Mass. Gov. Romney Apologizes for Remark (Tar Baby)

[TomInTib]

Personally, I think this is just plain silly. But Romney should be more personally astute.

BOSTON (AP) -- Gov. Mitt Romney has apologized for referring to the troubled Big Dig construction project as a "tar baby" during a fundraiser with Iowa Republicans, saying he didn't know anyone would be offended by the term some consider a racial epithet.

In a speech Saturday, Romney, a Republican considering a run for president in 2008, acknowledged he took a big political risk in taking control of the project after a fatal tunnel ceiling collapse, but said inaction would have been even worse.

"The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can," he told a crowd of about 100 supporters in Ames, Iowa.

Black leaders were outraged at his use of the term, which dates to the 19th century Uncle Remus stories, referring to a doll made of tar that traps Br'er Rabbit. It has come to be known as a way of describing a sticky mess, and has been used as a derogatory term for a black person.

more:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/ROMNEY_RACIAL_REMARK?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-07-31-08-37-35

[Kire]

1. the best way to stay away from it

is not to say you want to stay away from it in public
or rather, the worst way to stay away from it is to call it a tar baby

just leave it alone

[Jeffersons Ghost]

14. exactly, anyone knows that, Kire. The neocon said it to get racist votes..

He already knew no reasonable person of color would vote for him. I wonder where that brilliant public figure was he raised?

On another note, I do hate that the writings of such a wise man ever fell into the such an ugly social snare. Uncle Remus is at least as good a teacher as Aesop. I really learned alot from those tales as a child.

[rusty charly]

2. mitt: listening to tony snow much?

[Totally Committed]

3. Mittens is a dweeb...

a Blow-Dry Republican White-Boy Ken-Doll a**hole dweeb.

What an idiot... is anyone else here tired of these brainless Republican twits? Like we need ANOTHER POTUS who always has his foot in his mouth, with his brain disengaged. Save me.

TC

[livetohike]

4. People who are in public positions should know which words

are offensive and considered a slur. He is an idiot for speaking that way and should be criticized for his reference.

There are no excuses for people to be so insensitive, imo.

[Totally Committed]

5. He's either too stupid to be in politics or -- as it has been suggested --

that was "code" for some of the Americans he'll be trying to reach when he campaigns.

I dunno -- Idiot or Bigot? You can decide.

TC

[sallyseven]

8. exactly he is a bigot and stupid to boot.

[Cha]

16. I'm deciding Both!

Cause bigots are idiots..it goes with the territory. And he should know better but then he republicon so he that explains a lot.

[snowbear]

6. Just a hunch.. but I'll bet he doesn't do "polygamist" jokes..

..yet he makes racial slurs like that?

What a creep.

[calmblueocean]

7. Anyone got a good replacement metaphor?

Personally, I think the idea of taking a offense at this phrase is just... misguided. It's one thing if somebody used it as a racial slur by shouting it at you, or referring to someone else as a 'tar baby'. But there is an actual metaphor here, the idea of a situation which only gets worse the more you try to extricate yourself from it, and for which the best solution is not to touch it at all. (I guess now the phrase 'tar baby' *is* a tar baby!)

Anyway, while I think it's misguided, I understand that some are offended by hearing the phrase at all, in any context. So what's the suggested replacement phrase? What metaphor or idiom gets across the same meaning?

[snowbear]

9. Hmm.. well...

Not a replacement metaphor, but "Tar Baby" seems to be a phrase used by Tony Snow, George Will and Mitt Romney.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_baby

[mainer]

11. Quagmire? But it's not nearly as good.

Unfortunately, there's no really good replacement metaphor.

[gratuitous]

12. Boondoggle?

Second meaning, naturally:

Main Entry: boon·dog·gle
Pronunciation: 'bün-"dä-g&l, -"do-
Function: noun
Etymology: coined by Robert H. Link died 1957 American scoutmaster
1 : a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament
2 : a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft
- boondoggle intransitive verb
- boon·dog·gler /-g(&-)l&r/ noun

[OhioBlue]

15. well, especially in the light of Tony Snow's

use of the term and the criticism... he should have know... And actually there is no doubt in my mind that HE DID KNOW it was a racist term. He's trying to play it both ways - pretend to be a moderate while pandering to the right - hateful, base.

What term could he have used? How about a "sticky situation"? Hell, I never even heard the term "tar baby" before the outrage over Tony Snow's comments - so I very much doubt there isn't another phrase that he could have used...

Don't kid yourself. He knew exactly what he was doing when he used that phrase. He probably never used it before. He wanted to be painted as a "victim of the politically correct". His use of the phrase was calculated.

[zbdent]

10. And to think, Repukes and the media tried to say that Bill Clinton was

trying to send secret messages to Monica by what tie he was wearing ...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

13. now here's another example of an OP that would get voted up not long ago..

Do you guys see the changes in what gets votes at DU since the first of this year? Where did all those fire-spitting leftists that loved hearing about Repuke neocons falling on their face go? Did they all get pissed and leave? Maybe they're starting a neo-revolution somewhere. LOL