Posted on 04/15/2008 5:37:52 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Republican Rep. Geoff Davis apologizing to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday after referring to him as "that boy."
Addressing a Republican gathering Saturday night, the Kentucky lawmaker said, "That boy's finger does not need to be on the button." Davis was talking about political and national security issues at an annual GOP dinner.
Davis' campaign said it sent a letter to Obama apologizing for the remark, which was widely reported on blogs and newspaper Web sites, including the Lexington Herald-Leader.
"My poor choice of words is regrettable, and was in no way meant to impugn you or your integrity," Davis wrote in the letter delivered to Obama's Washington office Monday afternoon. "I offer my sincere apology to you and ask for your forgiveness."
Earlier, Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said, "It's hard to tell what is more outrageous - Representative Davis' condescending and personal attack, or his absurd and offensive claim that Barack Obama is not prepared to defend America."
The letter was released by Davis campaign manager, Jeremy Hughes.
Davis, who represents Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, has two Republican challengers in the GOP primary May 20. The winner will face Democrat Michael Kelley, a northern Kentucky physician.
Obama has never apologized for calling his grandmother, and potentially any Caucasian a "typical White" woman. I find that that much more offensive.
Besides, considering the remarks of Dick Durbinb, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore and John Kerry, to name a few, the reaction to Davis' comment should be considered diversionary and lame. Instead, we pile on. Quite pathetic.
Where was Obama's heightened sensitivity to racism over the past 20+ years that Jeremiah Wright was his "pastor, friend and mentor"?
My comment to Obama is, "Grow up!" As POTUS you will be called much worse. Just take a look at DU and the HuffPo and see the epithets that are used to describe Pres Bush and Repubs in general.
Their selective indignation over something so arsenumbingly pathetic, speaks volumes.
Nobody impugned Sen. Obama's integrity here, the issue was that only racist white people refer to grown-up black men as "boy." Obama and Davis are both in their fourties so it's not even as if some much older member of congress engaged in the "poor choice of words" here.
It's very difficult to infer anything about a person's motives or general sentiments from a single incident, but it's certainly not reassuring that Davis is unwilling to grasp the nature of the problem. You would think that a decent person who accidentally stumbled into a racial problem would be more genuinely contrite about the damage he caused.
Yes, Obama’s pastors anti-Americanism made me incensed and seething at the sheer stupidity of thinking that the U.S. government could or would invent H.I.V.. The racist underpinnings of Obama’s church makes it a hateful and sick organization (”We refuse to worship a God that doesn't participate in the destruction of the white enemy.”).
The fact that Obama thought this was OK for 20 years, his idiotic comments about bombing Pakistan, his lack of knowledge about the Constitution and the role of the Presidency, and now his “bitter” comments show he is an affirmative action pumped up empty suit who is WAY too liberal and stupid and out of his depth to ever be President of our great Republic.
Notice in the above I never once called a 46 year old man “boy”. It isn't necessary, it is stupid, and it is racist. The term has a history, and if Rep Davis didn't know it he is stupid; if he did know it he is racist. Either way Kentucky deserves better representation.
The way I see it is that Obama can dish it, but can't take it. We all know people like that. Boo-hoo.
He would have been better off if he said this about Hillary.
“That GAL’s finger does not need to be on the button.”
I find it hard to muster any indignation toward Mr. Davis when the other side is much more blatant, arrogant and unapologetic.
Methinks that “boy” is hypersensative.
I am tired of PC. Enough is enough!
I concur. He’s such a girl.
I prefer to stand and fight for my state. It’s my duty & obligation.
Besides, I was here first. :)
Rep. Davis did a huge disservice to the GOP and a big favor to Obama. His apology should be to Kentucky and the GOP (the wronged parties) and not to Obama, whose campaign will look upon his statements as an early Christmas (Kwanzaa? :)) present.
FYI, Geoff Davis serves his district (mine) with great distinction, courage and honesty. He is not a moron, cretin, racist or any of the other pejoratives that you have or might use to disparage him. Congressman Davis is a MAN of humble origins who was raised in a single family household, who enlisted in the Army and subsequently obtained an appointment to West Point, who graduated from WP and served his country with distinction as an Army Ranger in several challenging venues. He is, moreover, a Conservative Christian who, with his great wife Patti, homeschools all of their children and whose family volunteers their time to make their community better through many worthy causes. His “boy” comment was racially insensitive only becuase it was taken completely out of context in that it was meant to politically differentiate the national security maturity difference between the BOY Obama and the MAN McCain. When he realized the racial component, Congressman Davis did the MANLY thing and rendered a true MANLY apology, Christian style.
Frankly, I am more troubled by someone who will through a great American servant overboard with the vitriol that you have used than I am by a mere slip of the tongue.
This is Topic Drift but I gotta pass it on. Years ago I worked with a black kid who was just getting into the Black Pride thing, but was good-natured about it. On occasion, some white guy in our group would use the word "boy", but not in reference to him. He'd puff up his chest in an exaggerated manner and, mocking the hyper-sensitive blacks, say "DON"T call be 'Boy'!" and we'd all get a laugh.
A few months later he went on vacation to see some family in Mississippi. He came back and told us, "I was walking down a street back home and some redneck says 'Hey Boy'. You know how I don't like that word. I looked that stupid 'neck right in the eye and said 'Yas-suh?' I ain't stupid." We all nearly fell off our chairs laughing. It's very rare to find a black guy with that kind of humor.
I meant throw, not through.
Rep Davis is eitherHe's none of the above
a) a moron
b) a racist
c) a racist moron (inasmuch as that isn't redundant)
Davis worked as a janitor during high school to help pay the family’s bills. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and later received a rare appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. While at West Point, Davis studied the Arabic language and the cultures of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. He focused his studies on national security and international affairs."What Davis achieved on his own, most can't - 'boy'.During his Army career, Davis served as an Assault Helicopter Flight Commander in the 82nd Airborne Division and later served in the Middle East where he ran U.S. Army aviation operations for peace enforcement between Israel and Egypt.
Davis is a former Army Ranger and Senior Parachutist.
Davis spent eight years as a volunteer Chaplain for the Kentucky Corrections Cabinet.
“When you live among them you experience it firsthand.”
Tell me about it.....I live in Northeastern Minnesota. Land of 10,000 unions!
Militant
“I prefer to stand and fight for my state. It’s my duty & obligation.”
Amen!
Militant
If he did know it was a loaded term and used it anyway he is a racist.
Either way his gaff was a gift to Obama right when Obama needed it most.
I worked during high school to help support the family as well as working on the family farm, I served in the Air Force during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, I went to college on the G.I. bill and then earned a graduate degree in Molecular Biology. Somehow during all that time I managed to never call any black man “boy” because I know it was a favorite disparaging term of racists towards black men. I am a man, not a boy; how childish of you to suggest otherwise.
I wish I had a nickel for every time Ive heard a black say to a white or vice versa ...boy you just aint right. lol
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