McCain Regrets Use of Term 'Tar Baby'

AP via SFGate ^ | 3/16/7 | LIZ SIDOTI

[SmithL]

Cedar Falls, Iowa (AP) -- Republican presidential contender John McCain on Friday used the term "tar baby," considered by some a racial epithet, and later said he regretted it.

Answering questions at a town hall meeting, the Arizona senator was discussing federal involvement in custody cases when he said, "For me to stand here and ... say I'm going to declare divorces invalid because of someone who feels they weren't treated fairly in court, we are getting into a tar baby of enormous proportions and I don't know how you get out of that."

After the event, McCain told reporters: "I don't think I should have used that word and I was wrong to do so."

The senator said he hoped it wouldn't be viewed as a racial remark. He argued that he was trying to say that it wouldn't make sense for him to have a role in something left to the courts.

Last summer, a top McCain rival, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, apologized for referring to the troubled Big Dig construction project in Boston as a "tar baby" during a fundraiser in Ames, Iowa.

The term dates to the 19th century Uncle Remus stories, referring to a doll made of tar that traps Br'er Rabbit. It has become known as a way of describing a sticky mess and has been used as a derogatory term for a black person.

[jonrick46]

If McInsane has to grovel like a lap dog to the MSM and the Left over this plain spoken reference, he can ride his campaign where it belongs: to the ash heap of history.

We need men to wear the pants of a president. Not panties.

[cartoonistx]

[NRA2BFree]

He keeps shooting himself in the foot. Thank goodness!

[ladyjane]

Good one!

The Dreaded Words

niggardly
evacuee
tar baby
tar and feather
macaca
faggot
monkey
water buffalo

[Dante3]

Somewhat related to this but not yet passed: the mentally confused Ms. Wilson (D-Miami) is sponsoring a bill to ban use of the words "illegal alien" from all official state of Florida documents to prohibit any officials from using them. There was a discussion of this on another thread here.

[ladyjane]

You're right. I had forgotten that one. The esteemed legislator wanted to ban the words 'illegal allien' because she said they are from "...out of space" not outer space. What a maroon.

The bad word list:


niggardly
evacuee
tar baby
tar and feather
macaca
faggot
monkey
water buffalo
illegal alien

[Dante3]

Somewhat along these lines, NCAA - an organization that appears to be run by escapees from the insane asylum - was going to sanction U. of Illinois for daring to call its mascot Chief Illiniwek. The University happily caved to NCAA's demands is this power play.

NCAA should have no say as to the mascot. But it is trying to dictate everything a school can or cannot do that is even remotely related to athletics. In the future, I expect it will try to go beyond athletics.

BTW, NCAA so far has had no problem with the term "fighting Irish."

[ladyjane]

You got it. Illiniwek is added to the list. Probably should add the Fighting Whities. And has anyone complained about Holy Cross calling themselves the Crusaders? And didn't the President use the word crusades and get criticized for it? or was it evil doers? Help me remember.

niggardly
evacuee
tar baby
tar and feather
macaca
faggot
monkey
water buffalo
illegal alien
Chief Illiniwek

[maica]

What makes it so--the fact that the tales are told in black dialect? What can be said about white children who are learning wisdom from a black man?


$$$$$

And does no one notice that many white American children are copying black trendsetters in clothing, "attitude", and even speech patterns.

Every time some one jumps with the "I'm offended" routine, we need to ignore them, or tell them to get a life or at least an education.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Forget it idiot. Don't jump into the Briar Patch of racial apolegetics.

[maica]

how quickly your list is growing!

[Leatherneck_MT]

I don't particularly like Mclame, but this is ridiculous.

[albee]

"Cedar Falls, Iowa (AP) -- Republican presidential contender John McCain on Friday used the term "tar baby," considered by some a racial epithet, and later said he regretted it."

Geeeeeeez!

Is McCain "dissing" Barak Obama AGAIN?????

[TC Rider]

As I've noted before, as a child back in the 50s, I had an all black cocker spaniel we affectionately name Tar Baby.

[bitjuglr]

What's lost in all of this hub-bub is the issue of the question that was asked. It's one of those issues where both the religious right and the libertarian fringes of the Republican Party actually agree - and yet the Republican Party completely ignores it.

Tony Tailor asked McCain whether as president he "would be bold enough to address the issue of equal access to children for fathers that have gone through divorce."

He specialized the question even further,“Many soldiers are experiencing multiple tours in Iraq and this is exacerbating an already high divorce rate. In times past the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act protected soldiers away in combat from litigation launched against them at home but it did not protect their custody rights to their children. If you (Senator McCain) were to become president, what would you do to help protect soldier's custody rights to their children?”

One wonders why the Republican Party refuses to address an issue that has such widespread appeal but is kept from implementation by lobbies that profit by it (the same psychological associations that want to drug your kids in school ... and the Bar Association for who the divorce industry is their bread and butter) and a few fringe extremist feminist groups that consider all men to be potential threats.