Nikki Haley Update: Jake Knotts and the ‘Raghead’ Heard Round the World

Posted on | June 4, 2010 | 69 Comments

“We already got one raghead in the White House, we don’t need a raghead in the governor’s mansion.”
— South Carolina state Sen. Jake Knotts

Well, it’s come to this, has it? Certainly, I’m the last person on the planet to be screaming “raaaaacist” at other people, but it’s shocking enough that a Republican would use such language to describe President Obama. For a Republican to use it against a fellow Republican — Nikki Haley is a Christian of Sikh ancestry — is so wrong as to defy comprehension.

Knotts’ eruption on Pub Politics (a South Carolina video podcast) came to my attention via two Tweets from Sorenkay, who watched the show live:

The producer of the podcast evidently deleted the video of Knotts’ remark, but not before it was seen by so many people that John O’Connor of the Columbia (S.C.) State had enough for a news story:

According to those present and watching the show, “Pub Politics,” Knotts also talked at length about Haley’s parents’ religion and her family. Haley was raised as a Sikh, but converted to Methodist and has said she attends both services. . . .
Haley’s religion was raised as an issue during her first S.C. House run in 2004, when anonymous fliers claimed — inaccurately — that she was a Hindu. Haley won the race, unseating the House’s longest-serving lawmaker.

Knotts has apologized and I don’t see any point in demonizing him, but I’m honestly shocked that any politician would go there. It’s unfathomably ignorant. Sikhs are not Muslim and they’re not Hindu. (And exactly how is the fact that Haley comes from a Sikh family relevant to Obama’s Kenyan ancestry?)

Just as I am not down with the Anti-Racist Mind-Probe Watchdogs, neither am I a Politeness Police Courtesy Cop. A remark may be rude or shocking without constituting a human-rights violation.

One of the first controversies I ever became involved in as a blogger was when Ann Coulter used “raghead” in her 2006 CPAC speech. At a time when even Ace of Spades (!) signed a petition condemning her, I defended Coulter because (a) I love Coulter, and (b) the person to whom she applied that term was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for whom no slur is sufficiently derogatory.

My argument then was that no generalized prejudice could be inferred from Coulter’s use of the term specifically directed at Ahmadinejad, a Jew-hating genocidal maniac who deserves a Hellfire missile where the sun don’t shine. (In her own defense, Coulter said: “You know, OK. I make a few jokes at Muslims, and they killed 3,000 Americans — I think we’re even.”)

Which is to say that, while I don’t recommend use of “raghead” in political discourse, neither do I think it is always necessarily grounds for expulsion from polite society. Context matters. But I’m having a hard time imagining a contextual defense of Knotts’ remark. The South Carolina GOP chairwoman has denounced Knotts’ comment:

State Republican Party Chairwoman Karen Floyd called on Knotts to apologize “so that we can put this unfortunate incident behind us.”
“The South Carolina Republican Party strongly condemns any use of racial or religious slurs,” Floyd said in an e-mail statement Thursday night.

It would have been nice if Floyd also condemned the sexual smear campaign against Haley. It’s clear Haley’s opponents have so dehumanized her in their own minds that they no longer recognize any boundaries between fair tactics and foul.

STAND UP FOR NIKKI HALEY!

UPDATE: Allahpundit:

The good news, I guess, is that there’s not much further to go until rock bottom.

Dude. It’s South Carolina. You got no idea how low rock-bottom might actually be. Daniel Foster at the Corner:

[I]f this is the senator doing an “unintended slur” I’d hate to hear what he sounds like when he’s really trying to offend somebody.

More blogging at Red Dog Report, Palmetto State Politics, and at Red State, where Erick Erickson says:

Were Nikki Haley as sleazy as Andre Bauer, I bet we’d start seeing all the salacious Andre Bauer rumors percolating again.

How terrible if such salacious rumors were to begin percolating! Why, Andre Bauer is no more gay than Larry Marchant!

UPDATE II: Ace of Spades has strenuously resisted the temptation to jump aboard the Haley bandwagon, torturing himself with “did-she-or-didn’t-she” analysis. But the latest attacks finally pushed him over the edge:

That’s it — I wholeheartedly endorse Nikki Haley, if only because it will make monsters cry.

Exactly. Maybe Nikki Haley actually is an Insatiable Punjabi She-Devil, or maybe not. I just don’t care anymore. She needs to win this election if only because her enemies so richly deserve defeat.

UPDATE III: “I’m Nimrata Randhawa Haley, and I approved this message.”

Category: South Carolina

Comments

69 Responses to “Nikki Haley Update: Jake Knotts and the ‘Raghead’ Heard Round the World”

Phineas
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:05 am

I’m surprised Mad King Charles isn’t all over this, but then maybe he’s gathering evidence to prove this is all part of the vast Rightwing/Christianist/Creationist Conspiracy(tm).

Meanwhile, the South Carolina GOP would do well to cut all ties with Senator Knothead.
Phineas
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:05 am

I’m surprised Mad King Charles isn’t all over this, but then maybe he’s gathering evidence to prove this is all part of the vast Rightwing/Christianist/Creationist Conspiracy(tm).

Meanwhile, the South Carolina GOP would do well to cut all ties with Senator Knothead.
richard mcenroe
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:12 am

In their defense, Sikhs have probably killed more Muslims than the US Marines…
richard mcenroe
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:12 am

In their defense, Sikhs have probably killed more Muslims than the US Marines…
yarrrrr
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:21 am

Wait till you see the video… I’m not PC at all and it made my stomach turn while I was watching… the press reports have sanitized it a bit kind of focusing on the climatic comment of it all… but there was build up to it… and IIRC, it is really odd how he goes off into a tangent… it’s almost like he’s part of the conspiracy… and I don’t remember the exact words, but he mentions her father directly… there were two separate raghead comments…
yarrrrr
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:21 am

Wait till you see the video… I’m not PC at all and it made my stomach turn while I was watching… the press reports have sanitized it a bit kind of focusing on the climatic comment of it all… but there was build up to it… and IIRC, it is really odd how he goes off into a tangent… it’s almost like he’s part of the conspiracy… and I don’t remember the exact words, but he mentions her father directly… there were two separate raghead comments…
yarrrrr
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:25 am

BTW, Haley is like 9 friends away from 9,000… let’s get that over the hill by tomorrow…

http://www.facebook.com/NikkiHaleyforGovernor?view=info
yarrrrr
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:25 am

BTW, Haley is like 9 friends away from 9,000… let’s get that over the hill by tomorrow…

http://www.facebook.com/NikkiHaleyforGovernor?view=info
Robert Stacy McCain
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:28 am

Wait till you see the video

Yeah, it obviously got a strong reaction, even in South Carolina, where apparently there are no rules.
Robert Stacy McCain
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:28 am

Wait till you see the video

Yeah, it obviously got a strong reaction, even in South Carolina, where apparently there are no rules.
Estragon
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:40 am

Here’s what is really going on here – the whole mess, from the start. The established order in this state is corrupt to its heart. Corruption is how they get things done, it’s been that way for generations and those in charge intend to stay in charge.

It used to be a one-party Democratic state in the postbellum century or so, but beginning with Strom Thurmond in 1964, conservatives began leaving for the Republican Party, a trend which continued over the years. Now, we’ve had some exemplary public servants and some fairly prominent crooks, but it always crossed party lines. The state legislature is the hub.

Some years back, a constitutional amendment changed our government from a strong governor to a weakened executive, and ever since then the legislature has festered.

Sanford was an anti-establishment reformer from his first congressional race, but his diminished powers left him powerless to stop a bipartisan orgy of spending and frivolity, but he could shine a light on it, embarrassing them in public, and he could slow them down with vetoes (which were usually overridden after a few backroom deals).

They figured they were finally rid of him when his lovesick heart scandal broke, but he managed to hang in there and remain a thorn in their sides. But now he is on the way out, and they had every reason to expect someone they could more easily deal with in the top job.

Haley messed up that calculation. She’s a reformer, and one of the dependable votes to sustain Sanford’s vetoes. She could make their lives difficult for at least another four years, just when they were looking forward to getting back to business as usual.

So she must be destroyed at all costs. You know 25 years ago there wouldn’t have been time to recover from any of the allegations this close to the election. The internet is pretty fast, though, and it seems to have completely backfired.

This isn’t over, of course, even if Haley wins a majority and the election. She will still be fighting the same fights Sanford has, against the same people, and probably with the same results (unless we get an AG who isn’t afraid to investigate the legislators, in which case she has a shot, but fat chance). We keep sending good people to Columbia, and that fetid cesspool sucks them in like they were being assimilated into the Collective of Borg.
Estragon
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:40 am

Here’s what is really going on here – the whole mess, from the start. The established order in this state is corrupt to its heart. Corruption is how they get things done, it’s been that way for generations and those in charge intend to stay in charge.

It used to be a one-party Democratic state in the postbellum century or so, but beginning with Strom Thurmond in 1964, conservatives began leaving for the Republican Party, a trend which continued over the years. Now, we’ve had some exemplary public servants and some fairly prominent crooks, but it always crossed party lines. The state legislature is the hub.

Some years back, a constitutional amendment changed our government from a strong governor to a weakened executive, and ever since then the legislature has festered.

Sanford was an anti-establishment reformer from his first congressional race, but his diminished powers left him powerless to stop a bipartisan orgy of spending and frivolity, but he could shine a light on it, embarrassing them in public, and he could slow them down with vetoes (which were usually overridden after a few backroom deals).

They figured they were finally rid of him when his lovesick heart scandal broke, but he managed to hang in there and remain a thorn in their sides. But now he is on the way out, and they had every reason to expect someone they could more easily deal with in the top job.

Haley messed up that calculation. She’s a reformer, and one of the dependable votes to sustain Sanford’s vetoes. She could make their lives difficult for at least another four years, just when they were looking forward to getting back to business as usual.

So she must be destroyed at all costs. You know 25 years ago there wouldn’t have been time to recover from any of the allegations this close to the election. The internet is pretty fast, though, and it seems to have completely backfired.

This isn’t over, of course, even if Haley wins a majority and the election. She will still be fighting the same fights Sanford has, against the same people, and probably with the same results (unless we get an AG who isn’t afraid to investigate the legislators, in which case she has a shot, but fat chance). We keep sending good people to Columbia, and that fetid cesspool sucks them in like they were being assimilated into the Collective of Borg.
Christopher Renner
June 4th, 2010 @ 7:05 am

You forgot to link to “There are 5 A’s in Raaaaacism”. 🙂
Christopher Renner
June 4th, 2010 @ 2:05 am

You forgot to link to “There are 5 A’s in Raaaaacism”. 🙂
Robert Stacy McCain
June 4th, 2010 @ 7:21 am

You forgot to link to “There are 5 A’s in Raaaaacism”

Like Phineas, I’m kind of puzzled that CJ hasn’t weighed in on the Haley saga. Here’s a perfect chance for him to scream “raaaaacism” at Republicans. The only problem for Charles here is, Haley is endorsed by Palin, so he has to hate her, too.
Robert Stacy McCain
June 4th, 2010 @ 2:21 am

You forgot to link to “There are 5 A’s in Raaaaacism”

Like Phineas, I’m kind of puzzled that CJ hasn’t weighed in on the Haley saga. Here’s a perfect chance for him to scream “raaaaacism” at Republicans. The only problem for Charles here is, Haley is endorsed by Palin, so he has to hate her, too.
yarrrrr
June 4th, 2010 @ 7:41 am

Here was Haley’s first reaction…

http://www.wolo.com/article.php?id=3624&page=index
yarrrrr
June 4th, 2010 @ 2:41 am

Here was Haley’s first reaction…

http://www.wolo.com/article.php?id=3624&page=index
Bob Belvedere
June 4th, 2010 @ 11:32 am

If my choice in the voting booth is between an Insatiable Punjabi She-Devil [which would fit in with Roxeanne’s theory] and a jerky dweeb, I’m voting for the She-Devil.

GO NIKKI!
Bob Belvedere
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:32 am

If my choice in the voting booth is between an Insatiable Punjabi She-Devil [which would fit in with Roxeanne’s theory] and a jerky dweeb, I’m voting for the She-Devil.

GO NIKKI!
Nikki Haley called a "raghead" by Mark Sanford opponent Sen. Jake Knotts « Read NEWS
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:37 am

[…] a radio interview yesterday, Knotts said the following via our friend Stacy over at TheOtherMcCain.com: “We already got one raghead in the White House, we don’t need a raghead in the governor’s […]
Estragon
June 4th, 2010 @ 11:38 am

Golly gee wow, isn’t it odd how so many of the players in this farce are linked in some way to Andre Bauer. They don’t even need “degrees of separation” . . .

Bauer, Marchant (watch the vid and tell ME what he is besides a sleazebag), Folks (girlfriend beater, serial liar), Shealy (convicted of campaign crimes), Donehue, Richter (disgraced judge, drug criminal, fixer) . . . it’s like a Bauer family reunion. Hate to be the guy who has to clean the hot tub after one of those . . .

I’m just in one rural and predominantly Democratic county, but the momentum definitely seems with Haley. People are looking at Folks and Marchant, and saying, “Uh-huh, right.”
Estragon
June 4th, 2010 @ 6:38 am

Golly gee wow, isn’t it odd how so many of the players in this farce are linked in some way to Andre Bauer. They don’t even need “degrees of separation” . . .

Bauer, Marchant (watch the vid and tell ME what he is besides a sleazebag), Folks (girlfriend beater, serial liar), Shealy (convicted of campaign crimes), Donehue, Richter (disgraced judge, drug criminal, fixer) . . . it’s like a Bauer family reunion. Hate to be the guy who has to clean the hot tub after one of those . . .

I’m just in one rural and predominantly Democratic county, but the momentum definitely seems with Haley. People are looking at Folks and Marchant, and saying, “Uh-huh, right.”
Joe
June 4th, 2010 @ 12:00 pm

I had no idea South Carolina had this subculture of dirty politics. I knew about Lee Atwater (who I thought more of a rouge than evil), but these Haley attacks are insane.
Joe
June 4th, 2010 @ 7:00 am

I had no idea South Carolina had this subculture of dirty politics. I knew about Lee Atwater (who I thought more of a rouge than evil), but these Haley attacks are insane.
Maybe beautiful women really do drive men crazy « The Tiger on Politics
June 4th, 2010 @ 7:07 am

[…] Contra Stacy McCain, I think that “raghead” is actually being used quite correctly as a slur here — both male and female devout Sikhs do wear headgear, which could be called “rags” by the not-so-nice. ”Raghead” can be correctly used for both Muslims and Sikhs, just as “gook” serves for both Koreans and Vietnamese. […]
Estragon
June 4th, 2010 @ 12:20 pm

Hey, Atwater played hardball, not sleazeball. Remember in his time, just looking up a guy’s voting record was considered “oppo research.” Atwater never brought up personal scandalous information that I remember, it was more what the political record disclosed.

These guys thought they had it bought and paid for, and are watching it slip away. They never saw Haley coming at all, which is why all these “scandal” stories sound so preposterous, they didn’t have time to cook up anything believable.
Estragon
June 4th, 2010 @ 7:20 am

Hey, Atwater played hardball, not sleazeball. Remember in his time, just looking up a guy’s voting record was considered “oppo research.” Atwater never brought up personal scandalous information that I remember, it was more what the political record disclosed.

These guys thought they had it bought and paid for, and are watching it slip away. They never saw Haley coming at all, which is why all these “scandal” stories sound so preposterous, they didn’t have time to cook up anything believable.
David Lee
June 4th, 2010 @ 12:40 pm

Everyone’s a little bit racist
Today.
So, everyone’s a little bit racist
Okay!
Ethinic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They’re based on truth.
Don’t take them as
Personal attacks.
Everyone enjoys them –
So relax!

–Avenue Q
David Lee
June 4th, 2010 @ 7:40 am

Everyone’s a little bit racist
Today.
So, everyone’s a little bit racist
Okay!
Ethinic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They’re based on truth.
Don’t take them as
Personal attacks.
Everyone enjoys them –
So relax!

–Avenue Q
Count Vikula
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:14 pm

I hope her kids are young enough to not be on the internet yet.
Count Vikula
June 4th, 2010 @ 8:14 am

I hope her kids are young enough to not be on the internet yet.
Andrew Sullivan
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:31 pm

I had a dream last night that I was lost in Sarah Palin’s garden. It was springtime, and there were bluebells everywhere. I suddenly realized where I was and tried to get out to the street. But there was just more garden …

Oh wait, this is the Nikki Haley nightmare? Nevermind.
Andrew Sullivan
June 4th, 2010 @ 8:31 am

I had a dream last night that I was lost in Sarah Palin’s garden. It was springtime, and there were bluebells everywhere. I suddenly realized where I was and tried to get out to the street. But there was just more garden …

Oh wait, this is the Nikki Haley nightmare? Nevermind.
Open Mouth insert foot « DaTechguy's Blog
June 4th, 2010 @ 8:47 am

[…] I’ve been avoiding the whole who’s sleeping with who story story a bit because I think it’s tawdry political rumor (missing out on a google bomb here.) […]
section9
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:52 pm

No, Andrew, that was “blueballs” everywhere and you were dreaming about Andre Bauer.

Now please stop. We don’t want yet ANOTHER Mike Rogers article outing Andre because, well, just because of his gayface.
section9
June 4th, 2010 @ 8:52 am

No, Andrew, that was “blueballs” everywhere and you were dreaming about Andre Bauer.

Now please stop. We don’t want yet ANOTHER Mike Rogers article outing Andre because, well, just because of his gayface.
Brian O'Connor
June 4th, 2010 @ 1:59 pm

Twitter IS the new news media. Between @sorenkay, @wesleydonehue and @michaelhaley, the “raghead” story was revealed, even though the tapes were mysteriously erased.
Brian O'Connor
June 4th, 2010 @ 8:59 am

Twitter IS the new news media. Between @sorenkay, @wesleydonehue and @michaelhaley, the “raghead” story was revealed, even though the tapes were mysteriously erased.
mrp
June 4th, 2010 @ 2:01 pm

All of this is well and good … and bad … and just crazy, but what I’d like to know is: which one of the gubie candidates has Mike Huckabee endorsed?
mrp
June 4th, 2010 @ 9:01 am

All of this is well and good … and bad … and just crazy, but what I’d like to know is: which one of the gubie candidates has Mike Huckabee endorsed?
karen martin
June 4th, 2010 @ 2:36 pm

@mrp … Huckabee endorsed Bauer
karen martin
June 4th, 2010 @ 9:36 am

@mrp … Huckabee endorsed Bauer
Raymond
June 4th, 2010 @ 4:28 pm

Nikki Haley will become the first female governor of South Carolina and Sarah Palin will become the first female president of the United States. Even though I am a man, let us try increasing women leaders on our country in order to get rid of corruption. Male politicians are addicted to corruption!!
Raymond
June 4th, 2010 @ 11:28 am

Nikki Haley will become the first female governor of South Carolina and Sarah Palin will become the first female president of the United States. Even though I am a man, let us try increasing women leaders on our country in order to get rid of corruption. Male politicians are addicted to corruption!!
Wondering Jew
June 4th, 2010 @ 4:58 pm

I agree with Stacy that I don’t want to be the PC police, but this has gone way, way over the line. I was an early donor to Haley. I think she will be an outstanding Governor. I got a bit nervous about her denials of an affair in the wake of some circumstancial evidence, because it’s not the crime, it’s the coverup. But at this point the attacks on Haley are so sleazy that whatever she did or didn’t do is beside the point.

Those wanting to get out of the moral swamp of S. Carolina politics have no choice but to put Haley in the Governor’s mansion.
Wondering Jew
June 4th, 2010 @ 11:58 am

I agree with Stacy that I don’t want to be the PC police, but this has gone way, way over the line. I was an early donor to Haley. I think she will be an outstanding Governor. I got a bit nervous about her denials of an affair in the wake of some circumstancial evidence, because it’s not the crime, it’s the coverup. But at this point the attacks on Haley are so sleazy that whatever she did or didn’t do is beside the point.

Those wanting to get out of the moral swamp of S. Carolina politics have no choice but to put Haley in the Governor’s mansion.
H. G. Fielding
June 4th, 2010 @ 5:14 pm

“Huckabee endorsed Bauer”

Another reason to support Haley.
H. G. Fielding
June 4th, 2010 @ 12:14 pm

“Huckabee endorsed Bauer”

Another reason to support Haley.
ak4mc
June 4th, 2010 @ 5:27 pm

Another reason to support Haley.

YGTR.*

(*”You got that right.” If it isn’t an internet acronym, it oughta be.)