While I was aware that a fever-swamp Democrat in Wisconsin was planning to pass out Ku Klux Klan hoods at some kind of Wisconsin Republican gathering, I had no idea until this morning that the Associated Press actually considered it a national story back on May 1. It was really even more than a national story at the self-described "essential global news network." It was so vital that the nation know about this offensive plan that the AP carried it at its "Big Story" site.
I should have figured that Scott Bauer, the bitter critic of Republican Governor Scott Walker disguised as an AP reporter, would be the guy who thought that devoting 13 paragraphs and over 400 words to Democratic State Representative and gubernatorial candidate (seriously) Brett Hulsey's anticipated stunt was a worthwhile expenditure of precious journalistic time and resources. Given that level of original attention, the wire service should have followed up (but of course didn't) with a national story noting that Hulsey abandoned the KKK hood idea, but still showed up at the May 2-4 Badger State GOP Convention to call out Republicans as racists — and, as captured in the following video (HT The Blaze), was confronted by a "colorful" Republican attendee:
From The Blaze's report (bolds are mine):
Rather than pass out Ku Klux Klan hoods as originally promised, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor Brett Hulsey instead dressed in a homemade Confederate uniform and outlined Gov. Scott Walker’s “racist record” outside the state’s Republican convention last weekend.
However, Hulsey’s stunt came screeching to a halt when Pam Stevens, a black GOP delegate, confronted him over his misleading and offensive rhetoric.
“My question to you is if you give them hoods, what would you give me?” Stevens asked.
Looking slightly uncomfortable, Hulsey replied, “I just hope you would vote against secession.”
Needless to say, but worthy of note as an indication of how Hulsey's in-progress humiliation was proceeding, "secession" wasn't on the convention agenda.
Continuing:
In video of the exchange captured by the MacIver Institute, Stevens then tells the candidate that she was offended by his plan to hand out KKK hoods “based on the fact that the history of the Klan comes from the Democrat Party.”
... Hulsey likely would like to forget what happened next.
“The Democratic Party is the party that’s constantly trying to put people on labels and in blocs and things like that,” Stevens lectured. “Your party is the party that’s trying to tell black families that they don’t know how to make choices to educate their children and that they have to stay in public education.”
Kudos to Ms. Stevens for administering a thorough butt-kicking.
After the confrontation, Hulsey allegedly stated in an email to another publication that "A minority in the GOP is like a chicken at Colonel Sanders’ house. They may feed you and let you crow a bit, but it does not end well."
Let's focus on Hulsey's pathetic sign for just a moment. His Number One example of Scott Walker's in reality non-existent racism is "Cuts $15B (billion) Needlessly." The amount is sheer fantasy. After taking office in 2011, Walker closed a $3.5 billion budget hole left by Democratic predecessor Jim Doyle. But the more fundamental point here is that we have an elected Democrat who apparently believes that the most racist thing Scott Walker has done is to try to control government spending.
Given his original story, Bauer owes his employer a follow-up story which, for the sake of fairness and balance, should have run with "Big Story" national exposure. But of course, there's no evidence of any follow-up at all. Nothing, especially a rhetorical drubbing administered by an African-American woman, can be allowed to disturb the left's "Republicans are racists" mantra.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
