From: ernie@ncrcol.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Ernie Corley)
Subject: Re: bb king is giving me the blues
Organization: NCR E&M Columbia SC.
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 20:27:49 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.173642.21385@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> rwd4f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Rob Dobson) writes:
>In article <1992Aug25.130024.15586@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM> elliott@ncrcol.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Elliott New) writes:
>>In article <920824144901@joker.ftp.com> rodin@ftp.com writes:
>>>I think you are misunderstanding what Chip means here.  Lee Atwater was the
>>>GOP chairman and campaign strategist for Bush.  It was Lee Atwater that
>>>used Willie Horton to scare white middle class America into voting for Bush.
>>      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>>Lee Atwater was a master of the racist divide and conquer strategy used by
>>>the Republicans for the last 20+ years (the strategy was first defined by
>>>Pat Buchanan when he worked for Nixon).
>>>
>>
>>You RACIST PUKE!  You look at Willie Horton and see a black guy... right?
>>*YOU* are the one that is so caught up in skin color.  Willie Horton
>>was a murderer.  You *should* be scared of murderers!  It doesn't matter if
>>they are black, white, orange, purple... whatever!  Murderers are bad
>>people.  Kinda simple.  
>>
>
>If you think that the Willie Horton ads did not have racist overtones, man,
>I HAVE A BRIDGE TO SELL YOU. If Willie Horton had been white, he never would
>have been used in Bushs campaign ads, I garun-damn-tee you. I am not scared
>of Willie Horton cause hes black, but the Bush campaign team in 1988 wanted
>voters to be scared of Horton cause he was black.

Why did they "use" Willie Horton?  Gee, that question would best be answered
by none other than Al Gore.  After all, he's the one who brought up Willie
Horton against Gov. Dukakis in the '88 primaries.  Oh, no one would think that
Mr. Gore had any racial intentions but of course Lee Atwarer did.

Since my first posting, I've received tons of mail all requesting that I re-read
Chip's original posting - that I misinterpreted what Chip said.  Well, I request
that you all take another look at Atwater's Willie Horton ad (if possible) and 
tell me what led YOU to believe it was racist.  Did you come to that conclusion
or did the media put that thought into your head?  Somebody tell me what tipped 
you off to think it was so obviously racist.  

Why is it that the same media establishment that thinks white middle America was
so influenced by Willie Horton (that they changed their vote) does not think
that an album by ICE T can influence anybody?  Do YOU really think that people
are so shallow that their conclusion to that advertisement would be "blacks
are trying to rape our wives and daughters."  I don't think so.

>And dont just call me a racist for saying this. It was Atwater who tried to
>connect blackness and criminality, not me. I just call em as I see em, and
>the Willie Horton ad campaign was racist and deceptive.
>
Oh, it had nothing to do with the fact that Gov. Dukakis personally signed
a weekend furlough for one Mr. Horton who, after given such freedom, attacked
a man, cut off his genitals, stuffed them into the mans mouth, then to add
insult to injury, raped the mans fiance in front of him.  Yeah, somebody asked
why they didn't pick an example of a furloughed white criminal......  how
do you follow an act like Mr. Horton's?  And besides, does that mean Gov.
Dukakis provided Atwater (or should I say Gore) with LOTS of examples???


-- 
        --Ernie.Corley@ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM  
Newsgroups: rec.music.bluenote