Date: 2025-01-06 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00027747
BIGOTRY
NOW AT THE CORE OF THE GOP
An Idaho state senator lost his cool during a bipartisan forum
GOP Pol Tells Native Candidate to “Go Back to Where You Came From”
NOW AT THE CORE OF THE GOP
An Idaho state senator lost his cool during a bipartisan forum
GOP Pol Tells Native Candidate to “Go Back to Where You Came From”
a sign reading 'Welcome to Kendrick, Idaho'
Francis Dean/Corbis/Getty Images
Original article: https://newrepublic.com/post/186784/gop-pol-tells-native-candidate-go-back-came-from
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
According to Webster's 'The meaning of BIGOTRY is obstinate or intolerant devotion to one's own opinions and prejudices : the state of mind of a bigot.'
Much of the United States ... that is many Americans and especially people who would describe themselves as Republicans have become invested in bigotry ... racism ... sexism ... and more!.
This is a huge problem that needs to be addressed even though it is difficult to address.
This particular population seems intent on moving the United States backwards in time as fast as possible. I am reminded of the tag line in a British radio show when I was growing up 'Ignorance is Bliss ... 'tis folly to be wise'. This must have been around 1947 when I was 7 years old!. But the meaning if clear ... and fits much of the modern GOP very well.
A few days ago I attended a Google Tech event in New York ... invited by my daughter. Apparently around 1500 people were registered for the event which had a capacity of just 500. Even though we were very late arriving ... an accident on the road In New Jersey which delayed us for almost 2 hours! ... we were able to enter the event, and I am glad this was possible. But the real shock for me was not so much the amazing progress there is in technology but the fact that most of the people attending this Google Tech event were immigrants and recent arrivals (including first generation) from all over the world and hardly any American born and bred! What does this mean for the future of the United States and its position in the world ... and the impact there will be with a policy framework that Trump is promising as President of the USA. While President Biden did not get everything right, his Presidency has been more consequential (good) than any American Presidency in my lifetime ... and I am now 84 years old! In Biden has done more important legislation than Eisenhauer, Kennedy and Johnson combined.
Peter Burgess
An Idaho state senator lost his cool during a bipartisan forum.
Written by Hafiz Rashid
October 4, 2024/10:41 a.m. ET
In Idaho, a Republican state senator shouted, “Go back to where you came from” at a Native American candidate at a political forum Tuesday.
Senator Dan Foreman was asked by an audience member at a bipartisan “Meet Your Candidates” event in Kendrick, Idaho, if discrimination existed in the state. He replied that it did not, Boise State Public Radio reported.
Trish Carter-Goodheart, who is running for a state House seat and is a member of the Nez Perce tribe, took issue with Foreman’s contention, and spoke up.
“When it was my turn to speak, I calmly pointed out that just because someone hasn’t personally experienced discrimination doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Racism and discrimination are real issues here in Idaho, as anyone familiar with our state’s history knows,” Carter-Goodheart said in a statement issued after the forum.
“I highlighted our weak hate crime laws and mentioned the presence of the Aryan Nations in northern Idaho as undeniable evidence of this reality,” said Carter-Goodheart, whose words were corroborated by others in attendance at the event.
Foreman then became agitated and shouted, “I’m so sick and tired of this liberal bullshit! Why don’t you go back to where you came from?” He reportedly then stormed out of the event.
The Nez Perce tribe, along with other Native tribes, have lived in the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years, while Foreman was born in Illinois. The senator has a reputation for publicly shouting and using profanity, having yelled at students lobbying for birth control in Boise in 2018.
Native American voters were pivotal in 2020’s election, proving to be a decisive factor in battleground states such as Wisconsin and Arizona. Racist outbursts won’t help Republicans win key votes even in small-town Idaho.
My statement regarding the events of last night's all-candidate forum in Kendrick.
Last night, I entered what should have been a respectful and constructive public candidate forum. Instead, I was met with hateful, racist remarks from State Senator Dan Foreman, who screamed at me to “go back where you came from.”
The question on the floor was about a state bill addressing discrimination. One of the candidates responded, claiming that “discrimination doesn’t exist in Idaho.” When it was my turn to speak, I calmly pointed out that just because someone hasn’t personally experienced discrimination doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Racism and discrimination are real issues here in Idaho, as anyone familiar with our state’s history knows. I highlighted our weak hate crime laws and mentioned the presence of the Aryan Nations in northern Idaho as undeniable evidence of this reality. That’s when Sen. Foreman lost all control. His words to me: “I’m so sick and tired of this liberal b*llsh*t! Why don’t you go back to where you came from?!”
I stayed. I stayed because I wanted to show our community that I can, and will, handle difficult, unpleasant situations. After the forum, several members of the crowd came up to me and offered their support, apologizing for Sen. Foreman’s behavior. But it’s not the people in the crowd who need to apologize.
I need to thank the women who stood with me against this hate: Representative Lori McCann, Kathy Dawes, and Moscow City Councilwoman Julia Parker. You had my back when it mattered, and I appreciate your strength and solidarity.
What happened last night was a reminder of why this election matters. I am a proud member of the Nez Perce tribe, fighting to represent the land my family has lived on for generations. People like Dan Foreman do not represent our diverse community, and I will continue to stand against the hatred and racism they spread. Our state deserves better. Our community deserves better. We deserve better.
Trish Carter-Goodheart for Idaho Politician