The Atlantic - Latest Comments in More on Nikki Tinker

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

iolanthe — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:24:40 -0000

Wasn't "the problem we all live with" the painting planted by OJ Simpson's defence team so that the jury would connect with him when they visited the scene of the crime? If so, that suggests it (and by extension Rockwell) can't be seen as all that racist.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Matt — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:32:10 -0000

"that only a black candidate could represent a majority black district "

I don't have a problem with someone arguing that. In fact, in response to the House apology I wrote something partly sympathetic to that position.

But those religious allusions in Tinker's ad had nothing to do with Cohen being white? Or did you think only Blacks were Christians? "Now I lay me down to sleep" is not an attack on Cohen's whiteness.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Reality Man — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:55:14 -0000

Woohooo! Go Cohen!

Random fact: George Rockwell partly grew up in the same town in Illinois that also gave us Adlai and Maclean Stevenson.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Rainy — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:18:41 -0000

Blacks have no problem voting for a white candidate. Been doing it for years. We would never put Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson or anyone like them in office. Believe it. Identity politics has never worked on us. I live in Ohio and have yet to meet a black person who has something against Jews. I'm sorry, here in Ohio that is completely foreign to us. But be a big city thing and even then I think it's being overstated. I'm sure there are examples, like Farrakhan, but he doesn't represent every black person in America. Let's think clearly here.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

James — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:39:53 -0000

Ta-Nehisi,

Matt's readers will like you anyway - you don't have to do the same type of errors as him.

He would have spelt Rockwell wrong anyway.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Dandaman — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:17:18 -0000

"...a landslide win with 79 percent of the vote to Tinker's 19 percent."

May all Jew-haters rot in Hell --- especially the diehard remnant, the final "19 percent."

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

professordarkheart — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:25:25 -0000

Dude. Nikki Tinker looks like she spent too long in a flight simulator with 100 g's being applied to her face and it got stuck that way.

But my real point:

num1Obamaton writes: Repubs/conservatives who have no voice when these tactics are used against their political opponents, have no real credibility when the cry out about Tinker.

I agree, but then I'm not likely to grant them a lot of credibility anyway. I'm more disturbed by "progressive" groups like the CBC and EMILY's List who supported Tinker on the basis of gender and race despite the fact that Cohen was a better representative of their supposed agendas. After he survived a crowded primary field and then had to stave off an independent challenge from Harold Ford, Jr.'s brother (while Harold himself was at the top of the Democratic ticket in the Senate race), it seems pretty clear that the black voters of the 9th wanted this guy to represent them, and yet the CBC broke protocol to support Tinker because they thought her skin color (and Ford credentials?) was more important than those votes. EMILY's List, which supposedly exists primarily to help elect pro-choice candidates, went with the woman who was weaker on choice than Cohen. Meanwhile, Harold Ford, Jr., who had said it was "inappropriate" for the CBC to support a black challenger over a white incumbent when it wasn't his own old seat that was at issue, seems fine with his wife maxing out in donations to Tinker.

So while I agree with Serwer that there's nothing remarkable about Tinker's tactics, I do think it's important to put the supposedly progressive voices that backed her on blast. They're supposed to be supporting principles that actually matter in the lives of real people, and when they forget that in favor of cheap symbolism, we all lose.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Larry Geater — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:15:30 -0000

I went to the Cohen Campaign watch/victory party lastnight. It was a great evening. I thought he would win but Ms Tinker being rewarded with a landslide against her by way of thanks for being a racist was a pleasant surprise.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

num1Obamaton — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:01:35 -0000

benjamin: "Yes. It is no different from what Republicans do. Whats your point ? That was one reason for which she needed to be defeated, condemned, humiliated and ran out of Democratic politics forever."

I think the point is what Serwer wrote; "What's really remarkable about Nikki Tinker's racist campaign is that it's not remarkable at all."

Tagging a political opponent as a cultural outsider; that's lifted right from the Republican playbook. The fact that, in this case, it was used by a black democratic candidate against a white candidate, doesn't make it more(or less)reprehensible. Repubs/conservatives who have no voice when these tactics are used against their political opponents, have no real credibility when the cry out about Tinker.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

John Henry — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:43:02 -0000

"The Tinker campaign's attempt to argue that only a black candidate could represent a majority black district isn't so different from John McCain's invocation of himself as "the American president Americans have been waiting for."

Right, and let's not forget Hillary Clinton in the primaries with rural working class whites.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Brian — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:22:00 -0000

Whatever your feelings toward the academic realist aesthetic that found a schmaltzy apotheosis with Rockwell, he wasn't a racist. In fact he left the Saturday Evening Post for Look Magazine because of a break with their conservative editorial policy which dictated that blacks be depicted *only* in a servile capacity, e.g. as porters, waiters, etc.

He went to Look Magaizne to be allowed to address some issues of social justice. The readers above references "The Problem We All Live With", his famous picture of Ruby Bridges being escorted to school. In Rockwell's mind, the problem wasn't with Miss Bridges, it was the racist anger (found in the graffitti in the picture) that necessitated the national guard. Later pictures by Rockwell aslo addressed integration of neighborhoods and the slaying of civil rights workers in Mississipi.

Also, more to the point, way to go Memphis! And shame on Ms. Tinker for the race/religion baiting.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

cooliehawk — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:01:06 -0000

Maybe he means Rockwell.

I known I always feel like somebody's watching me.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Dog's New Clothes — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:30:40 -0000

Ta-Nehisi,

I think you mean George Lincoln Rockwell.

Unless you REALLY don't like Norman Rockwell's drawings. Which is understandable.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

moondancer — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:17:53 -0000

At least he didn't spell clannishness with a "K". There is a patient ongoing "conspiracy" on the right to try to immunize themselves from the racist label by making the story that the blacks are the true bigots.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

frankie d — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:14:51 -0000

black folks consistently ignore the race of a politician, and vote their interests, even if a race pits a white politician against a black politician.

as a detroit native, i recall a matronly, grey-haired white woman routinely receiving more votes than any african-american running for city council and serving as the head of the council for years.

most black folks don't give a hoot about the race of a candidate and right-wingers like hannity simply run that "black racism" BS just to be able to offer some pushback when they get caught running their typically racist campaigns.

and i would agree that what tinker did is really no different than what republicans typically do. that is why it was so nice to see black voters look past that nonsense and vote for the person, not a caricature of that person based on racism and anti-semitism.

if only white american voters were able to do so, on a routine basis.

maybe they will, this year.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Gimmeliberty — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:58:06 -0000

Jaybird, wasn't that just an accurate portrait of events during school integration? It looks to me like the painting highlights Ruby Bridges courage, and has a decidedly pro-Civil Rights message.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Adam — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:55:36 -0000

Was the big fo'head cute before Tyra made it cute?

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Jaybird — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:46:01 -0000

Norman Rockwell painted a picture of a little African-American girl and he totally painted the N-Word on the wall behind her.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

J-Luv — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:43:10 -0000

Don't front, you know you got a crush . . . Seriously tho, I was rootin for the guy, and its good to see that the voting public is more sophisticated than the nonsense Tinker was trying to push. She still cute tho . . .

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

Gimmeliberty — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:41:02 -0000

I'll bite -- why is Norman Rockwell burning in hell?

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

jack — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:39:13 -0000

i'm not sure, he endorsed her---but he and his wife did max out on donations to her campaign.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

benjamin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:39:08 -0000

Yes. It is no different from what Republicans do.

Whats your point ? That was one reason for which she needed to be defeated, condemned, humiliated and ran out of Democratic politics forever

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

jay — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:38:49 -0000

black people always vote for white people--for senator, congressman (often), and president among other offices. blacks have proven themselves on this score. have whites shown this same ability? not yet.

tinker is the black ann coulter. bloulter.

Re: More on Nikki Tinker

anon — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:36:21 -0000

Didn't Harold Ford Jr. actually endorse her before he condemed her ad or am i mistaken?