Unabashed Racist Wins GOP Primary in Tenn

DeltaSigStan · #1 08-06-2004, 01:19 PM

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...nics_candidate
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - An unabashed racist will represent the Republican party in the November election for a congressional seat after a write-in candidate failed to derail his effort.

AP Photo

With 86 percent of the primary vote counted Thursday, write-in candidate Dennis Bertrand had just 1,554 votes compared to 7,671, or 83 percent, for James L. Hart, a believer in the discredited, phony science of eugenics.

In November, the GOP candidate will oppose Rep. John Tanner (news, bio, voting record), a Democrat who has represented the northwest Tennessee district for 15 years.

Hart, 60, vows if elected to work toward keeping "less favored races" from reproducing or immigrating to the United States. In campaign literature, Hart contends that "poverty genes" threaten to turn the United States into "one big Detroit."

"I didn't expect to win," Hart said. "I thought their network would beat my ideas."

He has run for the 8th District seat before and drawn little attention. But people began to notice this time because he was the only Republican on the ballot.

Since the deadline for getting on the ballot had passed, Bertrand, also a Republican, began a write-in campaign, saying he wanted to protect the party's honor.

"I think his beliefs are not beliefs of any party that I know of," Bertrand said Thursday night. "I knew it was going to be a really long shot, but in good conscience, I had to at least give it an attempt."

Bertrand, a financial analyst and former military officer, was on active duty with the National Guard when the deadline to get on the primary ballot passed.

Hart said he will have lots of time to campaign for the general election since he was forced Wednesday to resign from his job as a real estate salesman because of the attention he drew during the primary.

"They didn't say 'You're fired' in exactly those words, but it was pretty clear what they wanted," Hart said.

While campaigning, Hart sometimes wears a protective vest and carries a .40-caliber pistol, but he said he has run into no trouble.

"When I knock on a door and say white children deserve the same rights as everybody else, the enthusiastic response is truly amazing," he said.

If a black person opens the door, he says he simply drops off campaign literature and leaves.

Lady Pi Phi · #2 08-06-2004, 01:40 PM

Kevin · #3 08-06-2004, 01:51 PM

He'll go the way of David Duke.

Ain't no way he wins. If he does, it'll say something very sad about the people of Tennessee. The only reason I can think of that explains how he won the primary is that he ran unopposed.

Rudey · #4 08-06-2004, 01:57 PM

He must have been a former Democrat or something...probably still is.

-Rudey

_Opi_ · #5 08-06-2004, 02:26 PM

Wow.

and what about Detroit?

33girl · #6 08-06-2004, 02:33 PM

What about Detroit? Huh?

KSigkid · #7 08-06-2004, 02:52 PM

No way he wins that election...too many reasonable people to get this guy into office.

Although you wouldn't think he'd even get this far.

seraphimsprite · #8 08-06-2004, 03:32 PM

He won't win the election. The democrat has been in office for like 15+ years, which is why the GOP didn't even try to field a real candidate for the race.

But like I mentioned in the other thread on this, the thing that scares me is that over 7,000 people even voted for him at all. And his views on eugenics have been well publicized in the local media.

The1calledTKE · #9 08-06-2004, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rudey
He must have been a former Democrat or something...probably still is.

-Rudey

Why because Republicans can't do wrong?

Rudey · #10 08-06-2004, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The1calledTKE
Why because Republicans can't do wrong?

Well Democrats in the South tend to still want segregation from what we've heard up here.

-Rudey

GRhinoUK · #11 08-06-2004, 07:27 PM

This guy won't win, but he will get votes just because of his party. Some people would vote for the devil if he were with the right party. My guess is the only votes he'll get are from closet racists and sraight-ticket voters. Politics have always been a place to covertly express and/or support personal prejudices. As for the straight-ticket voters, they won't add up to anything significant.

The1calledTKE · #12 08-06-2004, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rudey
Well Democrats in the South tend to still want segregation from what we've heard up here.

-Rudey

Not that I know of but there probably are a few. It is Republicans that tend to get in trouble for racist stuff in the south. Look what happened to Trent Lott.

PhiPsiRuss · #13 08-06-2004, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The1calledTKE
Not that I know of but there probably are a few. It is Republicans that tend to get in trouble for racist stuff in the south. Look what happened to Trent Lott.

When David Duke was in the KKK, he was a registered Democrat.

Jill1228 · #14 08-06-2004, 09:22 PM

My sentiments exactly! I have to admit I am not surprised.

Did he get most of the votes in Pulaski, TN? That is where the KKK started

Quote:

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi

Kevin · #15 08-06-2004, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The1calledTKE
Not that I know of but there probably are a few. It is Republicans that tend to get in trouble for racist stuff in the south. Look what happened to Trent Lott.

You're still trying to call that crap racist?

He was just trying to be nice to Strom Thurmand who had a very influential career in politics. I'm not sure it was a smart and well researched statement, but racist?? C'mon..

Lay off of my bro, would ya?