Yesterday, I was sent a link to this post by John Hawkins of RightWingNews. Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) berates Southerners, blames Senators who aren't even in GOP leadership for party woes and apparently he finds Southern speech patterns disdainful.
I won't be repetitious and elaborate on the same points that Hawkins makes. Hawkins is right, Voinovich is wrong. Go read it. However, I do wish to elaborate on his mockery of Southerners.
I take offense to Voinovich blaming Southerners for any perceived GOP downfall or disarray. If Voinovich is going to have a blame-storming session against his peers, perhaps he should state why he takes issue with Southerners of the Republican Party. Let him declare which legislation, votes and/or actions that he finds offensive from Senators DeMint (R-SC) and Coburn (R-OK). Don't be ambiguous and instead make comments which mock a particular speech pattern or vernacular.
Speaking of speech patterns, here is the less than eloquent Voinovich saying "uh, uh" and stuttering repeatedly in a television interview. Scroll to 1:15 seconds and again to 3:44 and again to 4:48 to hear him sounding "Southern."
So, why didn't Voinovich say these things about Southerners like Governor Haley Barbour (R-MS) when he was RNC chairman? Why didn't Voinovich refuse campaign contributions from these embarrassing people who say err, err on television and reside geographically below the Mason-Dixon line? I guess our support and our financial donations are good enough for him, but we shouldn't speak on television and give the people of Ohio the impression that someone with a Southern accent could be staging a political party takeover.
And in case Senator Voinovich (R-OH) hasn't been paying attention, there are liberal Southerners too. But I suppose if a Senator who has a "D" behind his/her name they are allowed a pass for their manner of speaking. Here's a thought. What if the Democrats become overrun by those dang rednecks?! Oh no! Everybody panic. I bet DNC leadership would welcome any Southern elected official with open arms if they wanted to defect from the GOP. At least THEY wouldn't publicly declare in a condescending manner that politicians with a Southern accent might dare to effect policy in Ohio, God forbid.
To Senator Voinovich, I would say this. While Southerners talk slower, have thick accents and maybe even cling to our guns and bibles, we can at least be gracious and hospitable to our friends from the North. But when you insult us in some uppity and hypocritical manner and accuse us of frightening Republicans with our colloquialisms and dialect, then Sir, you are no gentleman. And we will err, err, call you on it.
Too many conservative senators like Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are to blame for the GOP's downfall, one of their retiring Republican colleagues complained Monday.
"We got too many Jim DeMints and Tom Coburns," Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) told the Columbus Dispatch. "It's the southerners."
Voinovich, a native Clevelander who retires after the 2010 election, continued after the southern elements of the GOP.
"They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr,'" he said. "People hear them and say, 'These people, they're southerners. The party's being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?'"
I won't be repetitious and elaborate on the same points that Hawkins makes. Hawkins is right, Voinovich is wrong. Go read it. However, I do wish to elaborate on his mockery of Southerners.
I take offense to Voinovich blaming Southerners for any perceived GOP downfall or disarray. If Voinovich is going to have a blame-storming session against his peers, perhaps he should state why he takes issue with Southerners of the Republican Party. Let him declare which legislation, votes and/or actions that he finds offensive from Senators DeMint (R-SC) and Coburn (R-OK). Don't be ambiguous and instead make comments which mock a particular speech pattern or vernacular.
Speaking of speech patterns, here is the less than eloquent Voinovich saying "uh, uh" and stuttering repeatedly in a television interview. Scroll to 1:15 seconds and again to 3:44 and again to 4:48 to hear him sounding "Southern."
So, why didn't Voinovich say these things about Southerners like Governor Haley Barbour (R-MS) when he was RNC chairman? Why didn't Voinovich refuse campaign contributions from these embarrassing people who say err, err on television and reside geographically below the Mason-Dixon line? I guess our support and our financial donations are good enough for him, but we shouldn't speak on television and give the people of Ohio the impression that someone with a Southern accent could be staging a political party takeover.
And in case Senator Voinovich (R-OH) hasn't been paying attention, there are liberal Southerners too. But I suppose if a Senator who has a "D" behind his/her name they are allowed a pass for their manner of speaking. Here's a thought. What if the Democrats become overrun by those dang rednecks?! Oh no! Everybody panic. I bet DNC leadership would welcome any Southern elected official with open arms if they wanted to defect from the GOP. At least THEY wouldn't publicly declare in a condescending manner that politicians with a Southern accent might dare to effect policy in Ohio, God forbid.
To Senator Voinovich, I would say this. While Southerners talk slower, have thick accents and maybe even cling to our guns and bibles, we can at least be gracious and hospitable to our friends from the North. But when you insult us in some uppity and hypocritical manner and accuse us of frightening Republicans with our colloquialisms and dialect, then Sir, you are no gentleman. And we will err, err, call you on it.
On behalf of my fellow Ohio Republicans, I apologize for this miserable excuse for a human being. Thank God he is retiring because he has been an embarrassment for years.
Thanks, Matt. No apologies necessary. All politicians suffer from foot-in-mouth syndrome from time to time. ;)
Too bad he couldn't work with Coburn and DeMint instead of demonizing them.