Daschle on Defensive Over Kennedy's 'Neanderthal' Outburst

NewsMax ^ | 11/15/03 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said Sunday that his Democratic colleague, Sen. Ted Kennedy, didn't mean to use racially offensive language when he called President Bush's judicial nominees - including two minority candidates - "Neanderthals."

Asked about Kennedy's racially charged outburst, Daschle insisted to "Fox News Sunday" he was talking about politics and not ethnicity.

"I think that there are a lot of nominees who are on the far, far right of the political and philosophical spectrum," he told FNS host Tony Snow. "I think that's what Sen. Kennedy was referring to."

But when Snow pressed, "Then why did he use the term Neanderthal?" Daschle turned defensive, telling the FNS host, "Invite him on the show and ask him. That's a question for him and not me."

Noting that Bush nominees Janice Rogers Brown and Miguel Estrada are African-American and Hispanic respectively, Republicans have seized on Kennedy's "Neanderthal" remark, complaining that he was getting a pass for using words that would have been career-ending for a member of their party.

After Democrats prevailed in their judicial filibuster standoff against Republican Senators on Friday, Kennedy boasted, "What has not ended is the resolution and the determination of the members of the United States Senate to continue to resist any Neanderthal that is nominated by this president of the United States for any court, federal court in the United States."

Though controversy over Kennedy's outburst continued to swirl on Capitol Hill throughout the weekend, press coverage of the incident has been sparse.

A Lexis-Nexis search on Sunday showed that Kennedy's remark has been covered by just three newspapers nationwide.

[CyberAnt]

"neanderthal"

Slang. A crude, boorish, or slow-witted person!

Kennedy called A SITTING SUPREME COURT JUDGE .. "crude, boorish and slow-witted".

If you're not offended - I am .. and it has nothing to do with the fact SHE is female .. or BLACK. It has to do with being an arrogant jackass - which is what Kennedy is.

I have a list of newspaper editors - and I intend to send them a little message about how offensive this "insult" was to any human being.

For Daschle to try to defend this and say "this wasn't what Kennedy meant" .. THEN KENNEDY SHOULD LEARN TO SAY WHAT HE MEANS INSTEAD OF INSULTING A SITTING SUPREME COURT JUDGE.

[FITZ]

I agree, it is not racial, but it is VERY insulting. As hubby pointed out a good synonym for Neandrathal is Knuckle-dragger. It implies "unevolved", "primative", "backward looking", etc.

At least the Neanderthals weren't thin-chested scrawny democrat types. Can you imagine what the Neanderthals would have done to Clinton, Carter, or Daschle --- or Kennedy if they'd ever met up with them?

[FITZ]

Women were actually safer around Neanderthals than they are around the Kennedys or Clinton.

[Mo1]

But when Snow pressed, "Then why did he use the term Neanderthal?" Daschle turned defensive, telling the FNS host, "Invite him on the show and ask him. That's a question for him and not me."

Testy Testy

What's the matter Tommy, you don't like the fact the Kennedy outed you libs for what you are??

You're all a bunch of Bleeping Hypocrites!!

Why don't you just put a sign out that reads

"Minority Conservatives Need Not Apply"

[Mo1]

ALSO .. Jesse Jackson is on Joe Scarborough and he WON'T condem Teddy Kennedy's comments toward Judge Brown

[ForGod'sSake]

Yeah, I wonder what would happen to the "very troubled" Tommy or "pickled" Teddy if the Neanderthals were to catch up with 'em? Could get ugly, eh?

We're comin' fer ya Teddy...

FGS

[Mo1]

And Alan Dershowitz, who at first said that he hadn't read the full statement of what Kennedy said

Then started yelling at Joe for not reading the full statement of Ted Kennedy and called Joe a liar for not reading the full comment

Ummmm .. Alan .. since you haven't read the comment ..how would you know what is a lie or not???

[nicmarlo]

lol!

[nicmarlo]

Jesse Jackson is on Joe Scarborough and he WON'T condem Teddy Kennedy's comments toward Judge Brown

But Jackson did condemn a "certain other" [Republican] senator [who later had to step down as majority leader] for "saying something rascist" at a certain birthday party but who, in actuality, didn't even utter a rascist word.

[irv]

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said Sunday that his Democratic colleague, Sen. Ted Kennedy, didn't mean to use racially offensive language

No, he meant it to be ordinary offensive language.

But it could have been worse. He could have called someone a Kennedy ...

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

General Interest

[ForGod'sSake]

BTW, did you know Teddy is published?

FGS ;^)

[Mo1]

That's because he is a Bleeping Hypocrite

I can't beleive the way these libs on Scarborough's show are insulting Joe, the other guests and the callers

[ForGod'sSake]

I can't beleive the way these libs on Scarborough's show are insulting Joe, the other guests and the callers

You've obviously noted the differences in interview styles depending on whether the interviewee is Pubbie or Dim. In addition to the fact the utopian dreamers in the media are joined at the hip with the Dims the response from Pubbies and Dims is entirely different. As you've noted when presented with tough questions, Dims begin to come unraveled....they become hostile. Whereas Pubbies almost to a person remain cool to the interviewer.

Now that shouldnt' make much difference to a seasoned journalist, but the only one they will continue to bore in on is the Pubbie. Not only are they the enemy, but they tend to react in a more subdued manner. They're an easy mark!

FGS

[nicmarlo]

What's the matter Tommy, you don't like the fact the Kennedy outed you libs for what you are?? You're all a bunch of Bleeping Hypocrites!!

Dashole makes me sick. I pray that God pulls the rug out from under him, sooooon.

[nicmarlo]

Rofl! Senate Lifeguard...that's a good one FGS! : )

[4CJ]

Dasshole is an idiot.

[Mo1]

. As you've noted when presented with tough questions, Dims begin to come unraveled....they become hostile. Whereas Pubbies almost to a person remain cool to the interviewer.

Not only were they hostile .. they tried like heck to AVOID answering the questions

[nicmarlo]

Scarborough's show

I'm sorry, Mo, I don't watch the show. And I've gotten too irritated anymore with Fox "news." I've been watching the Science Fiction channel much more over the past several months which directly correlates to the increase in non-news coverage (Peterson, Kobe, and isolated Iraqi hotel bombings) on Fox.

[nicmarlo]

Dasshole is an idiot.

I agree, 100%.