Haley Barbour: Segregationist Citizens Councils That I Praised Were 'Totally Indefensible'

[RamboLiberal]

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), the potential presidential candidate who has come under fire for comments praising the segregationist Citizen Councils that operated during his youth in the South, has now released a statement fully condemning the organizations:

"When asked why my hometown in Mississippi did not suffer the same racial violence when I was a young man that accompanied other towns' integration efforts, I accurately said the community leadership wouldn't tolerate it and helped prevent violence there. My point was my town rejected the Ku Klux Klan, but nobody should construe that to mean I think the town leadership were saints, either. Their vehicle, called the 'Citizens Council,' is totally indefensible, as is segregation. It was a difficult and painful era for Mississippi, the rest of the country, and especially African Americans who were persecuted in that time."In a profile in the Weekly Standard, Barbour recalled the group in positive terms:

"You heard of the Citizens Councils? Up north they think it was like the KKK. Where I come from it was an organization of town leaders. In Yazoo City they passed a resolution that said anybody who started a chapter of the Klan would get their ass run out of town. If you had a job, you'd lose it. If you had a store, they'd see nobody shopped there. We didn't have a problem with the Klan in Yazoo City."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/barbour-segregationist-citizens-councils-that-i-praised-were-totally-indefensible.php?ref=fpblg

Too late Haley you already dug the hole.

[TheWraith]

1. Haley wants to be President in two years.

Good luck with that, you insane worthless racist bag of shit.

[roguevalley]

10. only a clueless puss bag like him would think anyone would

vote for his sorry ass in 2012. so unself aware, our Hailey.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. and this piece of white ectoplasm has Presidential aspirations..LOLOLOLOLOLOL

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

If you saw Rachel's show yesterday, you know what a lying sack of shit Barbour is.

[Ian David]

3. Haley Barbour is less racist than The Klan, but not less racist than The Councils. n/t

[rfranklin]

4. Some of his best friends are slaves...

just coincidentally dark-skinned.

[Jim__]

5. "... anybody who started a chapter of the Klan would get their ass run out of town."

Sounds like an admirable group Haley. :eyes:

[gratuitous]

6. Well, come on

You can't expect Haley to know all about everything that was going on behind the scenes in peaceful, bucolic Yazoo City. He was just a kid! And the years since then? He's been busy! Oh, like he's going to read something? Or learn about his own history? That's for socialists and troublemakers. Haley was just fine growing up, and that's all he needs to know. If somebody else's house burned down or some family decided Yazoo City wasn't the friendliest little town on God's green earth, well, that's none of Haley's business, and certainly didn't put up with too much inquiry. Life isn't fair, but when it isn't fair in your favor, the less said, the better, right Haley?

[tishaLA]

8. Well remember: when he went to Ole Miss, it was integrated!

it was only 99.3% white when he graduated!

[bullwinkle428]

7. Spinning like a top - absolute confirmation that he's running in 2012!

[surrealAmerican]

9. Somebody had to tell him how offensive his praise of these ...

... councils was. There's just no way he'd have thought of that himself. This means he's not just a racist - he's an idiot too.