Scalise is Guilty of Pandering to KKK

It appears Steve Scalise is guilty of pandering to Duke supporters to gain election.

A few days ago, I wrote that I thought it was unfair to tie Steve Scalise to the likes of David Duke, but more information has come out and Scalise, in trying to make the allegations go away, botched his own remarks on the debacle.

H/T Facebook

“One of the many groups that I spoke to regarding this critical legislation was a group whose views I wholeheartedly condemn. It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold. I am very disappointed that anyone would try to infer otherwise for political gain. As a Catholic, these groups hold views that are vehemently opposed to my own personal faith, and I reject that kind of hateful bigotry. Those who know me best know I have always been passionate about helping, serving, and fighting for every family that I represent. And I will continue to do so.”

But this was an insincere commentary, since it has been found that Scalise hadn’t spoke to the EURO group. So the problem is, Scalise assumes he did, showing he doesn’t have a natural visceral disgust of the type of hatred David Duke espouses.

Now, Scalise’s biggest defenders are hanging on the words of a political operative of the grand wizard of the KKK who said Steve was there at his behest.

Kenny Knight, a political operative for David Duke, who used to be a representative before Scalise, and espouses views common to Jew-haters and white supremacists, would have been known to be associated with Duke.

It isn’t splitting hairs when you realize that Scalise, instead of harshly rebuking the Duke group now when comments about the event surfaced twelve years after the fact, didn’t lift a finger to erase ties to Duke through Knight. The very fact that Scalise was friendly with Knight showed his interest in using him for, in essence, KKK votes.

And Scalise’s words from the past point this out. He doesn’t denounce Duke, he assumes no position on whether the influence of the KKK within his range of supporters is a bad thing.

From :

“The novelty of David Duke has worn off,” said Scalise. “The voters in this district are smart enough to realize that they need to get behind someone who not only believes in the issues they care about, but also can get elected. Duke has proven that he can’t get elected, and that’s the first and most important thing.”
And New Orleans Advocate politics blogger Stephanie Grace says that Scalise once told her he was like David Duke without the baggage.

Back in the day, Scalise didn’t sound like he vociferously denounced David Duke, he sounded like he merely thought Duke was unelectable. But what of Scalise’s words when he said, “they need to get behind someone who..believes in the issues they care about.” Clearly that is a comment directed at Duke supporters.

From the :

Knight continued, “Now, at the time, I was a prominent person in state politics. I was on the radio, I was doing campaigns. Steve knew who I was, but I don’t think he held it against me. He knew I lived by his street and that I was active in our community. And I didn’t see a problem with having him speak.”

Steve knew who he was, and didn’t hold it against him. Are Scalise’s GOP defenders going to go to the mat for him when they realize he pandered to, got and obviously with the glowing commentary by Knight, continues to have great support from the racists who branch from the KKK?

So you see, now people like Brian Walsh of the detestable NRSC defends Scalise by saying that the KKK Grand Wizard’s right hand man Knight said Scalise didn’t address the group Knight was the leader of.

Huh?

And of course there's that too. No mention of emerging discrepancies. RT brianjameswalsh or that it never even happened.

— Brian Walsh (@brianjameswalsh)

“Emerging discrepancies,” as reported by the right-hand man to Duke, the Grand Wizard of the KKK. That right-hand man was known well to be an associate of Duke, and also was in charge of the group EURO before it had undergone yet another name change.

Yes, that is also part of this story. Kenny Knight, the man who contacted Steve Scalise to speak to his neighborhood group a few hours before the EURO convention, . Hate groups often change their names to sound less caustic. Yet Scalise defenders are saying that he never addressed the group. That’s hardly relevant anymore, since we know who Kenny Knight is, and so did Scalise.

Here’s some more of the brain-dead at the NRSC:

Ironic that some of the same conservative radio hosts attacking Boehner & Scalise were also Chris McDaniel's loudest supporters.

— Brian Walsh (@brianjameswalsh)

Good point on a key difference. McDaniel personally made a number of very questionable statements. Scalise never did.

— Brian Walsh (@brianjameswalsh)

Not long ago, the NRSC, working with the Mississippi GOP chair, decided that Chris McDaniel, who spoke at a tea party event where one vendor sold white pride merchandise, disqualified him for office. Now, the NRSC’s Brian Walsh says that Scalise never said anything questionable, but McDaniel had.

But did McDaniel speak to a group at the behest of a political operative who campaigned for, and held a 40-year association with the Grand Wizard of the KKK? No, he didn’t.

Speaking of the detestables at the NRSC, I recall this one very clearly:

Candidates who associate with white nationalists & segregationists events give away seats to Democrats.

— Brad Dayspring (@BDayspring)

Scalise defenders can’t have it both ways. You can’t use the comments from the right-hand man of the KKK Grand Wizard to confirm Scalise never spoke to the EURO group, when that same KKK associate was the guy who booked your room.