Democrat apologizes for 'slavish' remark

[oberliner]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A ranking Democrat in the House of Representative is apologizing for saying an African-American Senate candidate "slavishly" supported the Republican Party.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, said he meant no offense when he made the remark about Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, the GOP nominee for the seat being vacated by longtime Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Hoyer said, "I should not have used those words."

Hoyer was speaking to a largely black audience at a campaign event for Steele's Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin, when he made the comment.

Steele's spokesman, Doug Heye, called Hoyer's comments "insensitive and pretty stupid."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/17/democrats.apology/

[Kagemusha]

1. Oh, that word's a no-no too now? First time I've heard.

Because I don't think like Sen. Macaca and would have never associated the word with anything racist or derogatory in the first place...

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Not sure why "slavishly" is bad. It means blind devotion.

:shrug: MKJ

[TroglodyteScholar]

5. The same reason you can't use 'niggardly'

People who don't know the word get freaked out by the sound of it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. No, this is different

'Slavishly' really does come from 'slave'. It is a word that people use regularly about anyone, though, so I think Hoyer really did say it without any implication or malice at all.

[Demit]

22. God, I can't stand that reasoning. Make people get to know meanings of

words! I'm not ranting at you, CGAV, but this kind of reaction is pandering to ignorance. Thus encouraging it. It makes me sick.

I was once in a video store when a young black guy beside me started complaining about the title of a movie called "The River Niger." I told him how it was pronounced. The end.

[journalist3072]

6. Exactly right!!!! And I think that description of Michael Steele is quite

appropriate.

[greyl]

3. I doubt he was thinking of slavery when he said "slavishly".

He was using the word perfectly properly, imo ie: groveling, sycophantic, fawning, cringing, and servile.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=slavishly

[bigworld]

24. How did he pronounce it?

SLAY-vishy? SLAH-vishly? It looks to be like he used the correct word, just pronounced it wrongly. He made a dumb mistake if that's the case but needn't apologize for it!

[Lance_Boyle]

26. 'slay-vish' is the correct pronunciation. n/t

[Yupster]

28. It's the same root anyway

as the word slave came from Slav anyway, if I remember my college history correctly.

[journalist3072]

4. Well, I'm an African-American and I tak no issue with Hoyer's description

of Michael Steele. I actually think he hit it dead on.

[hughee99]

7. Let's be honest...

It was definitely a poor choice of words, and had a repuke used that term to characterize an African-American politician, we'd be all over them.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

8. A poor choice of words? Huh?

Whatever. MKJ

[hughee99]

10. Perhaps "blind devotion" would have been a better choice. n/t

[KAZ]

11. I see your point Hughee..

... but then the Pukes would have said something about bringing Ray Charles into it, or something. :) You can't take the high ground with these fuckers. The "high ground" sounds like pussy to most 'muricans. Most of them think "slavish" might have something to do with eastern Europe, though they're not sure.

[The Roux Comes First]

18. I think you hit the spot right on there.

I doubt if use of that word by even the sleaziest republican (ok, that candidate would not know the word) would have garnered our attention, frankly.

But if we'd pulled a republican move, yes, they'd be playing the race card for sure.

Mild "apology" to anyone who might have mistakenly taken offense and move on seems about the best you can do.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. 'slavish' does have something to do with Eastern Europe

From the Oxford English Dictionary's etymology of 'slave':

med.L. sclavus, sclava, identical with the racial name Sclavus (see SLAV), the Slavonic population in parts of central Europe having been reduced to a servile condition by conquest; the transferred sense is clearly evidenced in documents of the 9th century.

[mitchtv]

9. DLC Democrat apologizes

Anything more than "I'm sorry you feel that way about it" is too much.

[Rowdyboy]

13. Steny's not the sharpest tool in the shed...

I draw the line with apologizing for using the English language. "Slavish" is in no way deroggatory to blacks. Its a perfectly fine word from the lexicon and I refuse to allow ANY fool to stop me from using it.

How stupid a move on Rep Hoyer's part.

[Spider Jerusalem]

12. The only appropriate apology here:

"I'm sorry you're too fucking stupid to know what the word means. Buy a goddamned dictionary."

[MrScorpio]

14. I would have never apologized

As a matter of fact, I'd even imply that Steele is another Republican house negro

Make me apologize

[BushOut06]

15. Would it be better to refer to him as Token?

Don't most repukes have at least one "token" black friend?

[MrScorpio]

17. That's a good one too

I never understood why the goddamned Republicans appeal to some black people.

Forming another black conservative party would be heads overs heels a better choice than associating with those racist fuckers.

[mitchum]

16. Well, it's not as offensive as "house nigger"...

nor is it as accurate

[Blaq Dem]

19. It's not offensive, she should'nt have apologized

I'm black and the word 'slavishly' in the context Hoyer used is NOT offensive. At least she didn't place a dead deer head inside any black family's mailbox as a prank. B

lack republicans are a bunch of ol' turds any.

[yellowcanine]

25. "He", Steny Hoyer is a man with an unusual first name. And I agree,

I do not think the using the term "slavish" is racial. If Steele were white, no one would think a thing of it. I agree that it is best to avoid any terms that could be seen as racial but I also think that Steele's spokesperson is trying to play the race card by making a big deal about it.

[cwydro]

23. Ridiculous

[oberliner]

27. Followup Article: Steele claims remark was racist

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701440.html

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele accused a leading Democratic congressman yesterday of racial insensitivity for saying the Republican candidate has "slavishly" followed the GOP.

Steele, an African American running for the U.S. Senate, was reacting to remarks by House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, who characterized Steele this week as having had "a career of slavishly supporting the Republican Party."

After speaking to members of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce gathered in Ocean City, Steele called the description "the height of arrogance."

"It goes to just the sheer craziness of some in the Democratic Party who think they can use racist terms and infer things about me just because I'm an African American Republican," he said

[Shakespeare]

29. Oh, for crying out loud.

The word was used correctly, and he should apologize for nothing. And anybody who is too stupid to understand that should be whacked upside the head with a dictionary. A really, really heavy one.

I'm so, SO tired of stupidity-based bullshit outrage.

[HuffleClaw]

30. what bullshit

manufactured outrage

[Retrograde]

31. um, other peoples have been enslaved at various times

the Roman Empire was run on slave labor, as were others. The word "slave" itself is a reference to my ancestors, central Europeans who brought a high price in the Byzantium slave markets at one time. Should I object?

[Bridget Burke]

34. "Servus" is Latin for (male) slave.....

Modern derivations: Servant, servile, etc.

So many Slavs were "bought at a high price" that "slave" entered our language with a new definition. Of course, the Romans were "equal opportunity" slave traders--from the palest of Angles to the darkest Nubians.

[brentspeak]

32. I had no idea that "slavish" is an adjective derived from "slave"

It's not something I ever considered until just now, reading this article. I bet the vast majority of English speakers would be surprised to learn it, too.

[northzax]

33. wait, a PC republican?

I thought republicans didn't care about all that wishy-washy feel good stuff?

[mac56]

35. Oh, they feign interest in it when it suits their purposes.

Remember, they're less troubled by hypocrisy than normal people are.

[KingFlorez]

36. Steele accusing someone of being racist again

It's a fact that most Republicans are slaves to the party, black, white, whatever. He's just trying to make people think he's some sort of victim.