July 22, 2004
He meant "suppress" in the good way
A Republican State Representative in Michigan, John Pappageorge, was recently quoted as saying, "If we do not suppress the Detroit vote, we're going to have a tough time in this election."
"I'm extremely disappointed in my colleague," state Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, told reporters Wednesday during a conference call. "That's quite clearly code that they don't want black people to vote in this election."Blacks comprise 83 percent of Detroit's population, and the city routinely gives Democratic candidates a substantial majority of its votes.
The amusing part is watching Pappageorge trying to spin the whole thing.
Pappageorge said he had not read the remark attributed to him but did not deny making it."In the context that we were talking about, I said we've got to get the vote up in Oakland (County) and the vote down in Detroit. You get it down with a good message. I don't know how we got them from there to "racist,"' Pappageorge said. "If I have given offense in any way to my colleagues in Detroit or anywhere, I apologize."
So let me get this straight. You get the vote down...with a good message? I am open to suggestions as to what positive message would prevent people from voting in a presidential election. Here are some possibilities.
"Voting is beneath you, Detroit!"
"Treat yourself to a fancy dinner at home this Election Day!"
"We care about what you have to say. And that's why, if you simply lean out your window and yell the name of the candidate you wish to vote for, we will make a note of it."
Posted by Francis at 10:49 PMI'm 49 and sometimes the wrong word comes out of my mouth. I know it's age ... maybe I've eaten its too many vegetables cooked in that cheap aluminium pot and have am early form of Altheziemer's ... but weekly, I get in the middle of talking and my mind knows the direction of the word I want but the Thesarus in my brain was first printed on a card catalog not stored digitally. I pull out the wrong word.
John Pappageorge is what 73? His brain pulled out the wrong word. He's thinking the vote percentages are out of balance (see scales) and we've got to get the scales less out of balance. But he's 73 and said "suppress."
My fellow African American citizens. We, Republicans are not out to get you. We are out to get you to see (what we believe) that Democratic policies bind your poor to being poor. And that a foreign policy that waits for an attack on us to react is a policy that guarantees we will be attacked at home again.
May God Bless You and heal you of the true injuries you've endured from racism, and May God Bless us and shine light on the times we have injured you that we may repent and never do it again.
JoeInLA
That's so plausible I forgot to plause.
Posted by: Francis at August 30, 2004 11:38 PM