Visit Killfile's column >>

KILLFILEHome Page

Epicurean Intelligentsia
Add To Watchlist
Articles Posted: 305; Links Seeded: 7597
Member Since: 2/2006Last Seen: 11/22/2009

Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA) Uses Term "Tar Baby" In A Strategy Memo Barack Obama

advertisement

In a 20-page memo on GOP electoral woes, Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) repeatedly misspells Barack Obama's name - it's one R, congressman, not two -- and then manages to use the racially charged term "tar baby" in a paragraph about Obama and immigration.

What's this?
Who's leading the conversation?
This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.
1.8
{"commentId":1802373,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

I love Virginia but we elect some crazies.

Look Tom, "Tar Baby" is a racial slur. You don't have to like that it is, but you should know it. Don't say it, don't write it, and don't use it even in the most remote proximity to Obama's name. In fact, that last sentence is probably over the line.

I know you didn't call Obama a Tar Baby and you know you didn't call Obama a Tar Baby but it's just dumb and we sent you to the Congress to do a number of things, but being a complete idiot wasn't among them.

{"commentId":1802373,"threadId":"264762","contentId":"1490002","authorDomain":"killfile"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Thu May 15, 2008 8:16 AM EDT
{"commentId":1804108,"authorDomain":"cpaul44"}

The term "Tar Baby" was used to describe a burned African/American Slave whose body was greased with a thick solution of molasses(a black byproduct of sugarcane) and a grease known as tar-lo(a mixture of animal fat or lard and black asphalt.This practice was used by slave masters to punish a slave leader for committing a serious crime like organizing other slaves to revolt. The leader was burned alive in front of other slaves as a lesson.

{"commentId":1804108,"threadId":"264762","contentId":"1490002","authorDomain":"cpaul44"}
    Reply#2 - Thu May 15, 2008 3:26 PM EDT
    {"commentId":1804270,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

    Ugh. I didn't know that. Now I sort of wish I didn't.

    {"commentId":1804270,"threadId":"264762","contentId":"1490002","authorDomain":"killfile"}
    • 1 vote
    #2.1 - Thu May 15, 2008 3:57 PM EDT
    {"commentId":1805482,"authorDomain":"caligiurijoseph"}

    Heck I knew it was racist terminology but with the entire definition and meaning spelled out I am sorry I know also. He sure carries the republican party in Carolina down in the gutter

    {"commentId":1805482,"threadId":"264762","contentId":"1490002","authorDomain":"caligiurijoseph"}
      #2.2 - Thu May 15, 2008 8:09 PM EDT
      Reply
      {"canLink":false,"threadId":"264762","isPrivate":false}
      Leave a Comment:
      You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
      As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
      {"threadId":"264762","contentId":"1490002"}
      Start TrackingStart Tracking
      Stop TrackingStop Tracking