Having a Hart Hurts
Yesterday, a very nice young writer came into my office wanting to work as a stringer for me. He saw a copy of the book that James Hart had sent out to the media sitting on my desk. One of my co-workers had picked it up and had returned it and I hadn’t had a chance to file it yet.
This young man was African-American.
He asked me what it was and I told him.
I felt like an idiot, and you could see a look pass across the young man’s face as he glanced at it. I told him Hart was a candidate for District 8.
He rolled his eyes and said the understatement of the year.
“He doesn’t seem very nice, does he?” he said and then changed the subject.
The first thought that ran through my head was I hope he doesn’t think I’m for this bigoted racist.
The second thought I had was angry at myself, that I had stupidly not put up the pamphlet.
But the reality is, it doesn’t matter that this book was setting out because people can’t be protected. Hart is running for the position, and not because he wants the congressional seat, but because he wants to spread his message. Media, and voters, cannot run from the fact that Hart is out there. And laughing at him and making him the focus of the District 8 congressional race only perpetuates his belief system that certain people are less than.
It may be negative attention, but it’s still attention and you know the old saying that bad attention is better than no attention at all.
And quite honestly, Hart is not harmless. He won’t win the political race, but he has the law on his side in running. That’s a fact. Everyone has the right to say what they want to, no matter how harmful or toxic it may be in this country.
The republicans are distancing themselves, no doubt, but the reality is it does weaken the race against popular incumbent John Tanner because the issues are secondary and the freak show act of Hart runs first. People doubletake at car accidents, and this is no different. Hart is a car wreck and getting national coverage.
This is by no means Republicans John Farmer or Rory Bricco’s or even John Tanner’s fault and honestly, I feel bad that they all of them are having to deal with this instead of dwelling on the issues.
We’ve seen candidates use their platforms for years for gain. When did it become acceptable to let people put down other people?
I hope that young man, who wants to be a reporter, gets angry. I hope he is as angry as I am and gets people to vote.
I really do.
And you know, that is the sad part. In 2004, people did not do their homework and voted for this idiot. His showing of 26% just encouraged him to make a showing this time. But, they never said democracy was perfect.
By the way my lovely, there is a plan b in the works. If we don’t do something (meaning Republicans) stupid this weekend, then that prospect I discussed in my email to you may become reality (please keep it quiet for the moment though). If all works out, the debate on April 11th should have a happy ending for everyone concerned. It could go either way, but keep your fingers crossed. Worst case scenario, the voters will just have to let Mr. Hart know themselves.
I hope I don’t come across as a shithead, but I’m truly taken aback by your post. Granted, I am nearly apolitical (not entirely true–as I care enough to know that I loathe politics deeply) and I don’t even know of this Hart fellow, but I cannot comprehend why you were so concerned with this young gentleman’s opinion of you; and I am at a loss as to why his ethnicity was of such import.
YOUR desk, YOUR office yet you “felt like an idiot” because you hadn’t “file[d]” the book. If this young man hopes for a career in your field, I presume he will encounter things far more unseemly than a book some asshole sent to members of the media. (Am I wrong on this?) Also, if he were to have rushed to a judgment of you (a prospective employer) and your character based upon a book sitting on your desk, he was primed for learning a wonderful life lesson: DO NOT RUSH TO JUDGMENT…DO YOUR BEST TO REMAIN OBJECTIVE…etc.
I apologize for even weighing in here (not my style or inclination–I leave the lofty stuff for the incomparable Aunt B.), but this did bother me some. If this young man possess a fraction of the potential you suggest, I suspect he would be highly insulted by your guilt.
Respectfully,
Ryan
Actually, I think my point here was that Hart is an embarrassment to everyone. He is very upfront about his disdain for anyone different than him. He cites that not everyone is created equal and that certain races are less than.The pamphlet that Hart is sending out has a very rascist picture on it but anyone familiar with him . I admitted in the post it was an immediate kneejerk reaction that I had, but if you saw the look on this kid’s face, you might have a better understanding. He is an eugenics advocate running for congress on a platform that describes in detail about how the races should be segregated, and that’s just the front end of it. We in northwest Tennessee had to deal with him a couple of years ago.
If you want to know more about Hart to understand why liberals (and republicans for that matter) are having a problem with him, go to http://www.jameshartforcongress.com/prometheus/eugenics.htm and you can see what he’s saying for yourself. On this blog, we’ve been talking about him for months. As you cite you don’t know him, go and check it out for yourself.
Guess I’m done defending myself.
Point taken. And I really don’t make it a practice of weighing in on matters of which I am woefully uninformed. I just happened by and was taken by your post–obviously a kneejerk reaction of my own.
I didn’t mean for you to feel the need to defend yourself (though in rereading my previous comment, I understand your doing so). I truly don’t care for politics but am fascinated by human behavior and reaction/interaction. Sometimes I conveniently forget that politics cannot be considered separately.
Best,
Ryan
To me, the biggest issue with the guy getting support is that he is washing crap with perceived truth. That will lead people astray with wild abaondon.
[i]Actually, I think my point here was that Hart is an embarrassment to everyone.
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He’s not an embarrassment. He’s a symptom. The fact that he got 26% of the vote means that he’s a PAINFUL symptom.
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He is very upfront about his disdain for anyone different than him.
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As opposed to . . . other people that don’t do this?
[i]
He cites that not everyone is created equal and that certain races are less than.
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Not everyone IS created equal. We’re only equal in the eyes of the law and God. I don’t know about races. Gut feeling is that no particular race has the uber-advantage over another. HOWEVER, the society of some races is sorely lacking.
[i]
a platform that describes in detail about how the races should be segregated, and that’s just the front end of it.
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Force segregation will work no better than . . . forced INTEGRATION. I think people should be free to segregate or intetgrate as they see fit without fear of the law.
[i]
We in northwest Tennessee had to deal with him a couple of years ago.
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And it’s a GOOD THING! He’s a symptom of the cancer, but he’s not the cancer himself. We all have societal problems to look at, but it’s not 100% “the white devil slavemasters” or intolerance of minorities. We ALL have some soul searching to do. Just like many whites are frowning openly and loudly on Hart, some blacks are starting to get behind Bill Cosby and other black leaders with similar views. We ALL have fixing to do.
People shouldn’t shun Hart and force him underground. We should disect his argument and find out WHY he feels this way. More importantly, we should find out why 26% of our fellow voters feel the way they feel.
Sorry about the “[” thing. I was stuck in UBB mode.