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The Root asks: Does Paul Ryan’s Black Ex-Girlfriend Matter?
As reported on Twitter by CNN’s Pete Hamby, Ryan said he has a black sister-in-law, but perhaps even more interesting, his “college sweetheart” was African American.
So here is the million-dollar question: Is the fact that Ryan has dated interracially a noteworthy detail to consider when analyzing his politics and policies?
or years Lou Dobbs was the face of the anti-illegal-immigration crusade. As a result of his seeming obsession with the issue, he became in the eyes of many the face of xenophobia and racism, not to mention public enemy No. 1 of Mexican immigrants. There’s just one hitch to this narrative: Dobbs is married to a Mexican-American woman, meaning that he is the father of Mexican-American children. (His Mexican-born mother-in-law even lives with his family.)
When I discovered this I was surprised, and not for the reasons you may think. While I was somewhat surprised to learn of his wife’s heritage, given his own politics on issues that overwhelmingly affect a community of which she is a member, I was even more surprised that I’d never heard him mention it on his program or prominently in interviews. He certainly didn’t hide it, but my point is, if anyone could have benefited from a “But my best friend — in fact, my wife — is Latina, so I can’t be bigot” defense, it was Dobbs, and yet he chose not to hide behind that.
Certainly, having a relationship with someone of a different race does not automatically make someone more racially sensitive and enlightened.
Yes, it matters, in this sense; what on earth does Paul Ryan have to defend himself against? Where was it stipulated that Ryan was ever a racist? This entire essay is flawed from the outset in it’s premise.
RosalindJ
August 21st, 2012
“The Root” is run by Henry Louis “the police acted stupidly” Gates–full stop.
AngelEm
August 21st, 2012
No, it doesn’t matter, because any thinking person is so far beyond that, that it’s not an issue.
Those who might be surprised have much bigger problems, like their obsession with race.
Cynic
August 21st, 2012
White Republicans are assumed to be racist. Which, of course is racism on the part of the accusers.
Claudia
August 21st, 2012
It only matters to race baiters like Obama, Not-So-Sharp-ton and Jackson.
onetermer
August 21st, 2012
Legal immigration is not same as illegal immigration. Why does it matter that Dobb’s wife is of Mexican heritage. There are plenty of illegal aliens from other countries.
Diann
August 21st, 2012
I’m sorry. But why in the name of sweet fancy Moses is this even DISCUSSED?! I thought we needed to see beyond the color of people’s skin? I thought what mattered was the content of our character. Who gives a flying rats patootie if Paul Ryan dated a black woman or a white woman or a Mexican woman or a hairy armpit, dreadlocked unshowered vegan? Who gives a crap?
You know who gives a crap? The LIBERALS. The LIBERALS who allegedly don’t give a crap.
God I am so stinking tired of this whole racial bullshit. Sick and tired of it.
Maudie N Mandeville
August 21st, 2012
What a typical load of liberal/black racist garbage. All you need to know is that she’s surprised to learn of Lou Dobbs’ wife being Hispanic bc he’s against ILLEGAL immigration and somehow that works against the (legal) American community that happens to be Hispanic. Pathetic. And she seems offended that Dobbs, unlike Democrats are prone, had never “heard him mention it on his program or prominently in interviews.”
“Hey, I’m married to a disabled, Jewish, black, lesbian (OK strike lesbian), convert from Islam.”
Xavier
August 21st, 2012
Well Ryan didn’t marry her, did he? He rejected a black woman as a wife, and that’s racism.
So there.
jus sayin yo
August 21st, 2012
well, obviously this means Ryan ought to be able to pull..er..nail..er.. garner 30-40% of the black female vote
Stranded in Sonoma
August 21st, 2012
Okay. So what else…
So, in other words, she thinks Ryan is a racist! Mostly because his policies don’t reflect hers. This last paragraph is so full of libtardism it’s amazing. I love this statement:
This puts the proglodyte thinking into a nutshell. Remember, you ARE part of a particular community because you are NOT part of the whole country. You are just part of some grievance group that the demmorhoids use and discard at will to ensure they stay in power.
And by the way. White guy married to non-white is still a racist if he doesn’t accept the libtard agenda. But what about his spouse? What if his non-white wife…wait for it…agrees with him? Doesn’t that make her racist too? Wait…does Ms. Goff consider ME racist for asking that question?
Ms. Goff, go take your racism to some other country. The intelligent people in the United States can do without your race-baiting.
Tim
August 21st, 2012
Recall the charge that Sarah Palin had slept with a negro athlete in high school?
It seems that the socialist believe an accusation of miscegenation will send conservatives to the fainting couch.
J-Mac
August 21st, 2012
It only matters to race obsessed liberals.
The Media
August 21st, 2012
Ryan’s a race traitor, miscegenatin’ with the muds! Also, reichwing rethugliKKKans like Ryan are racists!
Reggie Love
August 21st, 2012
@Rosalind J: ““The Root” is run by Henry Louis “the police acted stupidly” Gates”
In an interesting coincidence, Barack Obama has been “rumored” to suck the root. An undsiclosed source close to the President confirms that he does it very well and uses his tongue like an absolute champ.
bob
August 21st, 2012
You know what they say, once you go black you never go back.
Erm… Well, that’s what they say, anyway.
Dr. Tar
August 21st, 2012
So unlike Obama’s alleged / composite girl friends, Ryan has actually dated a real person of the other gender. At least that’s my take away from this hit piece.
Roscoe P. Soultrane
August 21st, 2012
@Bob: “You know what they say, once you go black you never go back.
Erm… Well, that’s what they say, anyway.”
Back in the unenlightend days of my youth in a devoutly racist AmeriKKKa, I remember the follow up joke to “Once you go black, you never go back”. It was the woefully un-PC “Yeah, who’d want to [expletive] a [the absolute worst word in the entire universe]-lover?”
I’m glad we’ve progressed as a nation. A “White girl bleed a lot” nation. Taste the rainbow!
President Obama
August 21st, 2012
@Dr. Tar: “So unlike Obama’s alleged / composite girl friends, Ryan has actually dated a real person of the other gender.”
Erroneous! Untrue! He’s the girl; I’m the girl; sometimes we’re both the girl. Get it? That’s hot.
reddecaesari
August 21st, 2012
@diann
exactly. hoping to distract from the economy which impacts everyone.
and if she wants to do a study, have her ask her black male friends why they marry white women.
O.J. Simpson
August 21st, 2012
@reddecaesari: “have her ask her black male friends why they marry white women”
To cut the bitch?
bitterclinger
August 21st, 2012
As we all know, a white lib dating a black person is hep; when a white conservative does it, it’s scary.
Friend of the family
August 21st, 2012
Does an ex wife matter? Hell no. Why should a ex girlfriend?
Jethro
August 21st, 2012
Maybe Kelli Goff is another one of Jessie Jackson’s illegitimate children. She seems to think the same way…
Anonymous
August 22nd, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmDMff22Btk&feature=related
This is his current slut wife
Moe Tom
August 22nd, 2012
Asswipe Ted Dansen felt free to use the N word when he was bangin’ Whoopie goldberg. But he got slapped down.
MNHawk
August 22nd, 2012
I wonder if Paul Ryan put on verbal Black-Face to talk with her, the way Biden and Hillary feel they have to do when addressing Black people?