Now HERE is a clueless white guy

[CO. Hoosier]

Mark Halperin drills down on Ted Cruz's ethnic background.



I wonder if Mark Halperin thinks it's okay to ask Dr. Carson if his favorite food is fried chicken and watermelon? In a thread below, I commented about how liberals seem to focus more on beating down anything conservative than actually championing the human rights causes they claim to. The evidence is mounting. The double standard is obvious. Halperin proves me right.

 

[SuperHoosierFan]

Mark Halperin drills down on Ted Cruz's ethnic background.

View embedded media

I wonder if Mark Halperin thinks it's okay to ask Dr. Carson if his favorite food is fried chicken and watermelon? In a thread below, I commented about how liberals seem to focus more on beating down anything conservative than actually championing the human rights causes they claim to. The evidence is mounting. The double standard is obvious. Halperin proves me right.

Man!!! The audacity!!! He asked him for his birth certificate and absolutely grilled him on being born in Canada. That was disgusting.

 

[Ladoga]

Man!!! The audacity!!! He asked him for his birth certificate and absolutely grilled him on being born in Canada. That was disgusting.

Where was Halperin when Obama refused - and still does refuse - to provide his applications to Occidental, Columbia and Harvard? He asked for Cruz to show his to identify his claimed ethnicity by asking how he identified in his applications, but never asked Obama for his.

For that mater, could you link to the post when you objected to Obama not showing his bona fides? I'll wait for your post linking that post, thanks.

 

[SuperHoosierFan]

Where was Halperin when Obama refused - and still does refuse - to provide his applications to Occidental, Columbia and Harvard? He asked for Cruz to show his to identify his claimed ethnicity by asking how he identified in his applications, but never asked Obama for his.

For that mater, could you link to the post when you objected to Obama not showing his bona fides? I'll wait for your post linking that post, thanks.

You're asking me for proof that I'm a psycho paranoid racist wing nut. I'm not, so I have no proof to provide. Plus, I'm a Christian. Why do you hate Christians?

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

I did not watch the video, but if this is more birther nonsense, we need to cut it out. It's stupid when people claim Obama was ineligible, and it's stupid when people claim Cruz is ineligible. Like Obama, Cruz' mother was born American, and that makes Cruz a natural-born citizen. Period.

 

[hoot1]

Mark Halperin offered this so-called apology as reported here,

"in no way was I asking Senator Cruz to 'prove' he was an 'authentic' Latino. I apologize to those that were offended, and to Senator Cruz. I promise that I will work to make the tone and questions better next time."

The interview sure sounded as if Halperin was questioning Cruz's Hispanic authenticity. In some ways the "apology" is worse than the interview.

 

[Noodle]

I did not watch the video, but if this is more birther nonsense, we need to cut it out. It's stupid when people claim Obama was ineligible, and it's stupid when people claim Cruz is ineligible. Like Obama, Cruz' mother was born American, and that makes Cruz a natural-born citizen. Period.

It wasn't that. Rather, the interviewer was impliedly challenging his Hispanic/Latino cred--i.e., are you a "true" Hispanic/Latino or just by birth. It's a little (a lot) different than asking Ben Carson if his favorite food is fried chicken and watermelon, as that would be not only questioning Carson's African-American cred, but also doing so via racial stereotype.

As for Halperin's apology, it was even more idiotic than the interview itself.

 

[Rusty G]

It wasn't that. Rather, the interviewer was impliedly challenging his Hispanic/Latino cred--i.e., are you a "true" Hispanic/Latino or just by birth. It's a little (a lot) different than asking Ben Carson if his favorite food is fried chicken and watermelon, as that would be not only questioning Carson's African-American cred, but also doing so via racial stereotype.

As for Halperin's apology, it was even more idiotic than the interview itself.

I agree. The interview was cringe-worthy. And I pretty much despise Ted Cruz. Thankfully I think he's pissed off enough of the Republican establishment that he won't be getting a whole lot of help unless he goes nuts in the early primaries. Regardless though of my personal opinion, damn that was bad (by Halprin). We all need to be calling b.s. on stuff like that when it happens.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Maybe if he would ask Ben Carson

What is your favorite soul food?* I never quite understood the whole food/stereotype connection. I get the Frito Bandito thing, and I also understand the cartoon image of the black kid eating watermelon. But by in large, I think that food items as a negative stereotype is way overplayed. Several years ago I had a discussion about this on the WC. Rerun claimed that a school which served MLK's favorite meal to celebrate MLK day engaged in racism. Didn't understand the argument then and don't now. BTW, the menu was fried chicken, collard greens and black-eyed peas.

The problem with Halperin wasn't that he was engaging in a food stereotype. His notion that a candidate would be asked to confirm his heritage by food is just stupid--not racist.

*My reference to it in my post was an attempt to be amusing knowing how some would react.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Maybe if he would ask Ben Carson

What is your favorite soul food?* I never quite understood the whole food/stereotype connection. I get the Frito Bandito thing, and I also understand the cartoon image of the black kid eating watermelon. But by in large, I think that food items as a negative stereotype is way overplayed. Several years ago I had a discussion about this on the WC. Rerun claimed that a school which served MLK's favorite meal to celebrate MLK day engaged in racism. Didn't understand the argument then and don't know. BTW, the menu was fried chicken, collard greens and black-eyed peas.

The problem with Halperin wasn't that he was engaging in a food stereotype. His notion that a candidate would be asked to confirm his heritage by food is just stupid--not racist.

*My reference to it in my post was an attempt to be amusing knowing how some would react.

I agree that food stereotypes are stupid, but if someone took offense to that MLK thing, I doubt it was because that was MLK's favorite meal, but instead because it's a quintessentially southern meal that most of us northerners (and you westerners?) associate with black people generally.

Let me repeat: I think it's dumb. No one ever got mad that we served corned beef and cabbage every year on St. Patty's day.

It also depends why you do it. If you're serving watermelon at a frat party on MLK Day at which everyone dresses in blackface to make fun of the holiday, that's offensive. But we served corned beef, not to make fun of the Irish, but because it sells well on that day.

 

[hoot1]

I agree that food stereotypes are stupid, but if someone took offense to that MLK thing, I doubt it was because that was MLK's favorite meal, but instead because it's a quintessentially southern meal that most of us northerners (and you westerners?) associate with black people generally.

Let me repeat: I think it's dumb. No one ever got mad that we served corned beef and cabbage every year on St. Patty's day.

It also depends why you do it. If you're serving watermelon at a frat party on MLK Day at which everyone dresses in blackface to make fun of the holiday, that's offensive. But we served corned beef, not to make fun of the Irish, but because it sells well on that day.

My Niece married a Puerto Rican American and was surprised to learn how different Puerto Rican food was from the standard Mexican food which she had previously experienced. She also learned Americans from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico have pride in their own traditions and customs. The lesson being...not all Hispanics are alike.

So a Marco Rubio or a Ted Cruz who are from Cuban heritage may in fact have experienced different cuisine when growing up than say an American Mexican living in Cruz's Texas.

 

[meridian]

It wasn't that. Rather, the interviewer was impliedly challenging his Hispanic/Latino cred--i.e., are you a "true" Hispanic/Latino or just by birth. It's a little (a lot) different than asking Ben Carson if his favorite food is fried chicken and watermelon, as that would be not only questioning Carson's African-American cred, but also doing so via racial stereotype.

As for Halperin's apology, it was even more idiotic than the interview itself.

As usual, you make a very valid point.

 

[meridian]

You're asking me for proof that I'm a psycho paranoid racist wing nut. I'm not, so I have no proof to provide. Plus, I'm a Christian. Why do you hate Christians?

Obviously, Ladoga is a psycho paranoid racist wing nut and proud of it. To think that he is a college grad, IU at that, is incredible. But then, is he?

 

[SuperHoosierFan]

Obviously, Ladoga is a psycho paranoid racist wing nut and proud of it. To think that he is a college grad, IU at that, is incredible. But then, is he?

If he is an IU grad I don't think he'd claim it. I often hear IU referred to as "that liberal-ass college".

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

It wasn't that. Rather, the interviewer was impliedly challenging his Hispanic/Latino cred--i.e., are you a "true" Hispanic/Latino or just by birth. It's a little (a lot) different than asking Ben Carson if his favorite food is fried chicken and watermelon, as that would be not only questioning Carson's African-American cred, but also doing so via racial stereotype.

As for Halperin's apology, it was even more idiotic than the interview itself.

I do think the general issue is one that is interesting politically - i.e., Cruz's camp almost certainly is examining whether or not Cruz can appeal to the Hispanic vote, and what he should do if not - but I don't see it as something that needs to be talked about in an interview on television. It's a little too much like having the CEO of Johnsonville on and asking him how exactly to make a sausage.

Again without having watched the video, no matter how Halperin broached the subject, I can imagine why an apology would be deemed necessary. I can't imagine a way to do it - other than behind close doors as a strategist - without coming off as at least somewhat offensive.

I remember a lot of discussions about Obama appealing to blacks. His black "credentials" were questioned by conservatives and liberals alike. But if a reporter had asked him during an interview to prove he was truly black, that would definitely have been uncomfortable at least.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

They just had this on TDS. Good God that was painful. I would not be upset if Halperin were fired for that.