Chasing Lamborn, Reprise 0

Hanlon, who I normally find muy sympatico, does not think that Congressman Lamborn’s characterizing President Obama as a “tar baby” was racist.

I must disagree.

Unfortunately, in a new bug-not-a-feature, Hanlon’s blog now requires me to create a user name and password with some service called “LiveFyre” (not with his blog, which I would quite happily do) and I’m not going to do that, so I cannot comment directly. It’s not worth the annoyance.

So I will disagree right here, because I have a website and I can do that thing.

Hanlon quotes Lamborn, then says

Honestly, this is like using “niggardly” in conversation. Yes, it sounds bad, but his intention was clearly non-racial and even made sense. Okay, bad choice of words and honestly who even says “tar baby” any more, but this guy ain’t a racist. Settle down.

It’s nothing at all like using “niggardly.” Niggardly is a word with a long history that has nothing to do with race or racial slurs. Those who attribute racism to its use display their own ignorance.

He identified the primary reason I disagree when he wrote this:

honestly who even says “tar baby” any more . . .

There is one group who says “tar baby” any more.

And it ain’t, to quote the immortal Bugs Bunny, Wendell Wilkie.

I’m a Southern boy.

I can decode the damned code.