McLaughlin is facing fire Monday for referring to Barack Obama as an "Oreo" on his program

[Hope And Change]

John McLaughlin's comments have caused controversy.


July 14, 2008

McLaughlin takes heat for 'Oreo' comment

Posted: 11:58 AM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

(CNN) — Longtime Washington talk-show host John McLaughlin is facing fire Monday for referring to Barack Obama as an "Oreo" during a segment on his Sunday political program, "The McLaughlin Group.

The veteran Washington journalist was discussing the recent comments from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was caught last week by an open microphone on Fox News saying the Illinois senator is "talking down to black people" as he campaigns for the White House. Those remarks were largely seen in reference to Obama's recent admonishment at a Chicago church of some black men who he said were not living up to their responsibilities as parents.

Referencing Jackosn's comments, McLaughlin said Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo — a black on the outside, a white on the inside."

"Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that…an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" McLaughlin asked his panelists.

The term "Oreo" is often viewed as a derogatory term toward some African-Americans who appear not exhibit certain stereotypes of their race.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/14/mclaughlin-takes-heat-for-oreo-comment/">Read the entire articl here

[TwilightGardener]

1. Oh Lord. More race shit. Can these guys ever talk issues? EVER??

[flor de jasmim]

2. Thought you wrote "faces being fired"... (one can hope)

[HughBeaumont]

8. IOKIYAR.

It's OK If You're a Republican.

If a democrat said this, they'd be hung by their thumbs.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

3. WRONG!! n/t

[Botany]

4. How long before we hear "it was taken out of context"

Oreo like N****r, C**t, and Wet Back has but one purpose it is meant to hurt.


John McLaughlin should apologize and walk away from the mic for good.

BTW if Obama was trying to be an Oreo why does he have a black wife,
attended a black church, and worked with and for inner city blacks after
college?

[Stuart G]

5. You are correct, but,

he really doesn't have that much class. He has no class.

[AspenRose]

18. Resurrecting the "is he black enough" meme

:puke:

Between this and the New Yorker stuff we're seeing a new and improved "kitchen sink" strategy.

[NatBurner]

6. this is hilarious

seeing all of this race baiting blow up in their faces

maybe next time you'll tackle an actual ISSUE, mr. mclaughlin

[CBGLuthier]

7. I will not defend his remarks, BUT

I do not care for the way CNN edited the remarks.

Here is from the exact transcript. It doesn't change what he said, but it does change HOW he said it.

DR. MCLAUGHLIN: Question -- Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that someone like Obama, who fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an "Oreo" -- a black on the outside, a white on the inside -- that an "Oreo" should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle, which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for? Peter Beinart.


Compare to the above

Referencing Jackosn's comments, McLaughlin said Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo — a black on the outside, a white on the inside."

"Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that…an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" McLaughlin asked his panelists.


Interesting the way they changed it to make it seem worse.


Never, ever trust the media to give the truth.

[Fleshdancer]

11. I don't know, I think the transcript sounds a little worse

:shrug:

[bunkerbuster1]

12. Yeah, that's some pretty nasty editing.

While McLaughlin's use of that term might be distasteful to some, it's hell and gone from actually claiming that Obama fits the stereotype.

I'll defend anyone who's shafted by shitty reporting, and that's what CNN's doing here.

[xxqqqzme]

9. so what we are discovering is all the bigots

are hiding in plain view.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. McLaughlin has always made the most outrageously racist comments...

I've been watching his show for almost my entire life and I guess he does it so much that I've become desensitized to it.

Oreo = uppity Negro who has achieved success and has forgotten that he/she belongs on a plantation

Really, I believe that this election has brought a lot of latent racism to the surface. On this very forum; some of the statements made on this forum are unconscionable, even by those who refer to themselves as liberal or progressive. And this was especially evident during the primary season. That some of us refuse to acknowledge how outrageously offensive the New Yorker cover is speaks to that larger issue.

[mrs_p]

19. i thought it

meant mixed race. at least that is how i have heard it, AND, no matter what the context, it was always meant to be a racist slur. kids in junior high use to call my friend it all the time. yeah, and that was in the 80's.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

33. I was called an Oreo by my own black brothers and sisters because I was

considered smart and a "square." It was as offensive then when they used it against me in the 80's as it is now when McLauglin uses it, particularly given his own history of racial insensitivity.

[mrs_p]

34. i'm sorry

that happened to you. and i agree - it is offensive. when i first heard it as a kid, i knew it was a hateful slur.

[ellacott]

13. I saw the program and I wasn't offended by it

I rarely watch the show because they yell too much.

It has been taken out of context. He was trying to argue Jackson's point. I believe that Jesse does think Obama is an Oreo.

[thewiseguy]

14. well thanks for using that word again

[ellacott]

16. What? Oreo is not allowed to be used here?

I didn't know.

[1Hippiechick]

22. I have some sympathy for Jesse, because he has devoted his life to civil rights, and the younger

generation who have not witnessed the struggles can't appreciate what those struggles have been. Since I am from that generation, my personal opinion is that Jesse has a fear that the younger generation--by not being fully aware of the struggles--will not "keep its guard up" and possibly that the younger AA generation will be "taken in" by "white" America, that is still not to be trusted. He has been a first-hand witness to the civil rights movement.

Not my philosophy, but my viewpoint based on being part of the struggles of the 60s and seeing the contempt that some of the younger generation has towards that period. Our generation is "blamed" by many for today's problems.

I also think that McLaughlin's use of the term "oreo" even if applying to the way Jackson may feel is a subtle way to interject a racial slur, and that is something that is happening more and more in MSM today.

[ellacott]

24. I do agree with you

I am an African American from the hippie age also. I think Jackson has an issue with turning the reins over to the younger generation. It's true that many young people aren't aware of the struggles of the past but they are well aware of things happening right now. They have the Sean Bell murder and the Jena 6 incident to remind them that they are not living in a color blind society. I a lot of the younger generation understands and appreciates the struggles of those civil rights leaders.

I'm still upset that no one carried on Jimmy Carter's efforts to lead us toward conservation and alternative energy. I think those are the types of issues that the younger generation is mad about.

[wyldwolf]

15. I haven't heard "oreo" in that context since "The Jeffersons."

[DangerousRhythm]

29. That is EXACTLY what I thought of.

First whitey, now Oreo? WTF? In related news, there was a Jeffersons marathon yesterday on TVLand. :rofl:

[1Hippiechick]

17. This makes me nervous. Where does one draw the line re free speech? It's a catch-22

If McLaughlin is fired, the end result will be to create more support for McBomb because Dems will be viewed as having a candidate who cannot be criticized, for fear of reprisal.

Same thing with The New Yorker cover - shocking at first, but IMO the best thing to do is to ignore it. I truly believe some of these attacks are "bait" to obtain demographic info, etc., or to take the "pulse" of the people. ON THE OTHER HAND, if enough ppl threaten to boycott the advertisers, that will get the attention of the network and magazine.

The worst insult is to be ignored, don't you think? If the network gets no feedback, why would they continue?

My aside: AND, my mantra has become that MSM is a pawn of the evil corporate puppeteer who is trying to keep the masses divided.

If we are divided, there is much less liklihood that THE PEOPLE can come together to overthrow our corrupt government.

And THAT'S why people do not like O's campaign of unity, IMHO.

UNITY represents STRENGTH. The revolution has begun, and so far it is peaceful.

Peace.

[ellacott]

20. What's interesting from that article is they don't say who was upset

It said he's facing fire but not from whom. When Obama started his campaign they asked whether he was black enough. In a sense that is asking if he is an oreo.

I think the outrage over this is going a little too far.

[CakeGrrl]

21. In defense of McLaughlin (as a black person)

We can't just scream "Racism!" every time we hear a questionable label unless we know the context - otherwise you risk shutting down valid dialogue.

If the OP has it right, McLaughlin defined the term and explained its use so the viewer understood the point he was making.

If you're going to have Jesse Jackson on your show to discuss his off-mic comments about Obama, why not get to the root of the issue, even if it's uncomfortable?

One thing about Obama's candidacy is that it's bringing to light all these below-the-surface issues that have been avoided until now. They may not be happy and pleasant to discuss, but they are informative and necessary.

If we shut everything down as a taboo topic, there won't be much progress made.

[1Hippiechick]

23. Bravo! Great post.

:yourock:

:headbang:

:woohoo:

[CakeGrrl]

32. Thanks! n/t

[TheDonkey]

28. I disagree. He defined the slut then went on to use it. Completely absurd and offensive

it would be like saying, "Some people call Hillary Clinton a cunt. Cunt is a derogatory word for women. Does it steam Joe Biden that this cunt did much better than him in the primary?"

Would you also find that to be an acceptable exchange?

[ellacott]

30. C*nt is nowhere near equal to oreo

That is really stretching it.

[TheDonkey]

39. says who? You?

If someone called me an Oreo, as a black person that would be more offensive than calling me a cunt. My argument is if you have to put a preface your statement that the following word is a slur then you don't go and say it "matter of factly" in your next line. Replace cunt with any other pejorative that needs to be explained is an insult and it remains the same.

[CakeGrrl]

31. Apples and oranges.

Not sure WHAT you mean by "he defined the slut"...???

Anyway, it's a matter of degree.

"Cunt" is high on the offense scale. So's "Nigger".

"Oreo"? Not so much. And I'm black, if that matters. I get what he's getting at...it's just a label for the very thing Jesse Jackson himself implied about Barack Obama. It just doesn't outrage me the way a nasty word like 'cunt' or 'nigger' would do.

[Bonobo]

37. So let's discuss whether or not Black people like watermelon, okay? Same idea.

Right?

What about big cocks? Can we discuss how black men have big cocks and dance well too?

[TexasObserver]

25. a 90 year old former priest with a very bad attitude

This guy hasn't smiled since Nixon was president.

[tishaLA]

26. and McLaughlin even tapes his show

--it's not live. He could have edited his idiocy out of the program and nobody would have been the wiser. But then again, he is also friends with Buchanan and said that Warren G Harding "was a negro," so this shouldn't surprise anyone.

[depakid]

27. The fact that McLaughlin was even wasting time with this tells you all you need to know

about his sorry show.

[SoxFan]

35. This just in: McLaughlin is still alive

[Bonobo]

36. "Oreo" concept is predicated on the idea that Blacks should "act like Blacks".

Anyone defending it is a POS.

[Horus Krupkey]

38. McL is a centrist, just like BHO. He's entitled since he's as black as BHO.

RE:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=printer_friendly&forum=132&topic_id=6498924&mesg_id=6498924

Has anybody bothered to check McL Group's Nielson Rating? Gee whiz, he's nobody.

The most liberal panelist he's had is in recent history is Page. The show is a yelling match with a few interesting factoids that McL puts out between segments, which are usually more accurate than what the NYT or WSJ prints. For example BODY COUNT, McL don't pull punches on the truth about futile blood letting.

The OREO trash is not going to be argued by anybody as a slur, when compared to The NY'er cover with BHO's wife sporting an AK-47.

Want something to bitch about, check your own backyard and find the DINOS in the house that fell in line on Pelosi's FISA capitulation to absolve the shrub for TREASON on 4th Amendment.



Heard anything about justice for Valerie Plame, ROVAKGATE blowing her cover?

[1Hippiechick]

40. Welcome to DU, but oh Jesus, don't bring up FISA - go back and look at the topics of late, and you

see one person in particular (madfloridian) who is beating this dead horse to death. All the ppl who jump on every controversy that the MSM is perpetrating are playing right into MSM's hands. MSM is controlled by corporate America whose goal is to keep the masses divided because we are ineffective if divided. And that's what scares them about Obama - his platform is about UNITY. UNITY = POWER. To achieve UNITY he has to move toward the center to find COMMON GROUND as a starting point in uniting our country, and that requires FLEXIBILITY on all our parts. The 2-party system is meant to keep us divided. So, there are plenty of posters in here who just LOVE to rant and rave about Obama moving to the center, etc. They are not helping to unite even the Democratic party. Do I sound lock-step with Obama? You better believe it. We have got to get ppl registered and to the polls to get him elected. And yes, IMHO, whatever it takes to get him elected. Please don't fall prey to the media and go off half-cocked about Obama and FISA. He had his reasons for voting the way he did, and there are other websites that offer explanations including the text of his explanation on July 3. There will be other issues that die-hard 2-party-Democrats will rant and rave about in here, and I personally think that they are into self-aggrandizement and are using DU for that purpose. They are small-minded, self-absorbed, self-centered people, IMHO, and are wasting precious time that could be used constructively in helping get Obama elected!

End of rant. :)