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Rep. McCarthy jokes: “I was the only caucasian on the list”
Friday, Oct 8, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller * State Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park) was debating his Republican opponent Jeffrey Junkas the other day in the south suburbs and the subject of pay raises came up. McCarthy said he was proud to have voted for a bill that will require legislators for the first time in years to actually vote to approve their own pay raises. Until the reform bill passed, legislators would vote to accept or reject the recommendations of the Compensation Review Board. Both chambers would have to vote the recommendations down or the pay raises would take effect. As you can imagine, that led to all sorts of political gamesmanship between the chambers and the parties. Anyway, McCarthy went on to talk about earlier pay raise motions when he took the “morally correct” route and bravely voted to accept his pay raise. McCarthy claimed that sometimes he “really stood out” on those votes. It was, he said, “easy to find me,” because of all the members voting to accept the Board’s recommendations he was “the only caucasian on the list.” I kid you not. Watch it for yourself… Yes, he was making a joke. Yes, it was a very stupid joke. Notice that nobody laughed. If you watch the full video, you’ll see that even his opponent didn’t react with a rebuke of any kind. And McCarthy’s comment received zero local media coverage. Either nobody heard him, or there must be something weird in the water Out South.
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- Quinn T. Sential - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 4:55 am:
Did anyone fact check his statement against a roll call?
Is it possible (or impossible) that he is actually telling the truth?
Whether he was; or wasn’t telling the truth, what message is he sending to his constituents, and how is that expected to impact him at the pollls on election day?
- Bill - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 5:15 am:
Kevin is the one who is the phony. Rod’s biggest cheerleader in the House is now attempting to re-invent himself as some sort of fiscal conservative who cares about his constituents. Its too bad Rod didn’t last long enough to give Kevin that big state job he always thought he should get. Now he is forced to rely on Madigan and racism to get himself re-elected. Maybe the voters will wake up and send this over grown frat boy packing. Get those resumes ready Kevin!
- Davey Boy Smithe - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 6:40 am:
I don’t see his name headlining at Zanie’s tonight. Maybe he watches too much Leno.
- siriusly - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 7:18 am:
Nice try Bill but Kevin was hardly Rod’s #1 guy. He was late the the Rod party and he was the first one to leave.
What did Kevin say that was racist? Most African American legislators are in safe Democratic districts and they are able to vote for pay raises and not risk losing their seats. The same can’t be said for many other Democrats.
It was not funny and sort of a pointless comment, but not racist. Take a breath people.
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 7:28 am:
Obviously, it wasn’t pointless to McCarthy. That’s why he took the long way around the barn to make it.
- Anonymous - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:04 am:
“He was late to the Rod party and first to leave.”
Is that a defense or indictment of McCarthy’s judgement? I can’t tell. Being late to the “rod party” is worse IMO. By then everyone knew what Blago was and what he was not. McCarthy deserves the criticism on that.
- movin - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:11 am:
It is funny to me that mccarthy calls himself a “democrat” the guy is no democrat. He is a “me-crat”
- Bill - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:14 am:
McCarthy and Jay were always there, early and often. Kevin doesn’t have any judgement. He was just in it to get whatever he could for himself. He listened to Jay. He listened to Rod and he did whatever he was told. Now that he has converted to Madiganism everyone just forgets the past. Well, almost everyone.
- OneMan - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:41 am:
Being the last one to the Rod party…
So in terms of judgement and the like, EPIC FAIL
- plutocrat03 - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:50 am:
and so ……
It was a dumb remark by a guy who has done many dumber things. Nothing more to be made if it as far as I can see.
- anon - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:52 am:
I love Kevin, but the loose way in which members discuss race and ethnicity isn’t acceptable anywhere else. It always makes me uncomfortable. Maybe its time to stop that nonsense, huh?
- HolyCatz - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:53 am:
Bill, thank you for that! And you euphemism lovers–that was racism or as close as a sophisticated, educated white Democrat can get who believes he can’t say “only the blacks vote for pay raises” but can get as close as possible. “The only caucasian . . .” gives him plausible deniability. “What me, racist?” Surely not, I’m a D and was just joshin’. Wink, wink. Nod, nod.
- SouthernIL - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:55 am:
Quinn T….I believe it’s called honesty which is a rare and refreshing gift in the political world. This should show you that Rep. McCarthy is upfront and not afraid of being truthful, no matter how much “heat” he must endure…he works every day for you and the betterment of this State. Just because he is a politican, he is entitled to a pay raise just as much as those in the private sector are. Haven’t heard of too many in the “private world of business” turning a raise down!!??! And yes, if you check the Bill…Rep. McCarthy did vote as he stated.
- Bill - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:56 am:
Thanks for checkin’ in, Jay!
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:57 am:
Dear Rep. McCarthy,
How dare you make such an inappropriate racial statement. Dividing the races for humor is not something to make light of in any context, and we find this offensive.
Very truly yours,
Fuzzy Zoeller and Ted Danson
Rep. McCarthy, making a point by inserting race, even if YOU find it humorous, is not only NOT humorous, but tasteless and distrespectful.
- Louis Howe - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 8:58 am:
Ok…The state is broke, we can’t pay our bills, but he stood up like a man and voted for his pay raise. Somehow I can’t see that as something commendable, even if he was the only white guy on the roll call.
- Dan Johnson-Weinberger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:13 am:
I don’t think he was making a joke. I think that he was telling the truth about his vote from his recollection and perspective. One of the best things about the General Assembly is the candor with which people can talk about race and how people of different races think and act differently in politics and government. That’s a fact.
I like to say that the General Assembly is the most diverse work environment in the state. Because it is. And with that actual diversity comes a lot of candor. That’s not racism. That’s honesty. Black people generally think differently about politics than white people, who think differently about government than many Latinos (with different ways that Mexicans and Puerto Ricans think about politics). Everyone’s unique and there are notable exceptions, but it’s generally true that different groups of people of different races have different perspectives.
I would also say that candor about how different people and races think about government is politics is a necessary step towards finding common ground.
So while is isn’t socially acceptable in most other places to be candid about race and politics, I think it’s great that in the General Assembly, it is more than socially acceptable to openly discuss racial differences in a considerate and respectful manner — it’s a precondition of success. We should encourage that conversation and not smother discussion of racial differences in voting or political ideas with the notion that it is somehow inappropriate or racist to talk about it. And I think Representative McCarthy’s comment should not be viewed as an inappropriate joke or a borderline racist comment, I think it should be viewed as a successful legislator who candidly and openly discusses racial differences. Besides, he is putting himself in the company of minority legislators by saying, like them, he took a stand-up vote to openly and clearly put on the record his position on the compensation. That’s a compliment.
He’s not dividing the races. He is stating a fact as part of a career built on finding common ground, which can only start with a candid exchange of views.
And I’ll bet the people of the Southland who live in a racially diverse area are better on candid and respectful exchange of racially diverse views than people who don’t live in a racially diverse area — just like legislators who are lucky to work in the most diverse professional environment in the state are better at having a candid exchange of views with people of different races because they have to do it for a living. That’s one of the things that makes Illinois politics fun and interesting. We should be encouraging more of it.
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:29 am:
This ill-considered joke was intended to pander to a certain constituency. McCarthy probably regretted what he was saying while still in mid-sentence, and couldn’t stop himself. I do not consider this a racist remark in any way, shape, or form. This was nothing more than a bumble. No big deal.
That said, imagine now that a Republican, say Bill Brady, said the same thing. Would the media coverage be different, and would the comments on this blog be the same?
- Living in Oklahoma - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:37 am:
== That said, imagine now that a Republican, say Bill Brady, said the same thing. Would the media coverage be different, and would the comments on this blog be the same? ==
Cinci, you and I both know the answer to that question is no.
- Reggie P - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:40 am:
As a black male I find this extremely offensive. Is he trying to say that only the blacks and himself are greedy enough to want more pay or is he saying that he is part of the black community because he wants his bigger paycheck? I don’t understand why he would ever think this is an acceptable thing to say in public. It really shows that he is out of touch and has never really been held accountable for his actions.
- siriusly - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:44 am:
Great question Cincinnatus - I have a great example of how media coverage would be different. In 1994, ironically, Senate GOP Leader Pate Philip said he didn’t want to see welfare payments increase because poor people would use the money to buy more welfare tickets. The year before he said the reason AG Roland Burris didn’t investigate Carol Moseley-Braun for funneling cash to her mother was because they were both black.
The media coverage over Pate’s comments was intense and they branded him a racist. The voters and his caucus rewarded him with the Senate Presidency.
- Vote Quimby! - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:44 am:
==Haven’t heard of too many in the “private world of business” turning a raise down==
Not too many private sector businesses in Illinois’ fiscal shape are still around to offer any raise. Do our “leaders” DESERVE pay raises for driving the state towards insolvency?
==General Assembly is the most diverse work environment in the state==
Seriously? I hope not…few members under 40 (or even 50), less than 30% female, far too many attorneys…I would venture ANY state agency is more diverse than this collection of alphas.
- Dan Johnson-Weinberger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:50 am:
Vote Quimbly — I’ll expand the field to mean state government, not just the General Assembly, but outside of state government, can you think of any workplace environment where farmers, lawyers, teachers, accountants, blacks, whites, Latinos, Downstaters, suburbanites and Chicagoans work together? I can’t. And the thing about the General Assembly is that anyone can participate by showing up in Springfield and pushing for a bill and become part of the work environment. You can’t really do that in a state agency. So the lobbyists and advocates are part of that diverse work environment. Not to mention legislative staff, who are almost all under 40.
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:50 am:
Cmon, Okie and Cinci, you’re not making any sense.
Some of the comments are quite critical, some are defensive. If a Republican made the comments, I’m sure you’d see some comments that are quite critical, some defensive.
Rich’s post says it was stupid. If a GOPer said it, would he say something different?
One of the least attractive traits among some in public dialogue is the chronic sense of Victimization. Who exactly is out to get you?
In the current marketplace of ideas dominated by Rush, Murdoch, Beck, Hannity, Fox, et al., do you really believe right-wingers can’t get a fair shake? That’s absurd. You should put it away.
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 9:54 am:
Pate said a lot of things quite openly in public and with reporters around that never made it into the media. There were times you’d have been reporting nothing else if you held him to a strict PC standard.
- OneMan - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:05 am:
wordslinger
I will give you all of that, but as Rich pointed out the media has been silent on it.
- soccermom - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:08 am:
As a yellow-dog Democrat, I am horrified by McCarthy’s unnecessary, unfunny and unseemly comment. It’s probably not worth moving to Orland Park to vote against him, but I’m thinking about it.
- Vote Quimby! - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:16 am:
Dan, if you include the ENTIRE state government then of course it is. I was commenting on your statement that the GA itself was diverse.
I, too, enjoy the quanit notion that “anyone can participate by showing up in Springfield and pushing a bill.” It’s a nice, “Schoolhouse Rock” version of how things work in our diverse state.
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:19 am:
I have no idea what media was there. My guess is a state rep. debate draws no broadcast, just possibly a reporter from a local paper who is either the least experienced or competent. Or is being punished.
- Dan Johnson-Weinberger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:23 am:
Quimby, the GA is still far more diverse than almost any other workplace in the state.
And that quaint notion does work. It isn’t easy or instant, but lots of budget items and bills happen because people without money or clout engage and stick to it.
- Anonymous - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:25 am:
The thing that jumped out at me was the horrible mumbling this guy was doing. What a mush mouth. Slow down and say the words mister.
- Ace Laredo - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:26 am:
What was the makeup of the audience? Is it possible he was not joking—maybe he was just in front of a crowd he wouldn’t normally be before and he made a terrible attempt at bonding with them? Regardless, why would you ever say anything along these lines for any reason? What a dope.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:27 am:
wordslinger, it was moderated by a Southtown columnist.
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:32 am:
Maybe I’m missing something. Isn’t he saying it takes courage to vote for the pay raise and he was the only white guy with the courage to do it. That seems like a compliment to non-Caucasian legislators by saying they have courage to stand up for their beliefs.
I’m serious, did I miss something?
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:34 am:
Rich, that doesn’t preclude the being punished possibility,lol.
- Jaded - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 10:37 am:
Not only was it not smart, it wasn’t true. Of the 8 no votes in the House (several legislators didn’t vote) only three were black legislators, Will Davis, Elga Jeffries, and Milt Patterson (famous for another No vote). McCarthy, Madigan, Malaro, May (figure that one out), and Rita all voted no.
I really like Kevin, and like him even more now that Bill is mad at him, but what a bonehead remark.
- just sayin' - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 11:04 am:
Typical of the low class crowd that dominates IL politics.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 1:03 pm:
I keep circling back to the thoughts of:
1. If a Republican had said this it would have been front page news with quotes of outrage from the usual folks reporters call on such matters;
2. If a Tea Partier had said this it would have been national news with quotes of outrage from the usual folks reporters call on such matters;
3. But since a Democrat said it, and everyone knows that Democrats are enlightened on racial issues, well . . . : -)
Then I think of the Pitts column in the Tribune where he decried citizen journalism. That video posting would have never seen the light of day in the MSM.
Perhaps tomorrow or the next day it will after citizen journalists keep harping on it and it goes viral.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 1:04 pm:
Louis, there’s a hole in your theory. McCarthy’s opponent was standing right there the whole time and never said a word.
- Bill - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 1:55 pm:
Oh she’s a columnist???
I thought she was Kevin’s PR director.
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 3:46 pm:
Cmon, Louis, are you a victim of the Grand Liberal Media Conspiracy, too? I don’t believe it, dude, you’re way sharper than that.
How do you explain Shirley Sherrod? Her rambling statements were maliciously edited by Breitbart, then taken hook-line-and-sinker by Fox.
Vilsback loaded his pants and fired her before he knew what was going on because he was so scared of the Right Wing Media Conspiracy.
It’s silly and you know it.
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Oct 8, 10 @ 4:44 pm:
wordslinger,
You are way sharper than that, too.
Briebart’s original clip DID have Sherrod’s mea culpa about saying she was wrong. FoxNews DID NOT report a single word about Sherrod until two-and-a-half hours after she resigned and the story had already been picked up by blogs and the MSM.
You’re right about Vilsack, he loaded his pants because he was was a sack. He didn’t bother to get a full story like a good manager would. He acted like the scared political hack he is.
Bottom line: no vast conspiracies on either side. But admit that liberals outnumber conservative reporters by something like 4:1, and as such, it is much more likely that liberal bias will occur more than conservative bias.
Use the Googles.