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We heard a lot about how "racist" West Virginia is. There is certainly room for improvement here. Will we ever hear the truth about how racist the entire country is?
Commenters at TalkingPointsMemo point out the obvious in a story about cops going wild:
Typical California law enforcement. The worst racist town in the Deep South has nothing on California's finest.
I guess its a good thing California is so progressive.
I've lived in California (except when I was married and spent the better part of three years during the 90's in France) since 1965. At the age of ten, I moved with my parents from Eugene, Oregon to West Covina just before the Watts Riots. We moved later to Yorba Linda. The Ramparts division of the LAPD was then and now a bunch of paramilitary thugs. Fullerton PD; paramilitary thugs. Riverside County Sherrif's; paramilitary thugs. San Diego PD and Sherrif's; paramilitary thugs.
I have no grand illusions about California's "liberal" leanings; not with the state being the birthplace of the Birchers; or even the current manifestation of the KKK as the Conservative Citizens Council in Hacienda Heights.
Funny how Metzger of the Nazis and the Minutemen milita thugs originated in San Diego County.
I disagree that what happened in Cardiff is not typical in California; my experience is that it is all too typical.
I currently live in the SF Bay Area and have acquaintences in law enforcement; racism and paramilitary thuggery exists on a daily basis, even here.
One thing I noticed, of all the places in the US, California is just jam packed full of racists, bigots etc that are totally in denial about their true nature. People hide their true archie bunker style thoughts everywhere but in Cali its like they go beyond that to try to portray some sort of ideal prejudice free types then sit there while guys with badges from Azusa shoot mexican kids and toss a pound of heroin in their lap. Bizarre.
As an African American who lived for 20 years in Los Angeles I have a different opinion. I left California because of the violent racism. I have friends who were murdered as teenagers by the LAPD and LA County Sheriffs Office. I have been threatened on numerous occasions by California law enforcement. I do not believe that if you polled African Americans in California that they'd agree with your assessment of a benign collective law enforcement community.
You must be totally unfamiliar with the history of the police in every major city in California in regards to racial relations to make such claims. How deluded can you be.
I guess it is progressive to ignore the experience of others in the broader community and label them small minded for not having the privilege to share your outlook on law enforcement and to label an entire region of the nation as backwater redneck states.
How many of your highschool classmates in the LAUSD were shot in the back and killed by local law enforcement? How many of your classmates beaten for no reason by the same group? I guarantee you your view of law enforcement is not share by everyone in the city of Los Angeles and not even in West Hollywood.
Is it progressive to be oblivious to the experiences of others in your community?
But apparently it's only acceptable to point out racism if it's in Appalachia.
A funny thing happened on election day. Despite being told over and over again...
The press, however, will lap up the talking points of the pundits, Clinton spinners (and Republicans) that losing Kentucky and West Virginia means that Obama won't do well with White voters, when it really means voters in Appalachia aren't ready to vote for a Black candidate, even though in most of the rest of the country they are.
...the reality is white voters in West Virginia, the state where every county is in Appalachia, voted for the black candidate Barack Obama at the same level as they did the white candidate John Kerry in 2004.
Not only that, but there's a razor's margin of difference with how Obama fared with white voters in West Virginia for Obama with white voters nationally for Obama.
Both states where Obama won. West Virginia's white population is 95 percent white, 3.5 percent African American and 1.5 percent other. If we had similar demographics as North Carolina, Obama's margin of victory likely would have been larger than in blue North Carolina.
I never denied - despite claims by some that racism is not a factor here. My criticism has long been that the allegation was not "some in Appalachia" or "too many in Appalachia" but that "Appalachia" was not ready to vote for a black candidate. Not only did that overgeneralize the issue, it created a starting off point that made it impossible to have a substantive discussion on the issues involved. By overplaying the importance of racism, it undercut honest discussion on the topic and drowned out all other conversation. It simply perpetuated a negative stereotype - one too readily accepted by many here. It also ignores African Americans have won elected office here at the state and county level. Appalachia has become such an easy scapegoat so when in a front page post on the 22 percent of counties where Republicans gained votes over 2004, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas were lumped in as part of the Appalachia region.
My goal has long been to find the reasons why these counties have trended red in once reliable blue West Virginia. That trend began long before Barack Obama was our nominee for president and race did not cloud the issue.
For West Virginia Blue I've begun that discussion by phone and email with numerous people to take a broader view. That view has long been needed, but was put off due to daily demands of the state blog and as a canvasser for Obama and state candidates. The irony is that even as West Virginia went red again for presidential races, we appear to have trended more blue in our state and county races. Only one Republican holds a seat in Congress, Shelley Moore Capito. The GOP lost their only statewide held seat, Secretary of State, when Natalie Tennant won election there. We also gained two more Democrats on the state Supreme Court and held off a strong challenge for Democratic incumbent Attorney General Darrell McGraw despite the Chamber of Commerce spending $1.1 million to buy those races.
To turn West Virginia back in the Democratic column it belongs requires a hard look at many issues, including the troubling factor of racism. Placing all of the blame on one issue, however, fails to help find a solution.
Check out this barn burner of a speech from AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka blasting racism and explaining why workers should vote for Barack Obama.
I've never denied racism won't play some role in how some people vote, but I believe it's been overblown, not just in Appalachia but nationally. And the constant scapegoating of Appalachia as "too racist" to vote for an African American could certainly become a self-fulfilling prophecy by leading people to ignore the real reasons why Sen. Hillary Clinton succeeded in Appalachia. If Barack Obama campaigns here, which he really didn't do in the primary (getting outspent 3-to-1 and outstumped 10-to-1 is a big reason why he did not do well here in the primary) he'll win here.
But whether he wins or loses here will have many reasons and not the superficial ones claimed by those who stereotype Appalachia.
No doubt the unpretentious, politically incorrect Mr. Biden will make a strong impression on white, working-class voters. The only hitch in this plan is that there's plenty of reason to think that Mr. Obama's race is not the insurmountable detriment to his candidacy that a lot of anxious observers believe it is.
The theory that race is holding back Mr. Obama's candidacy rests on a pretty simple premise. Adherents argue that the Democratic candidate ought to be effortlessly leading by double digits in the polls at this point - and that his failure to do so can only be explained by latent racism among older voters.
After all, this thinking goes, the Republican president suffers from abysmal approval ratings, and even half-witted voters should be able to see that Mr. Obama is a superior candidate to Mr. McCain, were their views not clouded by race.
These are flawed assumptions, however. While it's entirely possible that Mr. Obama's race is costing him some support, it's also true that the electorate that voted in the last two presidential elections was almost symmetrically divided between the two parties. It would defy the laws of politics if, at this early stage of the campaign, moderate Republicans and conservative independents were to reject Mr. McCain (a candidate many of them preferred back in 2000) simply because they don't like George W. Bush.
snip
It would be naïve to suggest that race won't figure in the election. But the danger for Democrats is that dark prophesies of prejudice could be self-fulfilling.
Ever since 2000, a lot of so-called progressives have proudly displayed a healthy contempt for less-educated white voters who cast ballots in defiance of their "economic self-interest," as Thomas Frank argued in "What's the Matter With Kansas?" (The widespread acceptance of Mr. Frank's thesis is how John Kerry largely escaped the scorn that is ritually visited upon losing Democratic presidential nominees; the members of his party directed their exasperation at the voters instead.) But surely caricaturing a large subset of voters as ignorant has made those voters even less inclined to pull the lever for the Democrats this time around. All this talk about racism isn't likely to help.
Unfortunately that exact caricaturing is what has taken place on some of the big blogs when it comes to Appalachia.
In the last year, West Virginia has taken quite a few hits in the media. A journalist friend described it as a "target-rich environment."
The hits I'm thinking about now are images hurtling through the Web and airwaves portraying us as racist and xenophobic. Obviously, West Virginia, like other places, has its share of racists and bigots - and quite a few of them wound up talking to the press.
But I get upset when people paint the whole state and its history with that brush. West Virginia has a pretty interesting past in terms of race relations. Even before statehood, there were tensions between western mountaineers and the slaveholding elite that dominated Virginia politics.
Carnacki has a diary on the recommend list on DailyKos right now. The diary, Late train on a hot day, started here and finished tonight on DailyKos. Well worth your time to read the rest of his story. It can be read by clicking here.
As the Democratic Party primary season draws to a close, with a nominee to be decided today (hopefully), I find myself in a crisis of conscience. For the first time in my life, there is a real chance that a woman could be actually elected President of the United States, and I'm feeling a little guilty that I am hoping she is going to go down in a ball of flames.
Democratic Governor Joe Manchin now saying he is sick and tired of people negatively stereotyping voters in West Virginia, and he's here now to set that record straight.
Governor Manchin on the phone. Sir, good evening to you.
GOV. JOE MANCHIN, D-W. VA.: Good evening, Bill. How are you?
HEMMER: I'm doing fine. Nice to hear your voice again. What's bothering you, governor?
MANCHIN: Well, you hear this, and I have heard this from West Virginia and Kentucky and these types states which we call Appalachia, but, you know, which we had a story in the paper today, which was this really something that a young African-American female staffer of Obama's was working in West Virginia and she was concerned because she didn't know, just what she'd heard. And her car broke down, and they've instead (ph), not only that help her fix the car, the family lent their car for her to continue on her campaigning. They got to know each other.
In West Virginia, we like to say that most people have a PhD in life because they've worked so darn hard and work in the factories and worked in the mines and worked in the chemical industry. They can shake your hand and read you like a book or they can look in your eyes and see your soul, but they need to see you. They need to press the flesh.
HEMMER: You know, as you talk about that, if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee, can he win in your state in November, governor?
MANCHIN: I truly believe he can. I can tell you, the people in West Virginia are totally committed to change. We have to change the direction of this country for this -
HEMMER: What does it mean when Hillary Clinton wipes him out by 41 points two weeks ago?
MANCHIN: Well, I mean, listen, first of all, Bill Clinton is a very, very popular ex-president in West Virginia, who is still beloved as she is very popular, and she - the whole family worked extremely hard here. It's just campaigning that paid off, it was pressing the flesh, you know, and face to face.
HEMMER: But Obama was on the airwaves there with a lot of money to advertise on TV. Are you saying that he has to go back to your state in order to win it? You've got to press the flesh and you've got to drink beer or you've got to go to a Mountaineers' football game in the fall or what?
MANCHIN: Well, it doesn't hurt. Not just that. But people need to see and they need to know that you care and you're involved and you do consider them to be important. They just need to have a comfort level and it takes time. And any of these hard-working areas where people basically get up every morning and ask nothing from anybody and work and do it themselves, they really truly put a lot of trust in that (ph)
HEMMER: What I hear you saying, governor, is that he did not work hard enough for that vote (ph).
MANCHIN: Well, I'll tell you, he had a lot of different - he has a good foundation. He has eleven different outposts, if you will, campaign offices. He spent quite a bit of money, but they enjoyed the time and also the relationship they've had with the Clintons. It had nothing to do with race. And people keep talking about that. It's just so wrong.
The education level, they might not have all the degrees hanging on the wall, but they are extremely well-educated in life. They work hard. And I can tell you, they - when they have a comfort level, they'll rally for you and fight for you.
Good for Joe. I've been saying the same things all along. I do think some racism was involved, but that's been a factor in every race. As I've said before, those who focus on racism, and racism alone, are revealing they have their own issues to deal with on that topic.
I wish Manchin didn't go on Faux News to say it, but I'm glad we're pushing back on this.
In the 23rd House of Delegates District entirely located entirely within McDowell County's border incumbent Clif Moore who happens to be African-American defeated Emily Yeager 56 percent to 44 percent to win the Democratic nomination. He will be running unopposed in the November general election with no Republican opponent at the present time and is lock to be re-elected for another term in office.
In the race for Circuit Court Judge for the 8th Circuit District incumbent Booker T. Stephens easily defeated his opponent Ted White by a 2 to 1 margin to win the Democratic nomination. Like Del. Moore he has no Republican opponent at the present time and is a lock to be re-elected for another term.
Both Del. Moore and Judge Stephens are great people as well as great servants for McDowell County. I know that both of them are the real deal.
This won't alleviate most of the criticism about W. Virginians' reluctance to support African-American candidates, but I'm hoping and praying the so-called experts will at least take a look at McDowell County voters and West Virginians as a whole both white and African-American before criticizing us West Virginians again.
Also Hillary Clinton is loved to death by the people here in McDowell County and West Virginia as a whole. To me this was more of a pro-Hillary Clinton vote than an anti-Barack Obama vote.
I also believe that a part of Obama's struggles here in W. Virginia were much more so because of the false perception of his church, his "Muslim-sounding" name, Rev. Wright's "GD America" comments, and Obama's "small-town" comments than race.
And McDowell County's population is 87 percent white and just 12 percent black, for those whom use the "McDowell County has a larger African-American percentage than any other West Virginia county" argument.
Black and white residents of Logan County came together last night in a vigil calling for healing, justice, and freedom from fear. The event was organized by the American Friends Service Committee and the Logan County Improvement League, a largely African-American organization.
Last month, the Rev. Johnny Meade, pastor of Church of God in the Name of Christ Jesus in Big Creek, offered the use of his church for an interracial service. The Big Creek area of Logan County is all white and the church is about 9/10 of a mile from the scene where police say Megan Williams' ordeal occured.
Around 40 people attended the event, which featured singing, brief comments, prayer, and lighting candles. It was heavily covered by just about all the media in the area.
Given all the state and national media attention on the area in the wake of the crime, local residents wanted to send their own positive message.
MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia is one of the whitest states in the nation, but the lack of diversity seldom leads to overt acts of racism or bias crimes such as the racially tinged rape and torture of a black woman in Logan County.
Federal statistics show the rural state -- 95 percent white, 3 percent black -- records fewer bias crimes than comparable states. And from one region to another, residents say that where racism lurks, it is restrained, not raging.
"I work with black churches and black people. We just love one another,'' says Johnny Meade, a white pastor in the Big Creek community where six white men and women have been charged in the case.
"This goes beyond prejudice,'' says the Rev. Audie Murphy Sr., president of the Logan County branch of the NAACP. "It's actually evil in its heightened form.
"I feel it's not a direct indication of the community in its entirety,'' he says, "because there are great people here, such as the one who notified the authorities that the girl was being held captive.''
Only 3 percent of West Virginia's 1.8 million residents are black, compared with 12.8 percent nationally.
However, like other police jurisdictions, West Virginia's do not always do a good job of filling out the federal reporting forms on hate crimes.
But Deputy Attorney General Paul Sheridan says numbers may not tell the whole story because "we still see a very large number of zeros coming back, even from places where we know something has occurred.''
Communities like Huntington are either more serious about reporting bias crimes or are using different procedures to identify them, Sheridan says. Conversely, police in Milton recently said an incident "was not a bias crime because the victims and the perpetrators knew each other.''
"That's not the right analysis,'' Sheridan says. "That's not the point at all.''
This is an issue that should unite us all in expressing our outrage. On this, I stand with rightwinger Gary Abernathy, who to his credit also strongly condemned the crime on his blog.
However, there is a reason why crimes are listed as hate crimes:
Still, Marshall was disturbed Wednesday to hear talk-radio callers dismiss the racial overtones of the Logan County case by saying, "a crime is a crime.''
Sheridan believes that's because calling a bias crime a "hate crime'' muddies the point.
"If someone is selected for a crime because of something that makes them different, there's a message in that. We shouldn't deny it or cover that over, or pretend it's not important,'' he says.
UPDATE:
More from Senator Jay Rockefeller on the crime:
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM SENATOR ROCKEFELLER ON VICIOUS ASSAULT IN LOGAN COUNTY
"As additional details emerge about this horrific case, I am even angrier and more disgusted that this terrible crime could happen to anyone in our state. It hurts me to my soul that a young West Virginian has suffered this appalling and awful sequence of events.
"Even as our thoughts and prayers go first to the victim, I know the West Virginia way is to reach out in our communities and protect each other, and this will help to heal the wounds left by this vicious attack."
A WOMAN who was sexually abused, beaten and forced to eat rat and dog faeces while being held captive in a West Virginian home for at least a week may be the victim of a hate crime.
Six people arrested including a mother and son, and a mother and daughter, are white. The victim, a 23-year-old woman, is black.
The FBI plans to investigate whether racism played a part after one of the suspects, female Frankie Brewster, allegedly cut the victim's ankle with a knife while telling her she was a "nigger", USA Today reported.
We can only hope and wish that the allegations are untrue. But some shit you just can't make up. And hoping and wishing doesn't make these problems go away.
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