Is Scott Brown judging Elizabeth Warren solely on the color of her skin?

Politics & Elections
1

I know there was a previous thread on this topic somewhere but this controversy has been brought back to the front pages with the recent debate.
Rather than rehash an older thread I’d like to get a fresh look.

The first words out of Browns mouth were:

[QUOTE=Scott Brown]
Professor Warren claimed that she was a Native American, a person of color, and as you can see, she’s not. When you are a U.S. senator, you have to pass a test and that’s one of character and honesty and truthfulness. I believe and others believe she’s failed that test.
[/QUOTE]

Western Massachusetts has a sizable native American population. I’ve met a number of people from mixed race backgrounds. Not everyone that can trace back their heritage to native Americans look native American.

I feel Scott Brown running his campaign on the bases of racism, claiming he knows better, just by looking at her, Warrens heritage.

Why is this acceptable in 2012? Is there some evidence Brown can present that shows Warren has no native American blood?

Is Browns Senate staff running around making war hoops going to attract a large enough racist base in Massachusetts to counter the votes of native Americans and those who find this presentation of racism abhorrent?

2

He’s racially ignorant, which comes as no surprise.

I have Native American heritage. My father was incredibly dark, and couldn’t have been mistaken as anything but Native. He grew up on the Rez and celebrated the culture, spoke the language, and spent a considerable amount of time and effort preserving my heritage for myself and my brothers. My brother, a couple years older and from a different mother, is almost as dark as my father. He has no trouble blending in at celebrations on the Rez.

My brother and I share the same degree of Native blood, and we both have the neat little certificates to prove it. However, I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and my skin is fairly pale. What this meant for me, growing up in Montana, was that I was victim of a considerable amount of racist bullshit both on and off the reservation. I could go into a bar while I was off the reservation, and chances were good if no other Native was around, that I’d hear at least a handful of racist Native American jokes; if I was lucky, it’d stop at the jokes, but there was more than one occasion where a single well-received joke served as an invitation for a whole fucking tirade against lazy, drunken Native Americans.

And on the other hand, on the Rez, I was the target of bitterness and resentment from locals who presumed that I was there because I met the bare minimum qualifications for membership. There was a lot of bitching about “White Natives” and I was received coolly by most people.

So buckets of fun.

It’s depressing that Scott Brown thinks it’s acceptable to appeal to the racial ignorance of his constituents, but not surprising. I am also, like, not at all fucking surprised that his staffers were reportedly making “war whoops” and the tomahawk gesture. Nor do I expect him or his campaign to be challenged on their behavior, outside of one or two blurbs in the mainstream media, which will come and go in a single news cycle. Native Americans, as a population, and as a voting bloc, are so marginalized in big elections like this that candidates can get away with outrageously racist bullshit.

What does he stand to lose, really?

3

I heard about it on MPR on my way home this evening and frankly, I was astonished. My assumption at this point is that Warren is clearly the better candidate in all respects otherwise he’d not be reduced to denying her heritage. Admittedly, I haven’t paid very much attention to this particular spat but if someone says they’re cherokee or whatever, unless you have incontrovertible proof that it cannot be, you shut your cakehole about it.

It does fit with the image I have of Scott Brown, though.

4

“Clearly, Professor Warren is not wearing a feathered headdress, nor is she carrying a tomahawk, and not once in this debate has she made a ‘war cry’ by yelling and flapping her hand over her mouth.”

I can’t believe that Brown is doubling down on this racist bullshit. If this is the only way he can win, then he needs to lose.

5

“Why, just the other day I was conducting a Hembleciya for guidance in this race and I realised Elizabeth Warren wasn’t even present during the Trail of Tears!”

That said, it’d be great if this were the face of American nationalism: “Boo, she doesn’t qualify because she does have real American heritage!”

6

She lied about being a Native American to get a job at Harvard. He’s supposed to NOT use this against her in his campaign?

7

Cite? Proof that she has zero native american blood in her family history? Remember just the fact that she appears to be 100% white is not proof of anything.

Also, yes he is not supposed to use this because even if he is right, it still makes him look like an insensitive racist asshole. Being right does not equal politically smart … if he is even right about her lying, that is.

8

This guy was Native American. This one was not.

9

I think it’s a great strategy. I think Romney should open his debate with “President Obama has claimed that he is black when you can tell by looking at him that he’s clearly, at most, halfsies”.

That’s political gold.

10

Since he has no evidence of it, yes, he should avoid making false claims. This is kindergarten level ethics here.

11

I’m aware that some people with legitimate Native American heritage don’t appear to be dark skinned.

What matters is there is zero proof of any kind that she is what she claims to be.

She put her name in a law directory commonly used by universities such as Harvard to make minority hires. Once she got tenure, she stopped listing herself.

In order to claim Native American status the usual standard is to be involved in Native American issues and be affiliated with a tribe, with documentation proving it.

CNN

NY Times

Boston Herald

12

Still not proof that she has no Native American heritage, and still politically idiotic.

But by all means, keep trying this tactic and see how it works out for Scott Brown with the electorate.

13

Two problems with this claim: nobody’s proved it’s a lie, and nobody’s proved it had anything to do with her getting a job (one of the professors who was involved in her hiring says it didn’t). Other than that, this is spot on.

14

Sounds like your issue is with the law directory’s standards re: ethnicity affiliation, then.

Neither speaking a native american language nor being involved in native american issues prove heritage. Being enrolled in a particular tribe is proof (of a sort. Some tribes are more meticulous than others.) but it is not a conferrer of heritage. And I don’t know very much about the genetics involved but I’m skeptical that either a blood test or a DNA test will be all that conclusive.

And it’s all beside the point anyway, as she’s not running on a platform of being native american.

15

The claim is being made by Warren, not by Brown. She’s the one claiming to be Native American. Or, at least she was back before she got tenure. It’s up to her to prove the claim, not the other way around.

As to Harvard, of course they are circling the wagons. But they were under intense pressure to hire more minority professors back when they hired Warren. Their only black professor quit in protest and there was Elizabeth Warren listed on the law directory as a woman of color.

16

If she cheated on an exam would that not be relevant to the race because she’s not running on a platform of being a straight A student?

Of course it’s relevant.

17

And Brown posed for nudie photos. Of the two, I’d say he’s the one at risk for degrading our country’s moral fiber.

18

Warren is claiming Warren is a liar?

It may be the case that Warren doesn’t have Native American ancestry, but she wouldn’t be the first person to repeat a family story that turned out to be wrong. Meanwhile there’s no evidence she got a job because of this. But Brown would be well-advised to keep it up. In 2008 the right said Barack Obama wasn’t really American and wasn’t really black, and that stopped him cold.

19

Gee whiz. They sure must have been surprised when she showed up, huh? Or, what was the plan, they were going to make her wear a “I’m A Native American” shirt while lecturing so everyone would know that Harvard was up to snuff on their Affirmitive Action quotas?

20

Warren is claiming to be Native American. Don’t be deliberately obtuse.

But she might be the first to get a job at Harvard because of one!

I’m not sure if this helps Scott Brown or not to hammer her on this issue. He doesn’t often bring it up directly in his ads or speeches. I was surprised he came right out of the gate with it at the debate.

He can’t come across as too argumentative over it or too mean about it, especially against a female opponent.

However, most voters are disgusted by this sort of inside deals with secret directories that get connected people jobs, and affirmative action in general. Even if she was 1/32nd Native American, does that make her a better professor? The more that this is discussed, even in Liberal MA, the more it generally hurts the liberal candidate.