Dean’s Racism Enrages Vermont Blacks

When asked for comment on the issue, the State’s most famous resident, bed and breakfast proprietor Robert Newhart had this to say: “It’s cold outside! Want some maple syrup? Whatever happened to Suzzane Pleshette? And Larry, who looked like that guy from Blade Runner? What was the question again?”

So true!

When I lived in Vermont I got a serious case of white out… Not trying to be touchy feely, but I’d honestly come back to the NY area on vacation and just find every non-white face strange & beautiful.

I also found I had to stop myself from saying hello to evey black person on the streets of NYC, because in Vermont I really did know every black person (living in the 3rd largest city in Vermont)… and it was less than 10 for sure.

The weird thing is that Sharpton defended Dean at the NAACP debate when he was asked if he would have “high-ranking” minorities in his cabinet.

Maybe Al was in a bad mood…or just being Al and playing the race card. Carol kicked his ass pretty handily.

seems to me that Mr. Sharpton is doing a deal with another candidate on this one … strange how Sharpton is silent on a putative ‘issue’ like this in different locales and times, but vociferous at others.

the fact that Vermont is a nearly all-white state seems not to be considered by Sharpton.

well, like someone said, Sharpton’s histrionics have all the weight of an angry flea attacking a big, strong mule.

Adam,

When I read just the title of today’s article, I said to my computer, “All 3 of them?!”

ROFLMAO to discover that we came up with exactly the same satistical count.

Yeah NC Dem. Clue us in, homeboy. Esse quam videri, compadre. Don’t want these folks thinking we-all is a bunch of smartass trolltalking rednecks…

I’ve been wondering who Sharpton was really talking to - was he giving lip-service to his financial base? He is obviously not tired of being divided by race. It ain’t like he could climb out of last place. No reason to get in Dean’s face. Made me want to reach for the mace…

We definitely have to take back the Democratic Party, before we even think about taking our country back.

you guys are coming across as clue fucking less…

i agree. want some facts? get your head out of your ass and look around

Actually, Howard Dean tried very hard to appoint minorities to positions of power in his administration, but because of the racial makeup of Vermont, there were few to be found. Some even turned him down, because most government jobs in Vermont are part-time work. Click my name for the article “Dean tried to appoint minorities in Vermont” in today’s Salon.

Thanks to K. and buddhistMonkey for providing access to info. NCDem and Lurker: time to get a life.

though i agree that al was being offhanded with dean, i dont agree with all the outright racist attitudes on this comments. i started thinking that i stumbled upon a KKKs for Dean site.

I, and my fellow members of the Minority Community are OUTRAGED BY BIGOTRY!

OK, and in re: the odd and I do mean very, ‘lurker’ comment, I suppose stats will also show that this comment’s column has 1.0 percent trolls.
Hey! Speaking about oppressed minorities, why does no one speak up for the Troll, without whom the internet would be - uhm… a lot better?
best,
Georgettethegood who knows a Troll when she sniffs one

Whooops, I misread lurker’s sentence: “i started thinking that i stumbled upon a KKKs for Dean site.”

Er…you found us out.

We also mock and degrade soldiers.

I thought it was too bad that Dean tried to evade the question. I would have liked to hear:

Sharpton: “Howard, did you have any African-Americans in your cabinet?”

Dean: “No”

Discrimination occurs where people compete for limited resources and where there is opportunity for culture clash. We don’t discriminate because we don’t have the opportunity to! Seriously, most Vermonters can go weeks without seeing a minority. Calling Dean on not appointing a representative of a minority group that accounts for 0.5% of the population to one of six cabinet posts is ludicrous.

Hmmm… K. hasn’t made a return appearance. Could be he/she went and got a life.

Your turn, Lurker.

Sharpton provides a voice for minorities. It may not sound as sweet as one would like, but it at least provides counterpoint to the primary voices. That keeps us all honest and more representative of our country than the other Party. punctus contra punctum

The theme of the debate was race. Sharpton’s question was on topic. Dean fumbled it. As a Vermonter and a Dean supported, I was a bit disappointed by that.

I would hate to see the neo-cons use race against the Democrats. I would also hate to see us take on positions that smacked of racist to counter their suddenly pro-Sharpton attitude. Never let your opponent choose your position for you.

To my mind, Sharpton’s attack was unfair, both in its wording (which distinguished between senior administration senior staff in order to make Dean’s record more damning) and its implication. I don’t think that calling him on that “smacks of racism.”

That said, I don’t think Shaprton’s a jerk for asking the question, but it was an unnecessarily aggressive manner of doing so. And the readily-available population statistics from Vermont make me suspect that Shaprton might have known this, and that the attack was more political than substantive.

In fact, I didn’t know about the Hannity thing when I wrote this entry - I’d woken up, read the article about the debate, whipped up my response, and 15 minutes later I was out the door and headin’ for a reading.

Here’s the question from Sharpton (italics mine):

“I direct this to Governor Dean. You keep talking about race. In the state of Vermont, when you were governor, ‘97 ‘99, 2001, not one black or brown held a senior policy position. Not one. You yourself said we must do something about it. Nothing was done. Can you explain, since now you want to convene everyone to talk about race, it seems as though you’ve discovered blacks and browns during this campaign, how you can explain not one black or brown working for your administration as governor?”

Adam, you’re not going to whitewash Dean’s record that easily! Dean admitted that their are six offices in the Vermont Cabinet. That’s one office per Vermont black person! Dean clearly didn’t do enough! Even if you are some kind of comedian, It’s beyond the pale that you would support this scandal through easily-pierced mockery! Never darken my computer screen again!! Thank goodness at least one honorable man such as Al Sharpton raised a hue and cry over this outrage!

Thought #1:

Never feed the trolls

Thought #2:

You stupid trolls! Adam has been to Bennington many many times — to visit me, in fact — and he knows the last time he checked there was no mall. It’s funnier that way, it’s COM-IDDY. Get it?

Thought #3

Trolls never get it. Rinse, repeat.

Seriously now, we may want to remember that Al Sharpton was found liable in court for defaming a white police officer by accusing him of raping a black girl in a situation where he knew it wasn’t true or should have known but simply didn’t care. That he did this for eight months and raised New York to a pitch of racial animosity the likes of which I have never seen and which was totally unnecessary. And he did it basically just to call attention to himself. Every time he identifies himself as a Democrat, Republicans smile.

If you think Bill Bennett is obnoxious — and he is — imagine what a justifiably poisonous reaction most Americans have when they think of Al Sharpton. Then consider how it affects the vote in November.

Why do we want this guy? Clearly rejecting this rat bastard would get us far more votes than we would lose. It’s both good politics and the right thing to do. Win, win.

there’re minorities in vermont? what, are they irish?

i mean, it could be worse — the media attention sharpton’s getting might have actually diverted attention from more important matters of state such as the deficit, iraq and o’neill, plame-gate . . . oh, wait.

i’m a vermont resident and when i read about al’s question to dean, i knew he had never been to vermont. we have the highest incidence of melanoma in the US simply because we have the highest percentage of caucasians in our population.

the thing about all the other demo candidates attacking dean all the time is that we get to hear more and more about dean and his views/positions and practically nothing about the other candidates views/positions. i’m leaning towards dean as my choice, but it’s only because i feel i have more of a complete picture of him, and hardly anything about the others.

Please don’t vote for someone based upon how the look. I am begging you. I haven’t heard once in all the debate over who would make a good president what the people will be doing to help change America’s course. We live in the nieghborhoods. We work the jobs. Why aren’t WE doing Anything to Change things? Why do we think One Person…or One party will do it?? I am afraid for the futre really. I am scared to death. I hope we learn to compromise and I hope we learn to give. No politician in this country could ever have a more profound effect on the world…that that of a united citizenry. Peace..

That’s hilarious! Seriously though, (and speaking as a male) he looks great for a white-haired guy of, what, 50? Older? I have no idea. Doesn’t it say something about Clark’s self-discipline when he can keep himself in shape like that, while Dean looks like he’s in danger of melting into wispy gray-haired lard?

Jen, I’m not going to base my vote on any of this, but you better believe this stuff affects voters’ impressions of candidates.

This would have been the funniest thing I’ve seen all week, except the nearest mall to Bennington is in Albany.

Ok people, here goes… There are very very very few black people living in Vermont. Is this Howard Deans’ fault? I personally think more black people should move to Vermont, but they don’t. Is this Howard Deans’ fault? Fact of the matter is, if black people move to Vermont and apply for jobs in State Government, they would get jobs just like us white folks.

I like black people. But the fact remains they do not move to Vermont. Is this Howard’s fault? Maybe a black person could tell me why blacks have not moved to Vermont.

Fact of the matter is more vermonters died in the Civil War than from any other State in the Union. Blacks have always been welcome here in Vermont. Fact of the matter is blacks,jews and my people the Roman Catholics were all harrassed by the KKK, right here in Vermont up to the 1930’s. My people stood tall and fought the good fight and we drove the KKK out of Town.

Don’t get down on Howard Dean rather thank the people of Vermont who’s relatives died to free the blacks. Thank my relatives for standing with the blacks and Jews against the KKK.

Howard Dean is a good man.