| Did David McKinley, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in West Virginia's 1st District, call the President of the United States a "nigger" at a campaign event?
I have heard from several people that McKinley did. He was on private property at a non-union mine on Aug. 20 16. The people who heard him say it have not come forward apparently out of fear of losing their jobs. Had this been at a union mine, I suspect the miners would have stepped forward already.
As relayed to me, McKinley was trying to be one of the "guys" when he called the President of the United States a "nigger."
The Commander in Chief of our military as we wage military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, but to McKinley he is a "nigger."
This is not about partisan politics. As readers of this blog know, I have no love for Mike Oliverio, the Democratic candidate for the seat. The last time I wrote about WV-01 was a long post on how incumbent Alan Mollohan believed he was unfairly attacked in the primary.
As much as I dislike Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito in WV-02, I would never think she would ever speak of the President of the United States in such a way. Her father, Gov. Arch Moore, may have been a corrupt politician, but he took a bold stance for civil rights in the 1960s when many governors south of the Mason Dixon Line did not. And I have spoken of the credit he deserves for that before.
In 2008 and even before, when racism accusations were hurled against West Virginia, there was no more ardent defender of West Virginians -- Democrats AND Republicans. (See here, here, here, and here for examples.)
And the numbers backed me up. The white vote in West Virginia for Sen. John McCain and President Obama was no different statistically than the white vote nationally
West Virginia is a state filled with beautiful, decent, hard-working people who do not deserve to be cast in such a light. I hate to see that happen again.
Here is why, however, it is important that readers know what people told me:
* A candidate for the United States Congress referred to the President of the United States as a "nigger." We are talking about the President of the United States. And this was said not just by a private citizen, but a candidate running for the United States Congress. Even if one of the workers had said it, I would expect a Congressional candidate, a person running to represent the people of West Virginia, to say, "Sir, we should not refer to the President of the United States in such a manner."
* This shows incredibly poor judgment on McKinley's part. He is running for office and in front of people, including members of the press, he says that? How stupid is that? This is 2010. Does he think all blue-collar West Virginians are racists? Perhaps he felt safe since much of the state's press is owned by John Raese, the Republican senatorial candidate, and much of the rest of the press is owned by Ogden Nutting, a major supporter of Republicans.
McKinley has a documented history of denial when he is caught afterward with racist connections. For months, white supremacist and militia supporter Larry Pratt was national news for his racist and anti-semitic views before David McKinley, then a gubernatorial candidate, appeared at a rally with him in 1995.
In a 1996 Charleston Gazette article headlined, "McKinley disavows supremacist ties," McKinley claimed he did not know Pratt's views before appearing at the event although Pratt had crisscrossed the country expressing them.
"I certainly denounce anyone who is racist," McKinley said at the time.
Except he did not do so when he shared a stage with one when it benefited McKinley politically.
I hope, despite whatever he says publicly to deny it, I hope McKinley in his heart denounces his own actions and pledges to speak and think better in the future. If he wants to represent West Virginians, he should at least try to represent us in a positive way. |
