They may not be deeply offended citizens, but they can play them for the t.v. cameras

By Lee Russ

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 at 04:07 PM

Do you find the word "slavishly" to have ugly connotations?  Do you think it implies that the person whose actions are described is somehow actually acting as a slave?

Well, a bunch of Maryland Republicans think so, or, more likely, are pretending to think so in an attempt to stir up anger against a nationally prominent Democrat.

In Maryland, Democrat Ben Cardin, who is white, is running for the U.S. Senate against Republican Michael Steele, who is black.  As he introduced Cardin this past Sunday to an audience of black business owners, Steny Hoyer (congressman from MD) said that Steele had "slavishly" supported the GOP.

The news report link above notes that:

Although the House Minority Whip's word choice did not cause a visible reaction from the crowd, Maryland Republicans were quick to take offense.

State Republican Party executive director John Gibson said in a statement that Hoyer's weekend remarks were "racist attacks" that referred to slavery.

Hoyer apologized for the remark.

"I should not have used that word. If Mr. Steele did in fact take offense, let me assure him that none was intended," Hoyer said in a statement.

A spokesman for Steele, Doug Heye, said Steele was "very bothered" by the remark. "Slavishly" means to act submissively, or with the characteristics of a slave.

Steele told The Sun of Baltimore that Hoyer's description was "the height of arrogance."

It seems to me that Republicans these days--both white and black, "slavishly" adhere to the dictates of Luntz, Rove, DeLay, Weyrich et al. that the best way to attain and retain political power is to attack your opponents all the time, on everything, everywhere, so that they waste their time and energy on defending against baseless accusations.

I really do despise what these bastards have done to this country, its government, its atmosphere, its ethics, and its ability to debate the thousands of issues that will determine whether we remain a reasonably free and democratic nation.  And I really despise what they've done to our language and ability to communicate.