The insanity of Tom Tancredo and the hypocricies he's missing
Here we go again. If you can’t come up with something good to say you say something so outlandish it helps set you apart from the pack.
Colorado Republican Tom Tancredo’s racism is slowly, only now rising above the Republican presidential pack. I am not sure if he is a racist or if he is just using racism to define himself as the greater demagogue in a field of demagogues. In Sunday’s Republican presidential “debate” in Iowa, Tancredo said the United States should reserve the right to bomb Islam’s two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, in retaliation for a major terrorist attack on American soil.
I quote: “If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina.” (New York Times online)
I don’t mind a presidential candidate in the race who is a rightwing nutjob. Let’s face it, those nutjobs help to better define the other Republicans, sometimes, so we need a few nutjobs in a race. But I do wonder about Tancredo’s logic.
For example. In response to a fanatic who happens to be Muslim actually bombing an American target, Tancredo thinks we should not just bomb any Muslim city, but we should instead target a Muslim Holy City. He didn’t say “let’s bomb Riyadh.” He said “bomb Mecca and Medinah,” cities that mean far more to Muslims than they mean to the average Saudi Arabian.
It would be like a Muslim fanatic saying, he’s going to bomb the Vatican if the American Marines continue to kill more Iraqi civilians or rape another young Iraqi girl (and then murder her family to cover the sexual deviate act up).
This is what we have come to expect from Tancredo. He keeps using the same kind of racism over and over again. No creativity. No demonstration that he could be a leader like President George W. Bush who is the champion of creative rhetoric.
Can’t Tancredo be a little creative and come up with a new kind of hatred? It doesn’t really help him with the Racist Vote if he keeps using the same-old same-old every time he tries to “rise above” the rest of the Republicans in the presidential campaign. I mean, Tom, you have to step up to the plate and say what you mean. Shwo us that y ou have really thought about this. Don’t just use the old phrases over and over again. That won’t win any votes. Already, some Republicans are distancing themselves from him … sliding over a few feet but not really bashing him or calling the ADL to complain, for example, about Tancredo’s racist defamations.
How about this idea? Tom Tancredo can vow that if terrorists attack an American city, he (or a gung-ho surrogate hoping for medical insurance and a living wage and to prove they are patriots) will rape a Muslim Woman in retaliation.
Now that is American Presidential Campaign spin.
That would achieve two things, demonstrating Tancredo isn’t just a one-solution candidate and can be creative when he has to be; and two, it demonstrates that his racism is one based on a logic and not just hate. It assumes a knowledge that the rape of a Muslim woman would be very offensive in Muslim society.
Of course, knowing the Islamic World as I do, the Muslim Woman who hypothetically would be raped in this case (in the hypothetical Tom Tancredo scenario of retaliation for a terrorist attack against an American city) would probably be murdered by her brother under the Honor Killings category which is legal in most Islamic Countries, in some form or another.
Wouldn’t that be something. American presidential candidates pandering to the patriot rollcall by actually targeting something that really needs change int he Muslim World? Stop honor killings or no more American money. (Ooops. I forgot. Honor Killins happen in many 3rd World nations who are our allies, not just those of terrorists and not just at the hands of Muslims.)
Still, I expected (or hoped) the mainstream media would jump to the challenge and lambaste Tancredo for his extremist views. But I didn’t hear anything. The sounds of silence when the victims are Arab or Muslim, again.
I even thought maybe some of the fanatics in this country would stand up and say, “Tom, you’re giving us racist bigots a bad name.” I didn’t hear that either.
Oh, I did hear Tucker Carlson blast the Daily Kos-ers (us) for the assumed criticism of Hillary Clinton’s powerful ties to lobbyists (she defended them ferociously at the Yearly Kos).
So I think we know what the real problem is, don’t we? There are crazy fanatics on BOTH SIDES of the Muslim-West divide. And depending on the circumstances, one turns to sucide bombing while the other turns to holier-than-thou vengeance violence and retaliatation. I would argue that if the tables were turned and the United States was a nation under siege by Muslim World domination and occupied by Muslim military forces, Tancredo would probably be leading his own Americanized al-Qaeda cell. He’d probably even study engineering at a Saudi Arabian university.
You see, the real problem isn’t the terrorists and the evil-doers on one side. It is the extremism on both sides versus the moderation on both sides. It’s a new paradigm. We didivde the “us versus them” Bushism to mean something. Moderates versus extremists, who could be Bin Ladens, or Tancredos.
Ray Hanania
www.hanania.com
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Ray, are you saying Islam is a race? Maybe that’s because if you’re born a Muslim and into a Muslim family in an Islamic country you’re stuck with it just as you would be the color of your skin. No getting out is there? Are Christians, the word you use with such venom, a “race”? Oh wait…we DO have a choice. In fact Christianity is all about the choice we’ve made, which is why you cannot be born a Christian. Makes sense to me. As usual, you’re just a shrill for the America-hating Muslims and Arab press. Keep up the great work inspiring hatred for all things American for your Muslim brothers.
hi,
before my animadversion on your article/rationale let me one represent one point:
neither do i support this “nut” in person
nor do i apologize his statement!!!
BUT
you missed out an important facet concerning this topic.
Tancredo mentioned in his “if i’d be in charge” gibberish the circumstances of such “nuke-da-cube” strategy. it would be the case if “muslim” terrorists attack us soil with
nuclear,biological or chemical WoMDs. and when someone keeps this at the back of one’s mind you can conclude that such action isn’t a pure act of racism but more or less a standard scheme of nuclear deterrence used by nuclear powers worldwide. you know the cold war terms MAD and SDI, i guess?
wheter it’s spoken out in public or not that would be the answer!!!
now someone can argue the terrorists in Tancredo’s crude scenario are no “rationalists”
you could scare with such a reaction and that the destruction of the holy sites would only fan the anger of the ummah but thats a different kettle of fish.
finally let’s hope such thoughts never ever become reality
sincerly yours
markus/germany
by the way excellent site
The bombing scenario is already on the books in Washington as an option among many, its just worded a little differently. And the radical Islamics have there own plans to end Western civilization if it does not bow to their religion. But as usual in this case the media will use this issue against Tancredo to deter from his illegal immigration stance. Its politics as usual. But guess what, Iowa is not listening to the squawk and rant of the liberal media.
Ray, you’re close to the mark on your call. Tancredo is a racist, but even more than that, he is a civilizationalist. I spent a lot of time writing about him in my recent thesis, as I can’t find the clip from the speech he gave about bombing Mecca and Medina, but here’s an interesting CNN clip with responses to his speech and comments to his speech.
If you want more, check out Tancredo Watch.
H
Sorry for the 2x post. Somehow a chunk *vanished*…here’s the full post.
Ray, you’re close to the mark on your call. Tancredo is a racist, but even more than that, he is a civilizationalist. I spent a lot of time writing about him in my recent thesis, as he is a major player in the anti-immigrant debate in the U.S. If you want a clear picture of where he comes from, read his latest book, In Mortal Danger, where he lays out why the Anglo-Saxon Western civilization is under threat from illegal immigrants, Islamo-fascists and the radical multiculturalists. Check out this clip to get a sense of his positions.
Basically, he believes that the white Anglo-Protestant race/ethnicity/religion is the superior culture and that all of these other influences are only serving to water down and weaken this “pure” Anglo-culture. He is truly a scary man, and a lot of people I know would go to the end of the earth to prevent him from coming to power. It’s bad enough that he is already an influential Congressman. (Although I think his changes of winning the Rep. nomination are about 0.001%)
I would also add that he is part of what I have begun documenting in my research and recent thesis as the new white nationalism, a movement (Carol Swain’s terminology) in the U.S. that is the modern KKK but with more power and much more subtle….no more cross burnings. Here’s a few choice quotes from his latest book about Muslims and Arabs FYI:
My personal favorite:
-”Numerous media reports have featured intelligence officials’ warning of a connection between MS-13 (El Salvadoran youth gangs) and Al Qaeda. In July 2004, reports surfaced of an al Qaeda figure meeting MS-13 in Honduras in order to secure entry routes into the United States. Reports also surfaced that, during the summer of 2004, Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was possibly in contact with MS-13 and/or Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMNL) in an attempt to get them to commit terrorists acts in El Salvador with the hope of forcing that government to withdraw support for U.S. efforts in Iraq. The FBI will not comment on these report.” (p82)
-”In another Texas-Mexico border county, a sheriff’s department said deputies discovered a large metal container that had washed ashore from the Rio Grande [forms the US-Mexico borders in the Southwest]. The container held several cylinders, each filled with papers covered in Arabic writing. These findings, among other evidence, is part of the reason why another Texas sheriff has prepared a training CD for Border Patrol and other officers and agents working in the area.” (p86)
-”Muslims believe they must spread the word by mouth and sword.” (p65)
-”President George W. Bush continues to refer to our enemy as terrorists or, more recently, extremism. Of course, neither of these isms accurately characterizes our enemy. The real enemy is Islamofascism. Contrary to popular belief, Islamofascism did not begin with our support for Israel, and it would not end if that support were withdrawn.” (p65-6)
-”Religious freedom is not permitted in the Islamic world.” (p67)
-”I will certainly grant that all of the world’s billion and a half Muslims are not aligned with the likes of Osama bin Laden, that only a small percentage would strap on a bomb to detonate on a school playground. I must admit, however, I do wonder how many in the Muslim world are secretly pleased when they hear of such an attack [9/11]. Judging from the tepid reaction to these events by the leaders of the Islamic world, I have to believe the number of sympathizers reaches into the hundreds of millions.” (p70)
“Ibrahim Hooper, a national spokesman for CAIR (a group that regularly serves as chief apologist for radical Islam), accused me of having an “allergy” to their faith.” (p75)
Ok, I hope that gives folks a little taste of what Tom Tancredo is like. Not a nice guy
I can’t find the clip from the speech he gave about bombing Mecca and Medina, but here’s an interesting CNN clip with responses to his speech and comments to his Mecca-Medina speech.
If you want more, check out Tancredo Watch.
H
Horatio (Athens)
“Basically, he believes that the white Anglo-Protestant race/ethnicity/religion is the superior culture and that all of these other influences are only serving to water down and weaken this “pure” Anglo-culture.”
No, Tancredo does not believe that in any way shape or form. That’s what you seem to believe, which sounds racist and weird all at the same time. You sound messed up kid. Get some help, and please stay out of your mothers medicine cabinet.
Just a note on the use of the terms “race” and “racism.”
It is true that Islam is NOT a race. BUT, people are also defined not by what they are but what people think they are. What that means is if a bigot like Tancredo sees Muslims as a “race,” and he criticizes them as a “race” then in his mind they are a”race” and his hatred is therefore driven by racism.
His ignorance dictates the terms, unfortunately. People think I am Muslim and attack me all the time calling me horrible anti-Muslim slurs. But the fact is I am Christian. Are they being anti-Christian? Or Islamophobes because they hate me as a Muslim?
Sadly, the level of education among Americans is poathetically low when it comes to the Middle East, Arabs, Muslims and Christians in the Middle East. But we can’t apply our intelligence to explain their insanity and ignorance. We have to merge the two to precisely see what they are doing and acting like.
Tancredo is a coward.
This is obviously not the first time he has brewed up controversy, as he has enemies within his own Party.
This is a man who refused to serve in Vietnam, a war he personally supported, citing “depression issues”.
This is a man who endorsed the NRA even after the Columbine massacre in ’99, even though the school shooting occurred maybe a mile away from his home in Littleton.
He exploited the Beslan massacre in Russia for his own twisted agenda.
He represents the 6th Congressional District in Denver that includes Lakewood, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, and Castle Rock, to name a few.
This guy hates Muslims with a passion, and I suggest you go on this site:
http://tancredowatch.blogspot.com
for more information about this chickenhawk.
I have a feeling that those who back him are the ones who are unwilling to put their money where their mouth is and go fight in the war.
Tancredo is probably one of my least favorite politicians. I do think he is a racist not to mention a major xenophobe. He and Lou Dobbs should team up together. They’d make a great pair. And the first comment to this post is a great example of what’s wrong with America’s current political atmosphere. You disagree or criticize someone for their insane viewpoints and you’re automatically a muslim, america-hating person who loves the terrorists and should go back to where ever you came from.
“Sadly, the level of education among Americans is poathetically low when it comes to the Middle East, Arabs, Muslims and Christians in the Middle East”
So true. My friends who have known me for years actually thought I was muslim; albeit a very bad one who doesn’t cover, drinks, and happens to like bacon. When they finally figured out I wasn’t they wanted to know when I had apostated and if my family was upset when they found out
Tancredo stands a good chance of winning the next US presidential race. Why do I think that? The people who would go to polling stations would be the same lot who had voted for GW Bush in his second term. The “enlightened” voters would make usual big noises and would not take the trouble of going to the polling stations on the election day. A decorated war vetern lost to a person who had invaded a country based on absolute lie and deciet. Don’t tell me the Bush Administration did not have anyone with the average I.Q. of a monkey.
Your thinking is a bit faulty in this case Zia. Tancredo has about as much chance of winning the presidency as Ron Paul and that would be no chance. Tancredo is barely registering with hardcore republicans and there is a 99% probability that he won’t be the Republican nominee for prez let alone voted for by America as a whole.
nefer,
Your right. Tancredo is pretty much running for vice president, and what little chance he stood of getting on the Republican ticket just evaporated. Most of the country doesn’t know who he is, aside from the political junkies.
Tom Tancredo is an unimportant candidate. However, the idea he expressed, that of threatening to nuke the holy cities of Islam in retaliation for any Muslim WMD attack on American cities, is not an argument wholly confined to his thinking. That very same argument was aired as an option in the Bush White House right after 9/11. Fortunately, President Bush rejected it immediately, and concentrated on regime change in Afghanistan, which turned out to be the right path, as it led to a spectacular success.
But the option of nuking Mecca and Medina has re-emerged in another way: one of the more interesting developments in nuclear physics is the ability of nuclear scientists to detect a “signature” in any nuclear bomb explosion that can be traced back to the particular locations where fissionable material was enriched. In other words, we can tell who made any bomb that’s detonated anywhere in the world. As this kind of “smoking gun” evidence is available, it is possible to pursue the politics of Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD, even with bombs delivered without missiles.
But as Markus points out above, the politics of MAD are only successful if we assume terrorists are logical people. Mutually assured destruction might appeal to people prone to apocalyptic thinking and, given the wild, free rein allowed for religious zealots in the Muslim world, it is not inconceivable that some Muslims will emerge who will think that the leveling of Mecca and Medina are perfectly acceptable losses as far as jihad is concerned.
Thus, MAD only works when the targets are the industrial and economic centers of society. Religiously symbolic targets are not as effective in bringing an enemy to its knees, as their loss simply does not translate directly into an incapacity to continue warfare.
Tancredo’s comments, though, are as thought out as those of Obama. Both of them see their chances as candidates slipping away. They have nothing to lose in making bombastic statements which might make lasting impressions that’ll keep their names in the minds of voters… until they try to run again in the future, beyond 2008.
Huh. I hadn’t thought of that, Finnpundit. I just thought they were both morons, but you could be right.