Favorite 2012 Republican Candidate

[New Pagodi]

Here's the whole speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzyvo8SKa0M

That bit happens around 34:30. I wouldn't be shocked if he did that to try to tap into some of the sentiment that was carrying Newt in South Carolina while being short enough to plausibly claim that wasn't what he meant to say.

But nevertheless, on what planet is being "antiwar" is a bad thing?

[ghostrunner]

My trouble with things like this is that white people in white-only gatherings don't go around dropping the n-word in my experience. I've lived and worked many different kinds of places and the only environment I've ever heard it used was when I worked at my friend's Dad's business where we restored and delivered pool tables, jukeboxes, vending machines, etc... most of the employees were southern lower-income working-class people. Two or three of them would drop the term with some regularity. I've lived and gone to school with the children of white Republican, country-club types. Hung around with them and their parents. Been around my mom's family who are all lower-middle class southern white people. Been around my dad's family who are lower to middle class white midwestern people. In all those places I never heard the n-word, aside from my mom's dad who was unquestionably racist. (if he saw MLK on tv, he said "pfft"). I heard him use it twice in the same awful joke about watermelon, and my Mom scolded him for it. It's just not something people say in my experience, and I tend (i'm a little sad to say) to be pretty non-confrontational about these kinds of things so I doubt anyone covered on my account, except maybe when I was a kid. I have certainly heard and still do hear racist and bigoted statements (though I'd say much more often about homosexuals than any other group), but epithets have been extremely rare to non-existent outside one very particular circle. It's partly why I'm doubtful about that Zimmerman guy saying "coons" which is an odd thing for anyone to say in 2012, never mind someone of his relatively young age.

Point is, my tendency is to doubt suspected slips of the tongue like this one. Maybe others can report different experiences though.

[doe_boy]

[sighyoung]

I think the more pertinent point is that candidates at this level don't say this sort of thing. They may use straw-man arguments and allusions and various "dog whistles" that appeal to their constituents, but even undisciplined candidates at the national level don't drop the n-word. I think Santorum's description of Obama as outside the American mainstream appeals to the full range of voters he wants to reach. Hunting for Freudian slips that aren't even there is pointless.

Zimmerman's instance is quite different--not a moment of political rhetoric or casual confrontation, but of aggression. While I'm sure most people in all-white gatherings don't utter slurs, and don't actively fret about such things, I attended overwhelmingly white schools from kindergarten through graduate school. In elementary school, I and my two brothers were the only minorities. Slurs were directed at me in the Francis Park neighborhood several times, and it was precisely when people thought I had no business being in the neighborhood or attending one of the schools there, or because I was an easy target of derision. I particularly remember being invited to a friend's house near St. Gabriel School about the time of my high school graduation, and playing basketball on a court when a teenager aggressively came up to my twin brother and me and asked "What are these ****** doing here?", as if he were the self-appointed guardian of the neighborhood. My brother and the guy nearly began fighting right there, and my host friend was clearly very embarrassed.

Although I rarely hear such slurs in public, I was on the streets in northern Manhattan in May and heard a Hispanic teenager use the n-word loudly and repeatedly while talking with friends, and with no sense of being aggressive to anyone on the street. When I was younger, friends let the word slip out accidentally when telling a joke or describing something--again, referring aggressively to somebody or some group. I heard the term "coon" used several times to refer specifically to poor blacks. I think region and situation dictate its use.

I don't care much for psychoanalyzing via Youtube video. However, I've heard slurs used in such situations of escalating aggression, though. You don't even need to utter a slur for there to be a clear problem.

[ghostrunner]

Yeah, that's a good point sigh. I've been lucky enough to not be around that sort of aggressive situation. I've never heard it used directly against someone at all. As I'm typing I just remembered hearing some redneck truck driver over a friends cb radio, but that was more a case of someone screaming at the void.
Worst situation I was in was at a dorm where a bunch of black students were in the big common room and I walked past a white guy who asked if there was a convention, and a black student had also just walked by and they got into it.

In Zimmerman's case "coons" just seems like a very old-school thing to say. But I meant to say before I haven't heard the tape, and I do suspect race was a big factor. I don't think a white girl prompts that phone call.

[AdmiralKird]

He could have just been tired and rambling and got his consonants mixed up, people tie themselves up all the time while speaking from the seat-of-their-pants, changing thought trains, but not usually the first half of a very offensive word with astonishing placement. Either way, its moot. It's all about how the public sees it, and I doubt most of his fringe supporters on the Anti-Romney front stay with him after it.

[Maclowery]

Although I highly dislike the guy, I cannot fathom any political candidate almost dropping an N-bomb at a speech. If he's truly racist enough to use the word out loud, I would make a strong assumption that he's smart enough to only ever use it among his closest circle of trusted racist friends.

I don't know if he was just trying to add -nik onto the end of government, or simply stumbled.

[IMADreamer]

I had several people tell me about this Santorum gaffe yesterday like it was a campaign ender. After hearing it I don't think it is. I don't think he was dropping the N bomb just a stutter or something. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. His candidacy is awful for much worse reasons then him possible dropping the N bomb.

[Leroy]

I have to admit that Santorum has done far far better than I ever expected. He racked up some states that I never thought he would. States like North Dakota and Minnesota. North Dakota is very conservative, but has had Democratic senators for years (Conrad and Dorgan). I figured Minnesota and Iowa to be more moderate but I guess the 'pure' conservatives are really making their presence felt in states like that.

I figured Santorum would never be able to recover from losing his senate seat, then being on the wrong side of public opinion on that lady in Florida that was pretty much dead.

This year has proven that I know a lot less about politics than I thought.

[doe_boy]

I have to admit that Santorum has done far far better than I ever expected. He racked up some states that I never thought he would. States like North Dakota and Minnesota. North Dakota is very conservative, but has had Democratic senators for years (Conrad and Dorgan). I figured Minnesota and Iowa to be more moderate but I guess the 'pure' conservatives are really making their presence felt in states like that.

I figured Santorum would never be able to recover from losing his senate seat, then being on the wrong side of public opinion on that lady in Florida that was pretty much dead.

This year has proven that I know a lot less about politics than I thought.

You should take a few Sporcle politics quizzes to see how you do.