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The Spectacle Blog
There’s been some controversy surrounding CPAC this year over the presence of speakers allegedly associated with “white nationalism”; Ryan Reilly’s write-up at TPM gives a flavor of how liberal sites are covering this (though you’ll find much more hyperventilating elsewhere on the left side of the web). ProEnglish director Robert Vandervoort, as mentioned in Reilly’s report, has been the target of some of this. Vandervoort was on a panel on immigration this morning; Elise Foley’s Huffington Post item on the panel focuses on how pro-immigration Competitive Enterprise Institute policy analyst Alex Nowrasteh was booed, and notes that “Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), the other panelist who might have argued for immigration reform to give status to some undocumented immigrants currently in the United States, was a no-show at the event.”
I emailed Diaz-Balart’s press secretary, Ruth Guerra, to ask why her boss didn’t show up, and whether it had anything to do with the controversy over Vandervoort. Her reply: “It was a mistake on the schedule, the Congressman was not scheduled to participate in a panel today. No controversy, just a mistake on the schedule.” She didn’t respond when I followed up to ask where the Congressman actually was this morning, after answering my first question within minutes; make of that what you will. UPDATE: Guerra, apologizing for the delay (she says she has a guest in town), emails that Diaz-Balart flew to Miami after votes on Thursday.
Nowrasteh, for his part, tells me that he talked to Vandervoort privately before the panel, and asked about the charges that he has a history as an organizer for a racist organization; Vandervoort said that the charges are untrue and that he does not share the odious views of the people who he’s been linked to. Given that the most serious charges against Vandervoort are coming from an obscure organization called the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights that seems to specialize in accusing the Tea Party of being a racist movement, I’m inclined to think, absent further evidence, that Vandervoort has been unfairly smeared. UPDATE: To be clear, if Vandervoort indeed organized events for an American Renaissance affiliate in Chicago, as a contemporaneous memo from a critical organization suggests, he should explicitly and publicly renounce his old associates; that’s a crowd that no one should touch with a ten foot pole.
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More Blog Posts by John Tabin
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/02/11/cpac-immigration-and-racism-ac
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Clint| 2.11.12 @ 7:14PM
We Are Being Set Up By The RINO-CINO Flunkie Stooges For The Ruling Elites' Frontman Mittens Romney.
These Are The RINO-CINO Flunkie Stooges Who Gave Us The Serial Traitor To Conservatism, John McCain Of McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy,McCain-Lieberman,Gang Of 14, Opposing Bush Tax Cuts Of 2001 & 2003,TARP.
Now They Are Trying To Give Us RomneyCare,TARP, Cynical Flip-Flops On Abortion, Gays, Refuses to Sign Pro-Life Pledge, Illegal Immigrants, "Little Chain Saw Al" At Bain, Crony Capitalism Campaign Money Trail.....
The Stupid Party Heads Over The Cliff Again.
Mike w| 2.11.12 @ 7:28PM
Don't forget Romney and Gingrich both have endorsed puerto Rico statehood
C Bowen | 2.11.12 @ 8:21PM
The RINOs and apparatchiks who lied their country into a debt financed invasion of Iraq with tin foil hat conspiracy theories, forged documents, and paid agents in the press--now there is a group any conservative must disassociate with, a crowd no one should touch with a 10 foot poll (sic.)
fckewe| 2.12.12 @ 7:49AM
Where were your grand parents BORN? Their grand parents? Shame the WHITE ruling class let scum like that IN this country!!!
btims| 2.12.12 @ 8:03AM
I was very glad to see CPAC allow discussions of race and language and culture. Very refreshing, instead of the Jorge and Jose (Jeb)Bush family, Juan McAmnesty and the like who spend all their waking hours worshipping Latinos and Latino "culture".
I believe most Americans to this day, want the nation to remain Caucasian majority, English speaking and Christian and the only way to assure that is to reduce all forms of immigration.
Jon| 2.12.12 @ 11:01AM
There's an old saying that a "racist" is anyone who's winning an argument against a liberal.
In any event, it's safe to say that (1) leftists will always bash anyone on the right any way they can; (2) the charge of "racism" is an especially effective form of bashing; and (3) they will keep expanding the definition of "racism" until it includes everyone who doesn't agree with them.
The bottom line: conservatives should ignore charges of "racism" rather than joining the leftist witch hunt and helping our enemies purge our movement of its most effective leaders. Period.
Anthony M| 2.12.12 @ 12:05PM
In the USA anyone who is of European ancestry is a racist. It's why the word is now meaningless.
Bill| 2.12.12 @ 12:15PM
Fixing the immigration mess:
1. Deport all illegals
2. No amnesty, no DREAM Act
3. E-verify all workers
4. No federal money for sanctuary cities
5. More $ and manpower for the Border Patrol Agency
6. Secure the southern border with border fence, technology, and manpower
7. English will be the ONLY official language
Jared Taylor | 2.12.12 @ 3:43PM
I am the founder of American Renaissance, the group Mr. Tabin says "no one should touch with a ten-foot poll," but he gives no reasons why AR must be ostracized. Is it because we point out that race is an important element in group and individual identity? that race is a biological reality that should be accepted rather than denied? that people of different races consistently built consistently different societies? that it is normal and healthy for American whites to with to remain a majority in their own country?
All these things are obvious and were taken for granted by virtually all Americans until the 1950s or so. By branding me as an untouchable, Mr. Tabin is cutting himself off from centuries of tradition and common sense.
Jared Taylor, American Renaissance
AmRen.com
Matt Weber| 2.13.12 @ 10:41AM
Openly advocating for America to remain majority white will get you ostracized. This said, why do it? If, as you say, 'different races consistently build consistently different societies' then there should be no reason to self-consciously refer to race--just refer to the implications of that statement. For instance, if all Ethiopians were suicide bombers, then all you have to do is advocate that we exclude suicide bombers from immigrating, and you can leave the racial correlations out of it. You'll still get pushback, but you won't be ostracized.
stan redmond| 2.12.12 @ 4:47PM
Why bother paying any attention to liberals? They will scream and cry racism regardless of what is said or done by conservatives. It's the only card they have and the people that believe it are hopelessly lost in the fog of liberalism. The racist cry requires such twisted logic on the side of people like fckewe and Maher that there exists nothing BUT racism. If you supported a black candidate (the Obama republicans) you're a racists because you're feeling guilty and voting for Obama just to show you're not a racist therefore proving you're a racist. You enjoy the works of Thomas Sowell or listen to Ken Hamblin, you're a racist because you're just trying to show you have the token black conservative to asuage your guilt therefore proving you're a racist. If you're a black conservative or speak out against the self imposed misery of blacks like Bill Cosby or Thomas Sowell then you are a self hating racist black. If you see the destruction illegal Mexican immigration is causing to the border states and attempt to stop the invasion you are racist even though "Mexican" is not a race.
BUT, if you have blatant racist organizations like "La Raza" "NAACP" "Planned Parenthood" "New Black Panthers" you're just fine because the man is keeping you down and therefore not racist.
"Your's is a dizzying intellect" - Wesley
theCardinal| 2.12.12 @ 9:32PM
Dear Jared - In response to your questions the answer are: yes, yes, yes and hell yes. The only tradition that Mr. Tabin is distancing himself from is of the fraternal organization founded by Nathaniel Bedford Forrest. There is a difference between immigration reform/control and out and out racism and xenophobia. Shamelessly grafting yourself to immigration reform will not get your ideas mainstream acceptance and only taints those that want honest reform. You may wear suits and ties but when I see you all - I see David Duke.
Jared Taylor | 2.12.12 @ 9:43PM
To TheCardinal:
I would like to know what can possibly be wrong with preferring the culture of Europe over that of Africa or Mexico, of preferring the company of people like myself to that of strangers. Why should I not want my country to reflect the heritage of the people who founded it and who once took it for granted that they would remain a majority to for ever? By what conceivable logic should I support the displacement of my people by strangers?
And if you think race has nothing to do with any of this, perhaps you can name for me a majority black or Hispanic neighborhood you would like to live in or a majority black or Hispanic school to which you would like to send your children.
theCardinal| 2.13.12 @ 1:53PM
I agree wholeheartedly that the culture of Europe is in fact preferable but believe that if others are willing to assimilate that they should be permitted to do so. I blame the spate of multiculturalism not on the immigrants but on the immigrant lobby and gov't that seeks to keep minorities in ideological ghettos to suit their own ends.
I can actually name one and literally only one (maybe 2) majority "Hispanic" school zones in the nation that is good and it is (they are) admittedly an anomaly(ies). Both are in Miami-Dade County and are in neighborhoods where affluent 2nd generation/and or affluent 1st generation families have migrated. MAST Academy is the most obvious example - it has been ranked as a Top 1oo H.S. several times. Again, I know it is an anomaly not likely to be repeated in other parts of the nation. It is also "minority" in name only. Most of the students in the schools I mentioned could pass for Anglo and speak English rather than Spanish.
theCardinal| 2.13.12 @ 2:02PM
I didn't mention neighborhoods - in Miami-Dade County there are at least three: Key Biscayne, Coral Gables and Doral - the lowest of the three has a median income of $53,000.
FeFe| 2.13.12 @ 2:16AM
Reminds me it's high time to tax remittances.
Bruce| 2.13.12 @ 7:43AM
Of course, there's nothing wrong with those things Mr. Taylor. They're healthy and normal. But because most people are afraid of being called a bad name ("racist" - a term first made popular by Leon Trotsky to slander those who objected to Communism's universalist claims) you must be treated like a leper. Hence the ten foot pole.
You're right of course. Every one of my grandparents and great-grandparents (diverse backgrounds - mid West Catholics, appalachian Scots-Irish, north-eastern WASPs) would have agreed with you. But of course, they were stupid neanderthals who didn't know any better.
Red Phillips | 2.13.12 @ 3:03PM
According to the PC Cultural Marxist thought policers anyone who raises demographic concerns with regard to immigration is automatically a racist and a "white nationalist." (The people raising these objection don't even know what white nationalist means.) But of course demographic transformation, particulary rapid transformation, is an important subject to address. This is intuitive and only PC Cultrural Marxist thought stopping makes it off limits. It should be especially important for people who call themselves conservatives who by implication actually want to conserve something. There is nothing more inherently conservative than opposing large scale immigration (demographic transformation) and nothing more inherently transformative (the opposite of conservative) than rapid immigration and demographic transformation. But you can't raise the issue without the PC Cultural Marxist Gestapo calling you bad names and squemish "conservatives" either joining in or running for the tall grass lest they be tainted as associating with wrong thinkers. This is truly an embarrassing state of affairs. "Conservatives" are dancing to the tune of the Cultural Marxists who hate them and will NEVER be satisfied that they are not racists no matter how much they protest because the philosophy they profess to believe is so overwhelmingly embraced by white folks. So all the boot licking they do to satisfy the Cultural Marxist Gestapo is to no avail anyway.
This is why so-called "conservatives" whining about newsletters or whatever is so counter productive. It empowers the thought policing enemy. However bad a problem racism may or may not be, militant anti-racism is a MUCH bigger problem because it is what is used to cut off debate. "Conservatives" who further this dynamic are either fools or cowards or both.
C Bowen | 2.13.12 @ 4:46PM
Red;
The real issue with chaps like Tabin is that lying your own country into war is a sin and a crime.
Murder is mentioned in the Ten Commandments; racism is not. Building a Tower of Babel is sinful and warned against; living in the tower and saying as much--again, not a sin.
Red Phillips | 2.13.12 @ 6:37PM
So people like Occam can advocate indiscriminately nuking Persians and Arabs and remain in the good graces of "acceptable conservatives," but anyone who thinks race is a real biological entity is guilty of an intolerable thought crime. Got it.
C Bowen | 2.13.12 @ 7:03PM
Ding! Ding!
Jared Taylor | 2.15.12 @ 8:14PM
I agree entirely.
If we let the Left shout down anyone who raises necessary but unfashionable questions, we will make no progress. It is a shameful state of affairs if people feel compelled to keep their distance from people they know to be speaking the truth.
Brett Stevens | 2.13.12 @ 9:12PM
Throughout history, many nations have tried multiculturalism and none exist today.
Diversity is a misfortune, not a triumph. It doesn't matter which groups are diverse, just that they are diverse, as society falls apart after that.
Anyone who even mentions this truth is quickly demonized because Americans do not want to face the fact that their empire can fall, and one of the signs of its failure is multiculturalism.