…. and they are just about what you would expect:
Republican politicians began backtracking on their support of Nevada anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy after the New York Times caught Bundy making racially-inflammatory remarks blaming African-Americans for willingly submiting to dependency on federal assistance.
“They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton,” Bundy was quoted as saying to a group of supporters last Saturday. “And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.”
Bundy’s statements about “the Negro,” published on Wednesday, were made during his daily speech to supporters outside Bunkerville, Nevada, where a crowd gathered to support him in defiance of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) during an attempted round up of his cattle. The confrontation was the result of Bundy’s refusal to pay grazing fees on federally-owned land for more than 20 years, in spite of multiple court rulings against him. Bundy has stated on several occasions that he does not recognize the existence of the federal government.
Every single Republican politician who spoke out in favor of this loser should have their words plastered on tv commercials over this racist asshole’s words.
Of course, Bundy's rhetoric isn't all that new….
UPDATE: The reaction of Cliven Bundy's defenders to his pro-slavery rant is proving quite entertaining. Exhibits A, B, C, and D. I especially like the ones who say he's not the issue. Look — he doesn't recognize the legitimacy of the federal government. Just like pro-slave Southerners. It's not a coincidence.
UPDATE #2: Bundy made the rounds of rightwing radio today, and tried to clarify his remarks, which sound just like the racist remarks he said in the first place:
I'm wondering if they're better off under a government subsidy and their young women are having the abortions and their young men are in jail and their older women and children are sitting out on the cement porch without nothing to do.
I'm wondering: Are they happier now under this government subsidy system than they were when they were when they were slaves and they was able to their family structure together and the chickens and the garden and the people have something to do?
So in my mind, are they better off being slaves in that sense or better off being slaves to the United States government in the sense of the subsidy? I'm wondering. The statement was right. I am wondering.
UPDATE #3: By the way, want a good example of the adage that "racism isn't about hatred; it's about ignorance"? Listen to Cliven Bundy talk about Mexican immigrants, a group of people he actually has first-hand experience with:
"I understand that they come over here against our Constitution and cross our borders," he says. "But they're here and they're people. I worked side-by-side a lot of them. Don't tell me they don't work, and don't tell me they don't pay taxes. And don't tell me they don't have better family structures than most of us white people."
"When you see those Mexican families, they're together. They picnic together. They're spending their time together," he said. "I'll tell you, in my way of thinking, they're awful nice people. We need to have those people join us and be with us."
Pretty liberal, huh?
UPDATE #4: Before the news broke that Cliven Bundy is a raging racist (in addition to being a deadbeat rancher backed by an armed militia defending his right to stiff the federal government): 458 mentions of the right's newest hero on Fox News in April, an average of 20 per day.
And since then? Two.