White Conservative Wins Election by Tricking Largely Black Democrat Electorate Into Thinking He Is Black
As a conservative white Republican running in a district whose voters are overwhelmingly black Democrats, the odds seemed overwhelmingly against [Dave Wilson].
Then he came up with an idea, an advertising strategy that his opponent found “disgusting.” If a white guy didn’t have a chance in a mostly African-American district, Wilson would lead voters to think he’s black.
. . . .
Wilson, a gleeful political troublemaker, printed direct mail pieces strongly implying that he’s black. His fliers were decorated with photographs of smiling African-American faces — which he readily admits he just lifted off websites — and captioned with the words “Please vote for our friend and neighbor Dave Wilson.”
One of his mailers said he was “Endorsed by Ron Wilson,” which longtime Houston voters might easily interpret as a statement of support from a former state representative of the same name who’s also African-American. Fine print beneath the headline says “Ron Wilson and Dave Wilson are cousins,” a reference to one of Wilson’s relatives living in Iowa.
“He’s a nice cousin,” Wilson says, suppressing a laugh. “We played baseball in high school together. And he’s endorsed me.”
It worked. He won by 26 votes.
As sure as I am sitting here, I know that many people will applaud Wilson’s actions. I cannot join the applause. I can’t endorse trickery and dishonesty by politicians . . . but I can note that trickery and dishonesty by politicians is commonplace — and that the thing that Wilson was dishonest about (the color of his skin) is something that shouldn’t matter in a political race in any event.
And as a result, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for the voters.
Via Hot Air.
How is this different from a black person passing as white to avoid discrimination? Does a person with black ancestry, running in a district where he knows that if this were generally known there are people who would not vote for him, have to disclose it? Why? If people think he’s white, and therefore give him a fair hearing and decide to vote for him, who has been harmed? Well, this is exactly the same thing.
Milhouse (35946d) — 11/10/2013 @ 2:07 pmI will applaud Wilson’s actions for the simple reason that he has further exposed the racism of the left.
creeper (d0db31) — 11/10/2013 @ 2:10 pmNo! I would not want this POS to govern me if his first act in office was to give me a Ferrari with Sophia Loren in the passenger seat. He is the poster-boy of what is bad about democracy.
nk (dbc370) — 11/10/2013 @ 2:16 pmso, basically if his constituents were not racist they’d gladly vote for someone who holds his views?
JP Kalishek (9b6108) — 11/10/2013 @ 2:30 pmThat is what I get from this story. He did not seem to pass himself off as a Leftoid Uberlib, but hid the fact he was white. And they agreed with him enough to vote for him, but if they learn he is white means he would otherwise not win.
these voters in houston are stupid
happyfeet (8ce051) — 11/10/2013 @ 2:35 pmAnd this is why elimination of the poll tax is such a bad idea. It should be entirely the opposite-opposite: Not just that people who pay taxes should be allowed to vote, but that only people who vote should be taxed. Or drafted. Or have Jehovah’s Witnesses ring their doorbells. Make people think before they vote.
nk (dbc370) — 11/10/2013 @ 2:54 pmInstructive. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot#Etymology
nk (dbc370) — 11/10/2013 @ 2:58 pmHe beat a long term incumbent, and the board of trustees has been under fire for corruption, which is far from the first time at a “traditionally black institution.”
If poor black Democratic voters were willing to vote for a Republican if only he were black, that tells me the incumbent was not beloved or trusted.
The man NEVER LIED in the materials I saw. Not a single time. He just let the voters assume what they wished to assume. Even the part about his cousin’s endorsement wasn’t “trickery.” “Ron Wilson” isn’t exactly an uncommon name in America, if voters want to assume it is one particular man when no such claim was ever made, that’s on them, not the candidate.
How is this on the level of “if you like your plan, you can keep it” or “I will change the way business is done in Washington”?
Estragon (19fa04) — 11/10/2013 @ 3:00 pmIf taking advantage of voter stupidity were a capital offense, we wouldn’t have a living Democrat in office.
Estragon (19fa04) — 11/10/2013 @ 3:01 pmracist
mg (31009b) — 11/10/2013 @ 3:16 pmI’m not convinced he did anything wrong.
He knows that the African-American electorate in his district largely votes along the lines of skin color, so he took advantage of it in his mailings.
It’s not like he dressed up in blackface for photo ops, or claimed he was of African-American ancestry.
If voters were better informed, they would have known that he was not black.
At least when Republican candidates play the game, they’re only trying to get LIVING voters to vote for them, unlike the Democrat dirty tricks of dead people voting, et al.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/10/2013 @ 3:31 pmThat sounds like a blatantly racist campaign. If it were a white candidate trying to inform people that his opponent was black, it would be universally condemned. So why should he have been allowed to get away with this? I say bravo Mr Wilson.
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/10/2013 @ 3:32 pmI would join your consensus if the purpose of elections was “whose turn is it to feed at the public trough?” Is it?
nk (dbc370) — 11/10/2013 @ 3:48 pmBesides, most of those people are HAPPY to vote for a liar—after all, they probably voted for Obama, didn’t they ?!
Ouch.
Elephant Stone (ea5f9b) — 11/10/2013 @ 4:10 pmI don’t know which is worse, intentionally campaigning based upon one’s race or those who would vote because of it. That he lied about it is just usual politics to me. All of it is despicable.
David Boyd (86db3e) — 11/10/2013 @ 4:24 pmI think it is hilarious ! When my mother was still alive, she lived in a high rise in our old neighborhood. Her Congressman was Jesse Jackson Jr. In 1996, she went to vote at the polling place in the lobby of the building she had lived in for 30 years. A black poll watcher challenged her registration and she was not allowed to vote. The black Congressman got 98% of the votes but you can’t be too careful. Give those elderly white ladies (she was one of six left in the building) an inch and they will take over.
MikeK (dc6ffe) — 11/10/2013 @ 4:30 pm“He knows that the African-American electorate in his district largely votes along the lines of skin color, so he took advantage of it in his mailings.”
In this case, “Took advantage” translates to a lie of omission. It doesn’t matter if the voters voted on color lines, which is to their shame, but what matters is a candidate running for public office intentionally and purposely misrepresented himself to the very people he wanted a vote from. How would they ever trust him at this point? He has tarnished the office that he now holds.
Win an election because your principles, your beliefs, and your point of view is solid enough and viable to draw the voters.
He is patently dishonest.
Dana (45070c) — 11/10/2013 @ 4:39 pmGood for him, the rest is sour grapes.
But really, don’t applaud it? Obama won two elections lying about who is is.
Republicans really need to dump this uber alles crap. You want to beat gutter rats? You got to poison them knee deep in shit.
Democrats have no concern over the truth. Voters don’t care.
Rodney King's Spirit (5c6cbf) — 11/10/2013 @ 4:45 pmHow did he “misrepresent” himself? He omitted a statement about an irrelevant fact; the voters either (correctly!) judged that fact to be irrelevant, or felt other issues were more important.
Also, given that the incumbent “exposed” the “lie”, isn’t it a bit insulting to assume the voters didn’t know Wilson is white?
Perhaps the lesson here is, “If you want to reach out to voters in a black-majority district, your mailers should feature a majority of ‘black faces'”?
Rob Crawford (45d991) — 11/10/2013 @ 5:09 pmHonesty and truth are great virtues—our judicial system depends upon it. But I admit I’m just not all that worked up about this particular issue.
Now if it turns out there’s proof that he literally claimed he is African-American, or something like that, then of course that’s a whole different ball of wax.
The Democrats usually bring guns to a knife fight, and Republicans usually bring…plastic forks.
There’s a lot at stake in elections, and historically, the Democrats have stolen a ton of elections.
Ironically (or not, actually) the same Democrats in Houston who are crying “foul !” about the fliers can’t even wriggle their nose about the blatant videotaped evidence of Obama’s lies when selling his health care plan to the American people.
I haven’t seen the fliers (who among us has ?) so I can’t speak to a “T” about how deceptive they were, but I look at this as “advertising.”
Whether its weight loss plans, a pair of designer shoes, a car, a beer, cologne, et al, advertisers imply that their product will improve a person’s life.
A lot of products attempt to imply that a person will achieve or attain a higher performance or be more attractive to the opposite sex by using the product.
Old Spice or Drakkar Noir colognes have implied thru moving pictures (uhh, that means televised commercials)that chicks will be drawn to you in droves if you wear their product. If that doesn’t happen, is the commercial a lie ?
Lots of film trailers proclaim that this is going to be the movie of the year, or the movie that will change your life, or the movie for a generation, or the movie that will move you to tears, or have you jumping out of your seat, blah, blah, blah.
But is it ever ?
One of the usual voice-overs for a film is, “guaranteed to make you laugh.”
Okay, if you see the movie and don’t laugh, were you lied to ?
The fliers may suggest that there was African-American support for this candidate, but that’s different than claiming to actually be African-American.
Elephant Stone (ea5f9b) — 11/10/2013 @ 5:11 pmOn the other hand, if I were to see the fliers, my perception may change.
But a lottttt of politicians send out fliers claiming (or implying through the use of photos on their fliers) to be supported by this group or that group, or to support policy X or policy Y, blah, blah, blah, when indeed, it is simply an exaggeration.
OF course, this candidate cannot exaggerate to be black, per se.
But unless he actually said he’s African-American, I tend to giggle about all of this.
Even if he had outright lied, I wouldn’t care. It would be no different than a black candidate passing as white in a district where it was thought that no black could win. (A comment on Althouse actually recounted an election in a changing area of Boston, at which the Republicans ran black candidates with Jewish-sounding names, to get votes in the Jewish section of the district.) Or a gay candidate passing as straight for the same reasons.
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/10/2013 @ 5:50 pmThis is a lot of hot air about nothing. I am surprised that our normally critical-thinking contributors can’t see the implicit racism of those who complain about the campaign. It’s just another version of the progressive plantation.
bobathome (c0c2b5) — 11/10/2013 @ 5:53 pmHe didn’t actually lie, which is more than I can say for some. He might find re-election difficult and the board meetings are going to be testy.
Kevin M (bf8ad7) — 11/10/2013 @ 6:42 pmHis opponent said that he “advocated bringing back chain gangs to clean highways”? That is neither racist nor a bad thing. The only time I’ve ever seen such a chain gang was in Virginia when Doug Wilder was governor. I passed a yellow schoolbus with bars on the windows parked by the side of I-64, then a bunch of skinny hairy white guys (petty drug dealers? shoplifters?) chained together at the ankle and picking up trash, then a smiling black guy in a uniform, with a Smokey-the-Bear hat and a shotgun, keeping an eye on them. I liked it, and I can’t imagine any black Virginians had any objection, or any white ones who weren’t racists.
Dr. Weevil (dba112) — 11/10/2013 @ 7:19 pmWay less offensive than Elizabeth Warren who just carried a lifelong lie into her political campaign.
The gloves are off, I pretty much enjoy watching the other side lose these days for whatever reason.
PC14 (2f8051) — 11/10/2013 @ 7:22 pmRespected bloghost – it doesn’t look as though trickery won … it looks more like trickery lost this one …
From the referenced article …
“Just how much a role Wilson’s mailers played in the campaign is unclear. Other incumbents running for re-election were forced into runoffs, perhaps because the community college system has come under intense criticism for insider business deals and spending money on overseas initiatives. And after 24 years in office, Austin’s name should have been somewhat familiar to his constituents.
“I suspect it’s more than just race,” says Bob Stein, the Rice University political scientist and KHOU analyst. “The Houston Community College was under some criticism for bad performance. And others on the board also had very serious challenges.”” {my emphasis}
When one beats a 24 year incumbent, while using an unorthodox advertising campaign, there is much more to the story than the unorthodox advertising campaign …
Consider this … the winner used unexpected positive campaigning about himself … the loser used highly negative campaigning about the one who used positive campaigning …
I have to believe that many of the the voters involved quite likely saw both candidates in-person during the campaign … if you watch the report, the “fine print” wasn’t that fine – it was clearly legible in the middle portion of the advertisement …
My own colour-blind take on this is that the race-tricksters lost this one !
Alastor (2e7f9f) — 11/10/2013 @ 7:56 pmThe right and the GOP do have a serious problem. The left has very effectively created the impression that the party of Lincoln is a party of hate.
So what do you do?
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 11/10/2013 @ 8:16 pmI love to play golf. It is my hobby. I get to play maybe once a month or less. For me, it is fun, but I don’t lead the free world.
I never had the chance to fundamentally change America. That is my fault. Blame it on a lack of intelligence, courage or ambition, that is just the way it goes.
I have no idea what it takes to be the President of the United States. I probably would not be up to the job.
But a man or woman has to know their limitations. And play golf accordingly.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 11/10/2013 @ 8:55 pmThere must be a claim of racial profiling in here somewhere
Neo (d1c681) — 11/10/2013 @ 9:26 pmTypical white people.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/10/2013 @ 10:59 pmpersonally, i blame Bush.
redc1c4 (abd49e) — 11/11/2013 @ 1:07 amExcellent thread….let the racism pour out of your warped minds Wingnuts! The more evidence you can provide for your fear and fragile self-worth the better.
Coriolis (2a3e18) — 11/11/2013 @ 1:55 amLegal action should be pursued agains the Republican racist liar IMO.
Coriolis (2a3e18) — 11/11/2013 @ 1:56 amFo shizzle my nizzle.
nk (dbc370) — 11/11/2013 @ 2:02 amWhite mofo done went and fooled sisters into thinking he was a brother.
nk (dbc370) — 11/11/2013 @ 2:05 amThe Distinguished Gentleman, starring Eddie Murphy (1992)
aunursa (7014a8) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:04 amThe new reality is that Democratic lies have corrupted our society, so I find this both entertaining and poetic justice.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:30 amAnd it’s not that different from James O’Keefe’s political theater.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:35 amThe more evidence you can provide for your fear and fragile self-worth the better.
Comment by Coriolis (2a3e18) — 11/11/2013 @ 1:55 am
I’m afraid of clowns. I wish I was better looking. I have more if you want them.
Birdbath (716828) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:43 amWas the campaign manager’s name O’Keefe, by chance?
Dan S (00fc90) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:51 amMeanwhile their lies, proceed apace;
http://www.buzzfeed.com/katherinemiller/the-ridiculous-roots-of-the-worst-political-story-of-2012
narciso (3fec35) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:31 amO/T-why does teh Won and Mooch hate hungry chil’ren?
Amalgamated Cliff Divers, Local 157 (f7d5ba) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:40 amI can’t endorse trickery and dishonesty by politicians.
In this case, I think you’re stretching the concept of trickery and dishonesty a bit too far. Or by lumping together what Dave Wilson did with truly underhanded tactics used in other instances — by both left and right, but historically by mostly liberals/Democrats — it ends up being a reaction of moral equivalency.
The monolithic liberalism of black America has been, and is, one of the most pathetic and self-destructive dynamics in this society (ie, creating what, in effect, are mini-Venezuelas throughout the US), and I like to think enough voters in Wilson’s district are aware of that and cast their ballots accordingly.
Mark (58ea35) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:48 amIs that any worse than a kenyan claiming US citizenship to win an election.
Jim (72cbc5) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:49 amThe left has very effectively created the impression that the party of Lincoln is a party of hate.
So what do you do?
Well, at the very least, instead of mentioning that the Republican Party is the party of Lincoln, move far closer to the 21st century by pointing out that the party of liberalism — the party of Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman — is one where major figureheads of the Democrat Party are wrapped around Jim-Crow laws and surprising, blatant bigotry in general. Then top it off by noting that America’s “first black president,” Bill Clinton, has been reportedly quite comfortable in using racist remarks behind closed doors.
Then again, it’s not really a true antipathy towards racism or bigotry that fuels much of the left as much as it’s a desire to nurture and protect one’s liberal biases. So if racism and bigotry do dance around the edges of that liberalism, then — to far too many on the left — that’s the price they’re willing to pay.
Mark (58ea35) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:00 amWell he certainly highlighted the racism of many black voters.
Former Conservative (6e026c) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:11 amIs he a racist because he correctly predicted that many black voters would vote based on skin color?
Former Conservative (6e026c) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:14 amYes, it’s the voters I blame. Trickery that plays assumptions and invalid criteria of fools ( pictures chosen for promotional materials, name dropping) isn’t really trickery.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:15 amOf course.
Former Conservative (6e026c) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:25 amLie of omission. Does the right have to become the lying party of the left in or order to play? Who does that then make on control of elections – racists who will only vote color lines ? Call it political theater or payback , but it still weakens the right. Whether the candidate won or not. Why give the enemy so muc to work with????
Dana (45070c) — 11/11/2013 @ 8:01 amGive an example of a racist comment on this thread.
Amalgamated Cliff Divers, Local 157 (f7d5ba) — 11/11/2013 @ 8:29 amDana, I know what a lie of omission is, but you cannot argue successfully that this was a lie about anything materially connected to the election. If he allowed, with pictures and name-dropping, to make lazy conclusions, this wasn’t any lie about details that mattered about the outlook of the candidate, or any substantive issue related to his candidacy.
No, if voters decided he’s black because stock photos of black people were on his pamphlets in conjunction with concern for “our” youth, that’s on them. They deserve to be fooled (or to fool themselves)if that matters to them one whit.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 11/11/2013 @ 9:07 amedit: “prosepective voters to make lazy conclusions…”
Sarahw (b0e533) — 11/11/2013 @ 9:09 amAnd what – they’re supposed to sit in jail getting three hots and a cot, while you work on their weight training , while polishing up their criminal skills? Working hoodlums and thugs on the chain gang, sounds like a winner to me.
Mike Giles (760480) — 11/11/2013 @ 9:36 amI disagree, SarahW.
With that, it’s no surprise to see just how far the Dems will go to make sure they retain power when they lose a critical election to a Republican – even on the local level.
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/11/10/annapolis-council-to-consider-stripping-republican-mayor-elects-power/
Dana (45070c) — 11/11/2013 @ 9:44 amActually Bill de Blasio (aka Warren Wilhelm) could be said to have done something like this. His big surge came when he made an ad featuring his son Dante. I’ll bet a lot of low-information black voters assumed that the father is black too. Meanwhile I read somewhere that some surprising number of black voters told exit pollsters they didn’t know Bill Thompson was black!
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 9:45 amDana, I think you’re getting yourself worked up over nothing.
Have you seen the fliers in question ? I haven’t.
If black voters concluded that the candidate is black simply because he put stock photos of black people on his fliers, that raises questions about the voters—not the candidate.
They voted for a man who had an (R) next to his name on the ballot. Then they claim they didn’t know he was a Republican.
The voters are the ones exclaiming, “We didn’t know he was a white man. If we knew he was white, we wouldn’t have voted for him !”
Sounds like the focus on skin color is coming from the voters.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 9:48 amES, let me assure you, I am not getting worked up over anything, so don’t worry your pretty little head off over it. Heh.
With that, I just happen to agree with Patterico – it’s trickery and dishonesty. Period. Apparently, everyone has a different line in the sand. I am trying to look at the bigger picture: does this help Republicans to attract more voters to the right? In the long term, has he succeeded in winning over new supporters?
Of course, this whole situation speaks volumes about the black community, and none of it good. That goes without saying. However, do we want the left defining the rules of the game? Is that the only way to win?
Dana (45070c) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:05 amI have seen at least some of the fliers. THere was no overt claim of “blackness” in them.
Unless you think race identity is material to a voter’s election choice, any omission about race identity can’t be a material omission.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:25 amNew supporters to what? Whiteness? No, I do not think he managed that. He is a fringey little kook running as a troll. He is not a Republican in any conventional sense of the word, or even a conservative. People get what they bargain for in a candidate if they don’t pay attention.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:32 amBut none of that is known to most people. When you mention Wilson, most people (not us) do not immediately think “fanatical segregationist”. And certainly the sainted FDR’s name does not immediately call to mind his private disdain for black people (or Jews, for that matter).
A better idea, along the lines of your suggestion, is to always refer to the Democrats as “the party of Bull Connor”.
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:33 amMore often then not, they lie about us, not vice versa;
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/11/10/ted-cruz-was-polarizing-figure-harvard-law-foreshadowing-his-partisan-profile-senate/gEUPs0iVgOyoidafkNe94H/story.html
narciso (3fec35) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:33 amES, if you watch the video Patterico linked to, you can see the mailers.
Here’s an interesting little video from HuffPo. Mark Lamont Hill (I think that’s who it is) makes the salient point at the end, which is more than I would expect from him. Unfortunately, he does not press it enough.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/10/dave-wilson-houston_n_4251625.html
Also, does this suggest there was intent to
deceivemislead on Wilson’s part?Did the candidate willfully omit his photo knowing it would cost him the election?
And per usual, Austin (his opponent) revealed his true hand and misses the enormously sad irony – as if voting along color lines is fair play.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57611671/white-candidate-wins-after-leading-tex-voters-to-think-hes-black/
Dana (45070c) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:34 amLegal action?! What law do you claim he broke? Even blatant lies in political advertising are not illegal, let alone this.
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:37 amWhat lie of omission? He had no duty to tell people about his race, so how is not doing so a lie of any kind?
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:39 amNo, they didn’t. It was a nonpartisan election.
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:40 amHow so? Is it trickery or dishonesty for a black person to pass as white, or for a gay person to pass as straight? Was it trickery or dishonesty for John Kerry not to mention that he is not Irish, and his family’s name was originally Kohn? For Bill de Blasio not to mention that he was born Warren Wilhelm? For Dianne Feinstein to allow Jewish voters to assume she’s Jewish, when in fact her mother’s parents were Russian Orthodox? Nicky Haley was also accused of “trickery and dishonesty” for “covering up” her Sikh background; do you think she was wrong for this?
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:49 amYou’re basically saying, if you argue his leaving off a picture of himself is what mattered, is that voters are cheated if they have to vote race-blind.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:50 amThis is what Rush called “low information voters.”
AZ Bob (ade845) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:52 amSarahw *wins* this thread !
In a single sentence, she has encapsulated why Austin was so horrified … voters voting “pigmentation-blind” didn’t choose the pigmentation Austin prefers … last time I checked, there was no rule or law saying that one must rub one’s electorate’s nose in one’s ancestry … absent such a rule or law, can it be considered as “cheating” ?
And pig mentation lost … as any such mentation (mental processes) deserves to lose …
And that is just fine by me !
Alastor (2e7f9f) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:59 amOf course he did. So the !#@!$% what? Black people with white-sounding names, when applying for jobs, are often advised not to include a photo with their resume, or to mention their church or anything else that might prejudice the place against them. Do you think that’s even slightly wrong? Or consider that while it’s illegal to discriminate against renters because they have children, it happens all the time, so renters are advised not to mention their children until after their application has been accepted. Again, do you think there’s anything wrong with that?
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:00 amWait until people find out that Cary Grant’s real name was Archibald Leach !
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:10 amElephant Stone Cary Grant: I cried for three days.
Sarahw (b0e533) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:13 amOr that Whoopi Goldberg’s real last name is Johnson !
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:14 amMarion Morrison = John Wayne
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:18 amSarahW,
If you ever watch Cary Grant in the 1940 screwball comedy ‘His Girl Friday,’ there’s a scene in the film where they talk about a guy named ‘Archie Leach.’
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:21 amElvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was neither a Colonel nor a Parker…nor even American born.
He was a Dutch immigrant named Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:26 amHow about Eric Braeden, actually Hans Gudergast.
narciso (3fec35) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:43 amElvis Costello a.k.a. Declan McManus
Birdbath (716828) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:51 amIf I were the manager of Macy’s Department Store in Houston, I’d be very careful about sending out fliers advertising that “Santa Claus” is going to sit for photos during the Christmas season.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:58 amThe good customers in Houston need to be properly informed that “Santa Claus” is really a sixty-seven year old retired man named Joe Jones who lives on North Elm Street—not the North Pole.
Gee, it’s almost as if blacks were the most racist people on the face of the earth.
CrustyB (5a646c) — 11/11/2013 @ 12:34 pm@12 “..bring back chain gangs…” ?? The Community College has chain gangs? Unless they replace mandatory study hall, what does that have to do with the actual substance of the campaign?
gramps (c8e6d5) — 11/11/2013 @ 2:26 pmDirty tricks are a part of politics. As dirty tricks go:
1. This one seems more of a lark than a dirty truck. Even the candidate didn’t think it would work and it barely did.
2. Wilson’s actions ended up making a good point about the voters’ responsibility to educate themselves. In a refreshing change of pace, these voters will have to live with the consequence of their own failure.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 11/11/2013 @ 4:35 pmYou guys told me Michael Jackson was black !
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 4:46 pmIf I had known he was white, I never would have bought his album !
Or whatever !
Decide for yourself if the politician was trying to mislead the voters. I think he was.
If he was, then he is no different from typical politicians, but still totally worthy of condemnation as a piece of garbage. If you think it’s scummy or wrong to care about a politicians race, then I agree, but that doesn’t somehow make it OK to play off that issue in a cynical way.
The voters get the government they deserve on this one, too.
I agree with whoever pointed out it exposes some bigotry. That is certainly a valuable lesson for those who made an issue of race, but they aren’t listening.
Dustin (e6100d) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:36 pmCandidates hide (or package in misleading ways) so many things about themselves, their backgrounds, their supporters, and their goals that it’s hard for me to get mad at a candidate who “hides” his race like this. At least his secret was discoverable.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:39 pmLet’s just chalk it up to typical Texas politics, shall we ?
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:46 pmI think in one little election this guy has outed the racist vote. Why is it that we can handle crappy ethics/stratigies from the Left but not the Right? Sorry Pat, it’s time to play hardball.I consider the best part of it being he actually didn’t lie at all.
paul from Fl (0e29e5) — 11/11/2013 @ 5:55 pmIn 1986 in Illinois. two candidates from Lyndon LaRouche’s party won statewide Democratic primaries, one of them Lt. Gov. They had very plain vanilla Anglo Saxon names. That killed Adlai Stevenson IIIs chanes to be elected Governor.
More sophisticated voters are aware of this kind of possibility and this helps incumbents.
Sammy Finkelman (d7b491) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:02 pmThe main joke is on the voters if they cared so much about this issue but voted in ignorance of the issue.
While I don’t care much how a politician promotes his image, I very much am tired of liars winning power in our country. If you can’t run on your honest platform, and are instead being deceptive, you are basically corrupting our democracy.
This example of minor compared to so many other deceptions, but maybe the repeat offenses of this type have me very tired of the lying.
Dustin (e6100d) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:02 pmOh, Good Lord.
That Oskar Schindler was a liar !
And the Allies tried to trick the Germans about their D-Day landing on Omaha Beach !
Shame !
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:06 pmWho is tolerating this kind of lying from the left? ‘Not I’ said everybody.
Dustin (e6100d) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:08 pmAnd remember Al Green who won the Democratic primary for the Senate seat held by Jim DiMint in South Carolina in 2010?
Some people confused him with a different Al Green.
Also the main candidate wass unpopular.
Sammy Finkelman (d7b491) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:09 pmOn Sunday, in the Denver Broncos’ game against San Diego, I saw quarterback Peyton Manning FAKE a handoff to a running back, and instead, he actually threw the ball to a wide receiver.
As a society, we cannot allow such deception.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:20 pmI know a guy who is a member of the vice squad for LAPD.
He once told me about how his team allowed a guy to solicit an undercover cop, before the cop revealed she was actually a cop, rather than a prostitute.
In other words, she deceived the prospective john.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/11/2013 @ 6:25 pmThe horrors !
Why? Please explain this. What is wrong with misleading the voters on this subject? It’s not wrong to mislead a potential employer or landlord about ones race, in fact that is commonly recommended to people who fear that they might otherwise not get the job or apartment. So why is it wrong to do the same to the voters?
What about male writers of romance novels, who all write under female pen names; is that wrong too?! (Ditto for female writers of gay pr0n, of which you may be surprised to learn how many there are.)
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:04 pmUm, what sort of names would you expect LaRouchies to have? How is this at all relevant here?
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:06 pmHe did run his honest platform. Since when is his race part of his platform? Why do you think it’s wrong to lie about it?
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:07 pm96. How is this at all relevant here?
It’s the same thing really, here. There’s awell-known candidate a lot of people want to vote against, and then there’s Generic Opponent.
Sammy Finkelman (d7b491) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:10 pmJanice Hart and Mark Fairchild, as whitebread as you could imagine, also crazier then a bedbug, interesting detail, there’s a former Larouchite, in the current Illinois corrections department
narciso (3fec35) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:11 pmBecause it’s dishonest. I have a problem with giving great responsibility to untrustworthy people.
If you’re asking my why it’s wrong to tell the lie then you can’t tell me he ran honestly in the same breath.
What he’s lying about isn’t relevant, but that he’s lying IS relevant. Those who disagree should consider how they felt about Bill Clinton lying about his infidelity or Romney lying about nationalizing Obamneycare.
Dustin (d51398) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:30 pmNo, it’s not at all the same. There’s not even the slightest tiniest bit of deception, not even the sort we’re discussing here. Why wouldn’t LaRouchies have whitebread names? What kind of names would anyone expect them to have? What did they say or do that would in any way tend to make people think they were not LaRouchies?
Why would you think people with those names are less likely to be crazy than people with other names?
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:34 pmDustin, do you think it’s wrong to deceive a potential employer or landlord about ones race, marital status, sexual orientation, etc?
You’re the one who says he lied; I’m asking you why you think that’s wrong. Why is it wrong to lie about something that the other person has no business caring about?
I said he ran his honest platform. Race isn’t part of anybody’s platform. And that’s the difference between this and Romney.
As for Clinton, I couldn’t give a damn about his lying to the public about his affair. He had every right to lie about it, it was none of anybody’s business. Lying to the public isn’t illegal, and lying about ones private affairs isn’t immoral. Clinton’s offense was lying under oath, in a court case where the judge had ruled that it was material and had specifically ordered him to answer truthfully. He did not owe the public the truth about his relationship with Ms Lewinsky, but he owed it to Paula Jones’s lawyers. That’s perjury, and at the time he did it there were people doing federal time for the exact same offense; if he really thought it was OK then he should have pardoned them.
Milhouse (b95258) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:46 pmOf course. Lying is wrong. This isn’t complicated.
Dustin (d51398) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:49 pmShe was his employee and he was lying to us about what he did. I believe that in situations of inter-office romance disclosure between superior and subordinate is required. I further believe in situations of tremendous access to national security issues that infidelity is itself a breach of trust.
Dustin (d51398) — 11/11/2013 @ 7:50 pm#103
Did he lie?
I prefer to say it was subterfuge..
The guy seems like a real piece of work, so
vote him out next election and pay attention next time.
I see Baltimore elected an white republican mayor and so now the city council wants to vote before he can get in there to make the mayors position ceremonial… just as bad if not worse in my opinion
steveg (794291) — 11/11/2013 @ 9:34 pmit is worse. Trying to cancel an election like that reminds me a lot of the Scott Brown election aftermath or the way MA has changed how they replace deceased Senators.
But my frustration with this endless sleaze has made me even more irritated with the minor, seemingly more tolerable ‘if our side does it’ examples, not that you are showing any such tolerance.
Dustin (303dca) — 11/11/2013 @ 10:56 pmI’ve got a twisted sense of humor, and I’m still going to laugh…
I’d think it was funny if some black guy convinced a bunch of kkk guys to vote for him by campaigning in a caspar the ghost costume.
Anyway, just laugh… dick move by the white guy, but still funny.
steveg (794291) — 11/11/2013 @ 11:35 pmDana, Dustin, and I seem to be a minority here, who think that elections are about electing people who are fit to take our tax money by threat of force, and tell us what to do in our daily lives. The prevailing view of our fellow commenters seems to be that elective office is an entitlement, deserved by everyone, and if the winner meets the minimum qualifications, it doesn’t matter what kind of character he has, or what kind of chicanery he used to get elected, and we should just give him a “Yessir”. Imagine if we applied those rules to the Presidency … err … wait a minute there ….
nk (dbc370) — 11/12/2013 @ 7:40 amChristopher C. Morton, one of my allies on usenet, explained this.
Michael Ejercito (906585) — 11/12/2013 @ 7:51 amIt was 1986. Stevenson ran as a third party candidate. Thompson had already beat him once in 1982. That was a more interesting election, with the intramural fighting of the Machine in the interregnum following Boss Daley’s death, “hanging chads” (yup, Illinois had them first), downstate (DuPage) Republican political machines accused of ballot stuffing, and Stevenson whining publicly that Thompson was treating him like a wimp. I did not vote for the LaRouchies in ’86, I lived the next block over from Aurelia for five years when I was young. I detested Thompson for a lot of reasons, most of them unjustified in retrospect. He was a good governor.
nk (dbc370) — 11/12/2013 @ 8:28 amSo much for MLK and the content of their character. But let’s talk about black IQ.
Federale (c7ccac) — 11/12/2013 @ 9:56 amNk, agreed.
Also, I don’t see an actor or singer or writer assuming a pen name or psudonym is in any way analogous to a person running in a public election where taxpayer votes and money are involved.
Dana (daa0bb) — 11/12/2013 @ 9:59 amDo you object to protest campaigns, Dana, such as when someone puts their dog’s name on the ballot?
DRJ (a83b8b) — 11/12/2013 @ 10:03 amAlso, I don’t see an actor or singer or writer assuming a pen name or psudonym is in any way analogous to a person running in a public election where taxpayer votes and money are involved.
Also agreed. Those are business names, brand names, trademarks, what have you. No comparison to the case at hand.
nk (dbc370) — 11/12/2013 @ 10:19 amOh, get real. You know the stage names wasn’t intended to be a direct comparison.
We were simply mocking the notion that the world must be rid of every little act of “deception” or (drum roll) “sin of omission.”
“Wait until they find out Cary Grant’s real name is Archibald Leach !” is pure fun, even to the most sanctimonious among us.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/12/2013 @ 12:01 pmLikewise, was SarahW’s response that she cried for three days when she found out about his stage name.
I smell a rat here–are we expected to believe that those black voters intentionally voted for someone they believed to be a black *Republican*? Based on observation of decades of profoundly offensive rhetoric directed at actual black Republicans by black *and* white Democrats, I call BS–they *had* to have known he was white.*
*I really wish this was completely sarcastic on my part.
M. Scott Eiland (c249e1) — 11/12/2013 @ 12:11 pmIs a seat on the Houston Community College Board a partisan position?
askeptic (b8ab92) — 11/12/2013 @ 12:20 pmHere in CA, school board positions a (allegedly) non-partisan, which only means that your party affiliation is not listed on the ballot, but you had better be endorsed by the usual groups of PE Unions.
It could be that the election in Houston was non-partisan (no party labels)
But didn’t he run for mayor in 2011 – maybe also nonpartisan and a candidate who got no attention?
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 11/12/2013 @ 12:21 pm“…positions are (allegedly)…”
askeptic (b8ab92) — 11/12/2013 @ 12:21 pmI still can’t believe that policemen are allowed to work undercover, particularly when working vice.
That’s like, deceptive, or something.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/12/2013 @ 1:17 pmThe Houston Community College trustee election is non-partisan. The candidates are listed by name with no party affiliation.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 11/12/2013 @ 1:26 pmThank You, DRJ.
askeptic (b8ab92) — 11/12/2013 @ 1:50 pmthey all deserve each other
steveg (794291) — 11/12/2013 @ 2:58 pmThe cop comparison is even less on point than the writer/actor one, Elephant Stone. Unless your point is that electing this guy is a crime. I don’t know. Heinlein’s one universal crime?
nk (dbc370) — 11/12/2013 @ 4:20 pm😉
nk, I think you’re in one of those moods, friend.
The point is that the guy in Houston who neglected to mention he’s “not black” not only didn’t do anything “wrong,” but there are actually a ton of examples where you sanctimonious people literally smile at acts of “deception.”
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 11/12/2013 @ 6:08 pmHang on a cotton-pickin’ minute !
Ain’t “Bruce A. Austin” one of them high-falutin’ white bread with the crusts cut off kinda names ?
(Need I lay it on any thicker ?)
Alastor (2e7f9f) — 11/12/2013 @ 7:45 pmES @ 115, sometimes I miss sarcasm online. Even if it’s ridiculously obvious. Anyway, I will leave with this: If one is running for public office, they are asking the public for their vote which includes a level of trust. If a person willfully omits a specific item about themselves that they know will cost the race (for better or worse, but that’s a different issue), then they have willfully misled the very people whose votes and trust and belief in them they are seeking.
I am not being sanctimonious in the least. I am rather sick and tired of dishonest politicians – especially those who haven’t even assumed office yet. If he has misled to get into office, why would he be trustworthy once in office?
Again, I am looking at the big picture and long-term impact on the party: Did he win over new conservatives? Did he so positively impact the community with a solid message of conservatism that he changed minds? Did he cause a change within the black Democratic community where he was elected by his election or did he further alienate the black community from the Rpublicans who have made very little inroads into that voting bloc? These are the things that matter in the long run.
Dana (45070c) — 11/12/2013 @ 7:53 pmYes Dana, like Communism. It matters in the long run!!!
Gus (70b624) — 11/12/2013 @ 7:55 pmIsn’t there a portion of Obamacare that requires WHITEY to tell Black folks that he isn’t black or something. It’s not fair NOT TO TELL INTELLIGENT VOTERS what HEHEHEHHEHEHEEHEHE “COLOR” you are.
Gus (70b624) — 11/12/2013 @ 7:58 pmWell, Gus, I’m sure your contribution will be taken into consideration by no one.
Thanks, though, for taking the time to use your caps key.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 11/12/2013 @ 8:14 pmnk, just ignore the troll.
Dustin (3e6188) — 11/12/2013 @ 8:24 pmWhether a college board election or a national election, I wish conservatives would just stop giving the left so much to work with.
Dana (45070c) — 11/12/2013 @ 8:28 pmAmen, Dana.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 11/12/2013 @ 8:31 pmIn ancient Athens, there was a politician, the leader of the Aristocratic (actually farmers and mine owners) party, known as Aristides the Just. Come the election, the voters of Athens had to vote whether he or Themistocles would be ostracized. Exiled, and the other guy would lead Athens. The process was done by each voter writing the name of the guy he wanted kicked out on a ceramic tile (ostrakon). On election day, an old farmer stops Aristides, as he is going around campaigning and bringing out the vote and stuff, and ask him if he could write the name “Aristides” on the ostrakon for him since he, the farmer, did not know how to write. Aristides wrote his own name on the ostrakon.
Wait, there’s more.
The farmer thanked him and as he turned to go deposit his ballot Aristides asked him, “What do you have against Aristides, if you don’t mind me asking?” The farmer said, “Nothing, I don’t even know him, but I’m tired of everybody calling him Aristides the Just”.
So … you guys tell me. Do we elect the worst people to jobs that require the best because, if even only in part, we can’t stand “the bastards” who we think are better than we are? We don’t really turn a blind eye to their faults but instead their faults make them attractive to them?
nk (dbc370) — 11/12/2013 @ 8:47 pm“make them more attractive to us”.
nk (dbc370) — 11/12/2013 @ 8:49 pmAg80. Thanks for responding with an ad hominem. That’s all you had. Are you truly that stupid??
Gus (70b624) — 11/12/2013 @ 9:00 pmyou’re stupid
instead of Gus they should call you big stupid face
happyfeet (8ce051) — 11/12/2013 @ 9:33 pmYes. That would be smart!!
Gus (70b624) — 11/12/2013 @ 9:38 pmnow you’re just trying to trick me
happyfeet (8ce051) — 11/12/2013 @ 9:41 pmHahahaha. Happyfeet, you are priceless. Nice to see you.
Gus (70b624) — 11/12/2013 @ 9:47 pmInteresting thought. Perhaps there’s a whiff of that in the ‘We need a fighter, anyway’ response when a primary candidate does something devious or immoral. I’m hopelessly idealistic, so I really do think there is such a thing as a good guy who can win hearts over because he’s a good guy. I think there’s a world of difference between the essential virtue of a Reagan vs a Weiner. It takes courage to abandon short term politics and compromise and just trust in the strength of an argument, but look at how even losing the argument over limited government has proven the argument right.
Eventually there will be a correction IF we do not keep getting in the way by supporting a little sleaze here and there.
Dustin (303dca) — 11/12/2013 @ 11:56 pm