WATERVILLE, Maine – Gov. Paul LePage changed his Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend plans and showed up at a breakfast honoring the slain civil rights leader Monday, days after he said critics of his decision to skip other events could "kiss my butt." He even joined some of the participants in an African dance.
The Republican governor's appearance was organized in the days after he made the remark Friday, responding to a reporter's question about criticism he had received over his decision not to attend the state NAACP's annual King Day celebrations. He said at the time that he didn't attend events for special interests, and his spokesman cited scheduling conflicts.
"Tell them to kiss my butt," LePage said.
The comment drew harsh criticism from state and national leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Maine NAACP Director Rachel Talbot Ross said her organization is no special interest, and the group's national president and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said LePage's comments "inflame racial tension."
Actually Ma'am, the NAACP is in fact a special interest group. I'm not saying it's a bad or evil one, but yes, it is a special interest group. It represents black folks, not asians, not whites, not hispanics. Black folks. And to be honest, with todays' laws and past court decisions, I'm not really sure it's a necessary special interest group.
And as far as the Governor backpedaling....... he is a politician.
Sorry, Deb.
Gov. LePage has an adopted black son, they seem to have left that part out of the quote in the story.
ReplyDeleteThe naacp has rendered itself obsolete with it's constant cries of racism where it doesn't exist...
Amen to that! Politicians will always be politicians.... period!
ReplyDeleteUgh. You don't know how PO'd I was when I heard this.
ReplyDeleteHow can you tell when a politician is lying?
When he opens his mouth.
I had hope there for a fleeting moment.