In stunning audio posted at TMZ, Los Angeles Clippers' owner Donald Sterling chides a person who is apparently his girlfriend for "taking pictures with minorities" and "associating with black people." Sterling sees her as a "delicate" "Latina or white girl," and as such doesn't understand why she should "associate with black people." He doesn't want her bringing black people to games, including NBA legend Magic Johnson.
Assuming the audio is authentic — What kind of crazy, reactionary mindset would cause an owner who works in an industry dominated by black players to have such opinions and feelings? The evidence is admittedly thin and a bit dated, but to the extent it exists, that answer is, apparently, "one who supports and donates to liberal Democrats" (HT Gateway Pundit):
Donald Sterling, Los Angeles Clippers
Records show Sterling has donated just $6,000, with no activity since the early 1990s. He supported Gray Davis early in his career, as well as Bill Bradley.
As noted, this is not definitive evidence of Sterling's current political leanings. But if the Clippers' owner had a 20 year-old record of donating to Republican candidates, it would not only be included in mainstream media stories about the controversy; it would also be considered prima facie evidence of racism.
So far, there's stone silence about Sterling's politics in stories found at the Associated Press, which notes that Sterling "has a decades-long history of alleged discrimination and offensive behavior"; the New York Times; and the Washington Post, which has included a quote from the Clippers' team president noting that the woman involved "is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million."
The media-related snippet of the weekend comes from the Facebook post by African-American Conservatives (HT Young Conservatives):
... if msnbc doesn't focus on him exclusively for the next 2 weeks ... he's not a Republican.
Indeed.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
