Rep. John Dingell: Health Care Opponents Remind Me of the Klan & White Supremacists

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

BARACK OBAMA

This morning on XM's POTUS I heard audio of Rep. John Dingell (D., Mich.), appearing on Ed Schultz's program, telling the host that the health-care protesters remind him of those who objected to the Civil Rights Act, specifically comparing them to Ku Klux Klan members and white supremacists.

(There is a reference to Dingell's comments on the site for Schultz's show here, but I cannot get the audio to play.)

The race card: It's not just for African-Americans anymore.

UPDATE: Campaign Spot reader Jen asks whether Dingell drew the conclusion from the fact that some in the crowd looked as old as Sen. Robert Byrd (D., W.Va.).

ANOTHER UPDATE: The quote: "DINGELL: Well, the last time I had to confront something like this was when I voted for the civil rights bill and my opponent voted against it. At that time, we had a lot of Ku Klux Klan folks and white supremacists and folks in white sheets and other things running around causing trouble."

08/11 08:49 AM Share