Hate Crimes

On April 29, 2009, the House passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, 249-175, 18 Republican abandoning their hate-filled and bigoted leaders, crossing the aisle and voting with the Democrats. Boehner, Cantor, Ryan and McCarthy were against the bill and they had support from 17 of the most racist and conservative Democrats in the House:

• Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK,) forced to retire
• Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL), defeated with the help of Blue America
• Chris Carney (Blue Dog-PA), defeated with the help of Blue America
• Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS), defeated
• Artur Davis (New Dem-AL), defeated, now officially a Republican
• Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN), defeated
• Joe Donnelly (Blue Dog-IN), pushed into the Senate in a quirk
• Brad Ellsworth (Blue Dog-IN), defeated
• Bart Gordon (Blue Dog-TN), forced to retire; now a slimy lobbyist
• Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL), switched to the GOP before being defeated at the polls
• Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog/New Dem-NC), still hanging on by the skin of his racist teeth
• Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA), defeated
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN), still in Congress
• Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR), forced to retire; now running for governor
• Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC), forced to retire
• John Tanner (Blue Dog-TN), forced to retire
• Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS), defeated

So, of the 18 homophobic bigots and racist renegades only 3 survived politically, two-- Donnelly and McIntyre-- just barely. The rest were almost all part of the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse of 2010 the following year.

I just want to say one thing about the Hate Crimes bill. In the 2006 and 2008 election cycles, the bill was very important to progressives and Blue America used it to help us vet candidates. One candidate who consciously lied to us and portrayed himself as a progressive to get our endorsement and money was a right-wing shithead from Pennsylvania, Chris Carney. One of the lies he told us is that he would unhesitatingly back the Hate Crimes Prevention legislation if he was elected. Years later, a staffer of his told us he was laughing at us when he made that pledge-- which he promptly broke anyway. He was the only Democrat from the Northeast who voted with the Republicans on that. By then it was obvious he played us for fools and we gave him an ultimatum: either return all the money he had gotten from Blue America donors or face the consequences. His response-- and I quote: "fuck you." We put almost a quarter million dollars into defeating Carney and happily, his miserable career in politics ended as part of the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse of 2010.

When Dan White, Harvey Milk's murderer, was let off with a slap on the wrist by a bunch of clueless and bigoted jurors, San Francisco was convulsed in riots. City Hall was trashed and six police cars-- I counted them but wasn't responsible for all six-- were overturned and burned. Eventually White was "found dead, an apparent suicide" in his garage, although more than a few people know very well he didn't take his own life any more than the police cars overturned and burned themselves. It made quite an impact on the governing elites at the time. Conventional media types-- as you see today-- hate this kind of extreme activism.

Murdered by right-wing bigots