Giuliani's Racist Republican Campaign

Giuliani Should Condemn Ravenel's Racist Comments

July 6, 2007

Appointment of Racially Divisive Figure Raises Questions about His

Mayoral Record on Race Relations

Rudy Giuliani will face tough questions today about whether or not he

condones the racist comments of Arthur Ravenel, Jr., the new co-chair

of his campaign in South Carolina. When he campaigns in the Palmetto

State today, Giuliani should condemn Ravenel's long history of

racially divisive statements, including his reference to the National

Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as the

"National Association for Retarded People" at a flag rally in 2000.

When asked about the comment at the time, Ravenel said, "I made a

rhetorical slip, and they want to lynch me for it." [Austin-American

Statesman, 1/9/00, The Post and Courier, 10/18/06]

When Arthur Ravenel Jr. was a member of Congress, he talked about "a

white committee chairmen who operated on 'black time,' which he said

meant fashionably late." And in 1993, Ravenel proudly addressed the

Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC), the country's largest white

nationalist organization which opposes "all efforts to mix the races

of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American

people through so-called 'affirmative action.'" [The Post and Courier,

10/18/06, CofCC's Citizens Informer, Vol. 24 No. 3 1993, page 5]

The selection of Ravenel is not surprising in light of the way Rudy

Giuliani poorly managed race relations as mayor of New York City.

Under his watch, Giuliani reignited racial tensions by refusing even

to meet with the city's African American elected officials. He also

was criticized for his handling of the high-profile shooting deaths of

three unarmed black men. As Harriet Michel, a former president of the

New York Urban League, said, "the black community was written off

during the Giuliani administration. There was a disrespect and a

disdain." [Cox News Service, 6/10/07]

"Rudy Giuliani should immediately condemn the racist comments of his

South Carolina campaign chair," said DNC Communications Director Karen

Finney. "This appointment is consistent with his poor record on race

relations when he was mayor of New York City. Giuliani doesn't

understand that as President you need to represent all Americans and

bring the country together. Americans are looking for a leader that

puts an end to the divisiveness of the past six years and makes what

is best for the people a priority again."

ARTHUR RAVENEL JR.

Arthur Ravenel Jr., Giuliani Lowcountry SC Chair, Had A History Making

Racist Comments. On June 25, 2007, six days after his son was indicted

on federal cocaine charges and stepped down as Giuliani's South

Carolina Chairman, Arthur Ravenel Jr., former US representative, State

Senator, and State Representative, and current member of Charleston

County School board, was named Giuliani's Lowcountry SC Chairman.

Ravenel had a history of making racist comments and often failed to

apologize for his inappropriate comments. [Giuliani Campaign press

release, 06/25/07, http://campaignsandelections.com/nh/releases/index.cfm?ID=1512;

The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), 7/11/03; 1/14/00]

Ravenel Called The NAACP The "The National Associated For

Retarded People" Twice And Then Refused To Apologize To The NAACP.

Arthur Ravenel Jr. called the NAACP the "the National Association for

Retarded People" twice in 2001, first at a pro-Confederate flag rally

at the Statehouse and then, according to The Post and Courier,

"repeated the offending remark.during an interview outside the Senate

chamber with four print reporters, three of whom had tape recorders

running." Ravenel apologized only to people with mental and physical,

saying "No apologies to the NAACP or the national NAACP." Speaking to

a New York Times reporter, Ravenel said "they [the NAACP] are the

enemy." [The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), 7/11/03; 1/14/00; New

York Times, 1/20/00]

Ravenel Described Black Lawmakers As "Venomous." In an interview

with the New York Times, Ravenel "described black lawmakers as

'venomous.'" He said that the Legislative Black "Caucus has formed

itself into a 'firing squad to kill me. But the firing squad, they

have arranged it in a circle.'" [New York Times, 1/20/00]

Ravenel Headlined Event for White Supremacist Hate Group. On

October 9, 1993, Ravenel headlined an event in South Carolina

sponsored by the now-defunct Confederate Heritage Preservation Society

and the Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC), described by The

Nation as "America's largest white nationalist organization..[that]

represents the reincarnation of the White Citizens Councils that

battled integration in the Jim Crow South." The CofCC's statement of

principles included, "We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of

mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people

through so-called 'affirmative action' and similar measures, to

destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the

heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the

races." [Campaign Matters, The Nation, 7/2/07,

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=210015]

Ravenel Proclaimed His "Support for Secessionist." The Nation

wrote, "The extent of Ravenel's radicalism was exemplified by a

startling proclamation of 'support for secessionists' he delivered on

the House floor on June 25, 1991." Ravenel said, "I must take

exception to a remark made by Mr. Solarz last week wherein he said,

Abraham Lincoln made the point that once the Southern States joined

the Union, they were part of it permanently. The fact was and still is

that no constitutional prohibition of secession exists. I join those

who applaud todays secessions." [Campaign Matters, The Nation, 7/2/07,

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=210015]

Ravenel: Being Late Is Operating On "Black Time." According to

the New York Post, "Earlier in his career, he drew fire when he said

that white congressmen were operating on 'black time' - meaning

fashionably late." [New York Post, 06/26/07; Giuliani Campaign press

release, 06/25/07, http://campaignsandelections.com/nh/releases/index.cfm?ID=1512;

The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), 7/11/03; 1/14/00; New York

Times, 1/20/00; Campaign Matters, The Nation, 7/2/07,

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=210015; New York

Post, 06/26/07]

With Ravenel As Campaign Leader, Giuliani Moves To Right On

Confederate Flag. In 2007, "Answering a question that has become a

litmus test of sorts for Republicans campaigning in the South, Rudolph

W. Giuliani said Tuesday that he would leave the decision about

whether to fly the Confederate battle flag over the State Capitol here

to the people of Alabama. 'One of the great beauties of the kind of

government we have, which is a national/federal government, is that we

can make - on a broad range of issues - we can make different

decisions in different parts of the country,' Mr. Giuliani said. 'We

have different sensitivities, and at different times we are going to

come to different decisions, and I think that is best left up to the

states.'" However, in 1998, Giuliani "urged South Carolina to remove

the Confederate flag from atop its state capitol." [New York Times,

4/11/07; New York Post, 9/3/98]

Giuliani's Record On Race Relations

New Yorkers Thought Giuliani Botched Race Relations. "Mayor Giuliani's

approval rating fell to a new low yesterday, and an overwhelming

majority of registered voters in New York City say he has botched race

relations and education, a survey found...More than 70% think he has

flubbed race relations." [Daily News (New York), 4/20/00]

City Paid For Giuliani's Racial Profiling. In the Diallo case, then-

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his police commissioner, Howard

Safir, constantly rejected racial profiling charges against the Street

Crime Unit. But the city finally settled a multimillion-dollar civil

lawsuit filed by Diallo's parents against the New York Police

Department. The lawsuit charged that officers profiled Diallo,

approaching him primarily because he was black. Although the city

acknowledged no wrongdoing in the settlement, officials did express

their condolences. [Lexington Herald Leader (Kentucky), 2/6/04]

Giuliani Drew Criticism Over Timid Reaction to Deputy's Use of Racial

Slur. As the New York Times' editorial page wrote, Giuliani "did not

go far enough in chiding Deputy Mayor John Dyson for using racially

loaded language in a discussion involving a black-owned investment

firm. Mr. Giuliani acknowledged that his aide erred when he said that

Alan Hevesi, the City Comptroller, 'ought to know the difference

between a bid and a watermelon.' Coming in the context of a

disagreement over Mr. Hevesi's desire to hire a minority firm, the

wording was blatantly insensitive." [Editorial, New York Times,

7/2/94]

Giuliani Compared Al Sharpton to David Duke. Giuliani compared black

activist minister Al Sharpton to notorious former Ku Klux Klansman

David Duke. When a reporter commented Sharpton had a sizable following

in the black community, Giuliani said, "David Duke had a large

following. So what. You make judgments about the people you think you

should respond to or the people you think you shouldn't respond to."

Asked specifically if he was comparing Sharpton to Duke, Giuliani

said, "I think it's a pretty apt comparison." [Daily News (New York),

1/19/06]

Giuliani Said To Be "Last On Their [African-American Community's]

Totem Pole." On CNN, Bob Pickett, KISS-FM New York, said, "Probably

and foretelling as well, because I think as far as the African-

American community is concerned, Giuliani is probably last on their

totem pole." [CNN, 6/20/06]