Texas, and he continues to support a racist. He claims that he, himself, is not a racist, and friends and foes agree. Yet, he does not shun help from racists in his campaign to be president. Is this a "different kind of" racism? *On Monday Bush shared the stage at a CORE dinner with Bob Grant, called, "one of the vilest, most racially inflammatory personalities ever to be heard on New York radio. For years, Grant, who is white, would get behind the microphone and spew the worst kinds of invective at black people. "I can't take these screaming savages," he would say, "whether they're in that African Methodist church, the A.M.E. church, or whether they're in the streets, burning, robbing, looting," writes Bob Herbert in today's NYT. *Recently, it came to light that Charles Williams, the police official Bush appointed to head a Texas law enforcement training commission, testified at a trial, among other things, that he did not consider "porch monkeys," "black bastard," and "nigger" racial slurs. "Governor Bush said he had not been aware of Chief Williams's comments when he appointed him chairman of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. The governor said: 'I don't accept racism in any shape or form. At the very minimum, he ought to apologize.' The chief apologized and quietly stepped down as chairman, although he remains on the commission and is still the chief in Marshall," Herbert reports. *Similarly, Bush-appointed state health commissioner William Archer, III, son of the powerful Republican leader in the U.S. House, "made offensive comments about Hispanics back in April, and during the controversy over those remarks it came out that he had made offensive remarks about blacks a couple of years earlier." Various minority groups have called for his removal, but Bush remains solidly behind him. *Less recently, of course, there was Bush's visit to Bob Jones University, the well-known racist enclave in South Carolina. He talked about "our ideas, Republican ideas, conservative ideas," but didn't include any of his ideas about racial harmony. Most found Bush's defense, that he was unware of the school's racisim, difficult to believe, particularly since a member of his own campaign team went on the record as having warned him in advance. At the time, well-known Republican leaders noted that Reagan and Dole had spoken at Bob Jones without incident, so they didn't know what the big deal was about Bush doing so, forgetting that the schtick this time around is that Bush is a "different kind of Republican," suggesting that they're the "old kind." This appears to mean that a "racist" label was not a problem for them, since they didn't care about the black vote, anyway. *A somewhat earlier statement by an "old Republican" defending Bush was made by "Senator Robert Bennett, a Republican from Utah, saying that Mr. Bush was virtually certain to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee, unless 'some black woman comes forward with an illegitimate child that he fathered.'" Bush did not comment. *Returning to the present, even Colin Powell, Bush's Secretary of State if he were to win the presidency, is aware of the Texas Governor's shortcomings. "Powell said on Fox News Sunday," Reuters reports, " the Republican Party is dangerously close to being seen a party for whites, especially because of its stand against affirmative action. ``It is certainly not seen as the black guy's party ... It has not done well in the African-American community,'' Powell said in an interview taped on Friday. ``I think too often the Republican Party has said we know what's best for you as opposed to listening to the African-American community, understanding some of the despair that exists in the African-American inner city communities,'' he said." The circumspect Powell chose not to get into the kinds of racist incidents that sorround Bush that have been noted above. In fairness to Mr. Bush, some of his best friends and political appointees are members of minority groups. Not only could Powell end up as Secretary of State, but Condi Rice is a slam-dunk for White House foreign affairs advisor if he were to win. Also, Bush has appointed an Hispanic friend to the Texas Supreme Court and a long-time black friend to the Texas Railroad Commission, although the latter announcement was made with no publicity nor advance notice on a weekend right before Christmas. Further, with no discussion, publicity, or spin on his part, he had plaques featuring confederate flags removed from a building on the Texas capitol grounds on one recent weekend. Clearly, Bush is not an "old kind of Republican" racist. However, his apparant unwilingness to publicize favorable actions toward blacks in Texas, his apparant insensivity to the racial slurs of his campaign supporters and appointees, and the voice such people have in his campaign might lead some to consider him to be a "different kind of Republican" racist. As Herbert concludes, "At the moment, Governor Bush's claim to being "different" seems weak. He's been hanging out in some low places with some low people. He says his heart is pure, but there's only so much you can overlook." --Politex, 6/29 images by Cunningham Department of We Told You So. in today's New York Times..."WAYNE, Mich., June 27 -- Gov. George W. Bush of Texas said today that if he was president [sic], he would bring down gasoline prices through sheer force of personality, by creating enough political good will with oil-producing nations that they would increase their supply of crude. "I would work with our friends in OPEC to convince them to open up the spigot, to increase the supply," Mr. Bush, the presumptive Republican candidate for president, told reporters here today. "Use the capital that my administration will earn, with the Kuwaitis or the Saudis, and convince them to open up the spigot."" in Bush Watch on March 9..."The sub-text of these remarks is the relationship Bush's father has with members of the OPEC alliance, relationships forged over many years as oil entrepreneur, vice-president, and president. Some who heard Bush's remarks may have been unsure about ["our friends"]. Was Bush talking about the U.S. relationship with OPEC or his family's relationsip with those who are in a position to manipulate U.S. oil prices if they so choose?...What better time, then, to...call in some family chips and [gain] some informal understandings leading to increased oil production, thereby lowering domestic costs and impressing a grateful electorate." It gets even better here. (second item) "MR. BUSH, LET'S TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!" Bush, Marvin Olasky, and "Compassionate Conservatism" by David A. Harris, National Jewish Democratic Council A new book by Marvin Olasky, a longtime advisor to Texas Governor and GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush, clearly articulates the way Governor Bush and his advisor intend to tear down the wall separating church and state. Governor Bush, in a glowing foreword to "Compassionate Conservatism: What It Is, What It Does, and How It Can Transform America," says Olasky's thesis is "an approach I share." Mr. Olasky, called the "godfather of compassionate conservatism" by The New York Times (September 12, 1999), has advised Governor Bush since 1993 and chairs Bush's policy subcommittee on religion.... "I wish we could send copies of this book to all Americans who still believe – all evidence to the contrary – that their religious freedom will be protected under a Bush administration," Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, noted today. "The book outlines, in no uncertain terms, that the goal of the 'faith-based' domestic agenda espoused by Governor Bush is indeed taxpayer-funded proselytization of the poor. When Governor Bush – in his forward – calls this book 'a blueprint for government' and 'an approach I share,' he does a better job than we could ever hope to do to of showing just how out of touch he is with the Jewish community and all Americans who treasure their religious liberty and the First Amendment of the Constitution." (more) "Compassionate Conservatism" asserts in part that: The Constitution does not mandate a wall separating church and state; Government should fund religious social service programs that include proselytizing and worship as key components; We should [institute] a policy of "multiple establishment" of religion, in which different religions and denominations are directly funded by the federal government; and It is an "error" to judge federally-funded social service programs by the effectiveness of the services they provide, instead of judging them by religious "long-term ends." (more) Other Comments by Marvin Olasky: "[Women have joined the work force] with dire consequences for society as a whole. …Certainly, feminism has led to great sexual irresponsibility. We have aborted 38 million unborn children since Roe v. Wade. Those are victims of feminism. …Of course, feminism has lead to increased poverty among women. …G-d does not forbid women to be leaders in society, generally speaking, but when that occurs it's usually because of the abdication of men …there is a certain shame attached to it. I would vote for a woman for the presidency, in some situations, but again, there is a certain shame attached. Why don't you have a man who's able to stop forward? G-d's word says very plainly that an elder is to be a man; he is to be the husband of one wife" ("The Impact of Feminism: An Interview with World Magazine Editor Marvin Olasky," Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Winter 1998). In February, Olasky singled out three prominent pro-McCain journalists by name, each of them Jewish, as having "holes in their souls" for not backing Bush's candidacy. Olasky described one as having "faith only in Zeus-like strength" and another as "also a case study in running away from the Bible." He said they "have no understanding of G-d's grace" (The Austin American-Statesman, February 16, 2000). (more) George W. Bush's Version of Justice. WHAT BUSH SAID "I recognize that there are good people who oppose the death penalty. I have heard their message, and I respect their heartfelt point of view." WHAT BUSH DID NOT SAY "I recognize that a majority of good people in Texas say I have executed innocent people. I also know that independent studies by good people indicate that the Texas legal system is unjust. Further, I realize that the good people who bother to look at my record know that I have voted against specific bills to correct injustices in the system. I have heard their message, and I respect their heartfelt point of view." WHAT POLITICAL OBSERVERS SAY Notice how Mr. Bush never once smiled or broke into laughter during his death penalty speech. That means he is capable of leading our country. He gives us the appearance of being serious, and that's what voters want in a president. He has met one of the major challenges of his candidacy. ALAN DERSHOWITZ, Defense Attorney: "The worst thing a state can do is to have a process which is unfair. Everybody makes mistakes, but the process in Texas pits brilliant lawyers...against poor people who had -- there is no public defender system in Texas, and the Governor George Bush...is against it. There's no money available to defend people charged with murder, and George Bush...is in favor of that. There is no criteria for selecting the lawyers, and they're mostly selected on cronyism, and Mr. Bush {is] in favor of that. "A high percentage of the lawyers who depend people in capital cases have been disbarred or otherwise disciplined, and Mr. Bush defends that. It's the process that's unfair. It's not that there are mistakes, it's the inevitability of mistakes, the deliberate building in of a bias in favor of execution in the state of Texas, which makes it the posterchild for the improper imposition of the death penalty. This is not about the death penalty as a moral issue; it's about whether or not Texas imposes it fairly, and it is the worst state in the Union in terms of fairness in imposing death penalty." --on Larry King Live, 6/22 Next. Will Bush Approve the Execution of a Mental Retarded Killer?(story) HINT: "Last year, Bush opposed a bill to prevent the death penalty for mentally retarded people and vetoed legislation aimed at better representation for poor defendants." --Dave McNeely HAS POPPY BROKEN CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS? (story) JUNIOR AWOL ON DRUGS? "THE Republican frontrunner for the White House, George W Bush, was suspended from flying as a young pilot for failing to take a medical examination that included a drug test.(story) "By calling for the entire Reagan program: Star Wars, radical nuclear-arms reductions, the de-alerting of nuclear forces and the sharing of antimissile technology with our allies and possibly the Russians as well," Bush has revived the politics of defense. "The proposal is, of course, self-contradictory; it is also wildly implausible.... Everyone in Washington knows all of this, so what is going on? The answer, of course, is politics. But it is a politics that cannot be understood apart from the history of the debate: a debate that has never been about reality." --Francis Fitzgerald (more)

today

friday, june 30

bushnews, 28 stories Now Bush is Lying About His Own Record. 8:05
ted rall Can a Gore Makeover Beat Bush on Stupidity? 7:10

thursday, june 29

bushnews, 21 stories Is Bush a Different Kind of Racist? 8:00
gore watch Gore Warns About Bush's Plans for the Supreme Court. 6:05
wizard of whimsy Bush's Supreme Court Friends. 6:00

wednesday, june 28

bushnews, 23 stories Bush Rejects Food for Cuba, Congress Doesn't. 9:00
letters Jewish Mother Does Not Want "Compassionate Conservatism" to Convert Her to Christianity. 6:55
cunningham Bush's Concept of the Separation of Church and State. 6:45

tuesday, june 27

bushnews, 20 stories Bush is the Man With No Real Plan. 8:00
wizard of whimsy Visit the Bush Gallery of Hats. 8:00

monday, june 26

bushnews, 30 stories Bush Continues to Defend Oil Business "Racket." 7:55
comedy Bush Executes Himself. Error or Courageous Act? 5:40
tom tomorrow The System Works (click) The System Works (whirrr) The system... 5:35

sunday, june 25

bushnews, 33 stories Bush Handcuffed the Handicapped in Austin. 11:00
game Bush Unable to Survive Campaign Game. 10:45
thadeus and weez Gore-Tex Fight It Out. 10:40

saturday, june 24

bushnews, 32 stories Bush Can't Document Claim He Was Not AWOL From Alabama Guard. 8:30
mo paul Bush Figgers They Had It Comin'. 8:25

friday, june 23

gore watch Gore's Backstage, Ready to Rock 'n Roll. 7:40
nader watch Welcome to Our Alternative to the Squirrel Cage. 7:35
bushnews, 29 stories Latest Bush Texas Error Can't Be Reversed. 7:30
cunningham Are We There Yet? 7:25

thursday, june 22

bushnews, afternoon edition Most Texans Think Bush Has Executed Innocent People, But Say, "So What?" 2:00 p.m.
bushnews, morning edition Battle Over Graham Esculates in Final Hours. 8:10
cunningham Rush Notes the Downside to a Bush-Ridge Team. 7:25

wednesday, june 21

letters Doris Op Cits Molly Ivins' Plagarism Rap. 11:30
bushnews, 28 stories Should Bush's Religious Faith Be a Tool of Government? 8:00
wizard of whimsy The Bush Campaign Acknowledges the Colonias. 6:35

tuesday, june 20

comedy D.C. Politex Talks to Our Readers About Ms. Boomers and Bush's Social Security Plan. 10:40
nader watch Is Ralph Nader a Hypocrite? 7:40
bushnews, 35 stories Bush Loses School Prayer Supreme Court Appeal, 6-3. 7:25
tom tomorrow How Bill Gates Could Become Gatesgate. 5:25

monday, june 19

bushnews, 25 stories Bush Does Little for Colonias as Texas Children "Eat Dirt." 8:00
cunningham The Bush Guide to Big Words. 6:45

sunday, june 18

bushnews, 28 stories Bush Knows "Napster" But Not Name of Texas Serial Killer Scheduled to be Executed. 8:15
game Play Campaign Survivor. 8:05
thadeus and weez Whassup, Mr. Death? 5:30

saturday, june 17

bushnews, 20 stories Texas Kids Not a Bush Priority. 10:10
rall National Death Switch Will Be Bigger Than the One in Texas. 6:45

friday, june 16

letters Reader, Like, Sees Totally Cool Thing in Salon This Morning. 8:30
gore watch Full Coverage of Gore's Change of Campaign Chiefs. 8:15
bushnews, 28 stories Is Condi Rice Nearly as Clueless as Bush? 8:05
luckovich Bush Confident That Everyone Executed Was Guilty. 6:45

thursday, june 15

gore watch Gore Claims He Invented Jewish Humor in 1912. 10:00
bushnews, 26 stories Where Does Bush Stand on Privacy Issue? 8:10
troubletown Today's Tip. Be Sure to Get a Degree From an Institute of Wealth Enhancement.7:15

wednesday, june 14

bushnews, 34 stories Bush's Culpability Forces Him to Defend Execution System--Aide. 8:05
wizard of whimsy Bush Offers Us a New Approach. 5:25

tuesday, june 13

bushnews, 27 stories Overturned Death Sentences Show System Not Working. 7:45
cunningham Happy? Bush Can Change All That. 5:40

monday, june 12

the english patient Bush Executes the English Language During A Defense of Texas Death-Row Practices. 8:20
lettersThe Essential Idiocy of Scalia's Originalist Position. 8:15
bushnews, 31 stories Bush Continues to Defend Texas Executions in Face of Mounting Evidence That Innocent Are Killed. 8:00
mac watch Mac Charges Bush Campaign With 527 Coordination. 7:55
tom tomorrow Scaife-ing On Thin Ice. 5:30

sunday, june 11

quote/unquote Does Bush Have a "Skirt Chaser" Problem With His Veep Candidates? 5:05 p.m.
letters Is the George 'n Tom Handshake a Guy Thing? 3:00 p.m.
bushnews, 24 stories Bush and Scalia Would Shape Our Social Values Through Supreme Court. 7:35
thadeus and weez Stealth 527's Bomb the Voters. 7:30

saturday, june 10

bushnews, 27 stories Bush Pretends "Aw Shucks," Gets Angry When Called On It. 9:20
ted rall Mysterious Bush Backers in Secret Ad Action. 9:15

friday, june 9

bushnews, 41 stories Bush-Backed Privacy Invasion Thriving in Texas. 8:00
troubletown Entrepreneurs in Action. 5:55

thursday, june 8

quote/unquote Texas, Our Texas. And Bush. 10:25
obituary Pulitzer Toonist Jeff MacNelly Dead at 52. 9:00 M
parody Fear and Loathing in East Texas. 8:35
bushnews, 21 stories Bush Would Cut 40% of Elderly Social Security Protection. 8:05
tom tomorrow Bush Meets the Gorilla His Dreams. 7:40

wednesday, june 7

houston pollution Level Orange Ozone Warning...Unhealthy Air. 4:15
bushnews, 19 stories Bush's Record Shows No Sense of Justice. 8:05
wizard of whimsy George Gets Ready for Another Fund-Raiser. 5:55

tuesday, june 6

bushnews, 23 stories Bush is Playing Politics With the Death Penalty. 7:55
letters Bush and the Normalization of Evil. 7:10
cunningham Graduation Ruminations. 6:00

monday, june 5

bushnews, 24 stories Bush/Moynihan Social Security Plans Spell Trouble for Occupational Groups. 7:15
tom tomorrowToons vs. TV. 5:00

sunday, june 4

scoop Bush Veep Front-Runner Scrubbed. "Major Skirt-Chaser." (second item) 12:15 p.m.
bushnews, 23 stories Bush Continues to Admit and Defend His Ignorance. 8:20
thadeus and weez M:I-2. Bush Tries to Save Face. 8:20

saturday, june 3

bushnews, 17 stories Bush Contradicts Self on Poppy's Foreign Policy Influence. 9:00
point/counterpoint "Techie Geeks" or State Employees, Which Group is Bush Helping? 7:10
bush's texas Entrepreneur on Death Row Sells Tix to Own Execution. (true story) 7:00
mo paul Junior's War Cabinet is Made of Poppy Wood. 6:25

friday, june 2

lie of the week Dem. Sen. Patrick Moynihan on Social Secutiry. 9:00
gore watch Reuters Poll Has Gore-Tex in Dead Heat. 8:30 p.m.
bushnews, 21 stories Condi Bush's Nuke Plan is Incompetent. 7:55
guote/unquote Bush is Nothing But Bad News to the Renya Family. 6:10
troubletown Is There a Genuine Bone in Gore-Tex? 6:05

thursday, june 1

elian watch Federal Appeals Court Sides With Elian's Father. 1:30 p.m.
bushnews, 30 stories Bush Criticizes U.S. Military Readiness While Texas National Guard is in Disarray. 7:45
negative spin Nation Shocked by Charlton Heston Shooting. 6:05

wednesday, may 31

bushnews, 19 stories Pro-Bush Stealth Pac Missile Ad Tied to Millionaire Heiress. 7:10
the english patient Bush Tells Us Rudy Made New York Safe --For Himself. 5:50
quote/unquote No Politician Can Honestly Say What Bush Has Said. 4:55
wizard of whimsy "Rick Lazio. Isn't He the Cuban Kid's Uncle?". 3:40

tuesday, may 30

bushnews, 15 stories Bush Call For Treaty Violation Endangers Our Future. 7:55
mac watch Mac Now Chooses Party Over His Principles. 7:50
doris in des moines Bush's Wall Street Backed Social Insecurity Plan. 5:45
cunningham Gore-Tex Take Foreign Policy Stances. 5:35

monday, may 29

quote/unquote Dr. Bush Wants to Treat a Social Security Scrape by Amputating Both Legs. 7:00 p.m.
bushnews, 22 stories Bush Has Sided With Dutch/Poppy Hawks on Star Wars. 9:15
jules feiffer Gore-Tex Tells Feiffer It's Time to Quit. 7:15

sunday, may 28

mac watch Johnny Mac Resumes Crusade. 9:10
bushnews, 27 stories School Kids Beaten Daily in Bush's Texas. 9:00
thadeus and weez Dr. Funding and Mr. Gore. 8:55

saturday, may 27

tom tomorrow Last Monday's Missing Tomorrow Today. 8:05
bushnews, 23 stories Bush Supreme Court "Would Threaten Justice." 7:40
sargent Boys and Their (Star Wars) Toys. 7:35

friday, may 26

doris in des moines Dubya Assures Us That His Plan Won't Bankrupt Social Security. Uh-huh. 8:30
bushnews, 27 stories Bush Star Wars Defense System is "Insane." 8:00
auth Bush Star Wars is Up There With Dumbo. 6:10

thursday, may 25

luckovich A Texas Lottery Game for the Nation. 8:20
bushnews, 26 stories Bush Strategy is Big Ideas With Explanation, Details After Election. 8:05

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