More fallout from the “proud racist” speech two weeks ago:
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman is severing ties with an elected official who described himself as a “proud racist.”
The Whitman campaign issued a statement Saturday disavowing Santa Clarita Councilman Bob Kellar. The statement comes one day after state Democrats called on the former eBay chief executive to distance herself from Kellar.
During a recent Tea Party-style rally in Southern California, Kellar blamed illegal immigrants for harming the economy. His videotaped remarks were posted on YouTube and caused an uproar.
Whitman’s campaign spokeswoman Sarah Pompei says Kellar’s comments are unacceptable. She says Kellar has voluntarily ended his involvement with the campaign.
Kellar has said he has no regrets over the remark.
Now “severing ties” might be overstating things a bit. Beyond having Bob Kellar’s name on the Whitman Campaign website as an endorsing Councilman, I’m unaware of anything else our Councilman has done for the Whitman campaign.
It looks like Whitman did this just to rob Democrats of an issue prior to the primary.
Maybe Steve Poizner would like to have Bob Kellar’s imprimatur instead?
Speaking of Kellar, he did appear on the popular John and Ken show earlier this week. He spoke at length with the hosts and described his anger that local, state, and federal authorities aren’t doing anything about illegal immigration. He says he receives constant complaints from SCV residents about drunken and loud illegals in our town (funny I have the same complaint about tweenagers in my area). I got a copy of the show below; Kellar comes on about 24 minutes into it:
[display_podcast]
Well I’m sure glad the AP put Kellar’s comment in context. I’m also glad they mentioned the black man who tragically lost his son and happens to support Kellar.
Oh wait…
I cringe thinking that the “severs ties” story is one of the leading headlines on Yahoo right now. People from around the state and country who read it are left thinking Kellar is some terrible racist and Whitman might have her hands dirty by her proximity to him. Gee, thanks for making the situation clear AP.
No wonder Fox News was voted the most trusted news organization in a poll that included a large amount of democrats. (source: http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/01/26/fox-the-most-trusted-name-in-news/?xid=rss-topstories)
How about the LA County Chair and Vice Chair Bob Haueter and Lynn Vakay?
and refuted:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2010/01/if-you-disagree-press-2.html
Statistics. Can’t live with’em . . can’t lie without’em
SCV Talker Trivia: LOTS of lurkers viewing and printing the “Bob Kellar – “I’m a proud racist” thread this morning . .
hmmm – going just as predicted…and flamed for.
“How about the LA County Chair and Vice Chair Bob Haueter and Lynn Vakay?”
Took the words out of my mouth. I know Whitman knows… I personally sent it to their campaign.
I have come to really respect Bob Kellar. It is obvious that the councilman was taken way out of context. Democrats are famous for jumping on the slightest thing and turning it into a debacle to try and take down really good men. They never really want to debate the issue and it is because they are usually unable to articulate a good arguement.
As for Meg Whitman, she is a gubernatorial candidate and is even more of a Dem. target. I understand her campaign’s need to distance herself from certain words and phrases. The article said, Mr. Kellar “voluntarily” stepped down. I’m sure it’s because if he really cares about Meg, he doesn’t want her to get the same attacks he’s endured.
Stay strong Meg and Bob! You have faithful supporters all over this state!
“Democrats are famous for jumping on the slightest thing and turning it into a debacle to try and take down really good men. ”
Give me a break… Republicans aren’t the most understand people. They criticized Obama because he got mustard only on his burger!?
We can also look at Cash how just a few days ago posted a blatant lie debunked on every Urban legend on the internet. Included a line about the President of the United States being a Muslim Terrorist. I can keep going… if any party is guilt of pettiness as of late that award goes to the Repulicans.
Don’t come in here and dare point the finger at the other side.. because you have three fingers pointing right back are you PAL.
Thanks for playing… better luck next time.
Jeff,
So you don’t think we have an illegal immigration problem here in the SCV? Keller’s just a racist and to be made fun of? He didn’t get where he did today by being a racist. You liberals are so afraid of being politically correct that you publicly slam officials that dare to speak the truth. I wonder how you would feel about this if your Son or Daughter was killed in a vehicle accident caused by a drunk illegal on Newhall Ranch Rd. I bet you would change your opinion. Oh wait…the bike rider that was killed by a drunk illegal not long ago. I guess you wouldn’t change after all. That’s just frightening!
Ouch! That really hurt blazing monk…You are one bad dude! I wonder if you have anything else to do but sit around and post vicious blogs? You are one angry, bitter, disillusioned dude…I really feel sorry for you.
I’ve decided to sign my Soylent Green consent when I become so befuddled that I see a brown person drunk and loud and call up to complain that an illegal alien is being drunk and loud.
Bill:
As far as I know Marco Valencia is a legal resident or citizen. (He has two previous DUI convictions and was given probation rather than a deportation order, so he is probably most likely a citizen.)
But was he an illegal alien because he has an Hispanic name? Or is Joe Novotny not really dead because he was hit by a citizen rather than an illegal alien?
By the way, if you see an brown person drunk and loud, and you call up a city council member and say that you saw a drunk and loud illegal immigrant, you are a racist?
That was Vicious? Sorry if it came off as vicious.
But I can agree with you up until you want to blame one side for something both sides are guilty of including you. Didn’t you just jump at “slightest thing”? I didn’t make any assumptions about you personally… I only responded to your statement. I would suggest you do the same.
BTW. I am many things but angry, bitter, disillusioned are not on the list.
I am an American Citizen, born in Mexico. Comments like these add fuel to the flame of stereotyping, discrimination, racial profiling. It is hard to live in SCV as it is being a person of color. I am a foster mom and I automatically get WIC for formula ONLY! I get those mean glares at the grocery store and it is starting to get annoying. My husband is constanly harrassed by the Sheriff, but is never given a citation. If you are a Black man in a nice car, or a Hispanic in a junky car, you will see them pulled over in front of the carwash on Sierra Hwy. It is sad, but true. Leaders and people in general need to pick and choose their words and who they associate with. Kellar said it, he was their in support so….he meant it and he is not taking it back. Racist is not a word Kellar should have chose to label himself. That is just DUMB!
Oops “their” I meant there!
As for illegal immigration, I am torn…. when employers start following the laws, and the government starts enforcing them I don’t think illegal immigration will stop. If they can’t be hired, they will go back home and not come back, but if employers keep hiring and keeping them for cheaper pay, they will stay and more will come from all parts of the world, not just MEXICO. Just to let you know, my father came here under the Bracero Program and was promised a Green Card, but when it was terminated he was repatriated and we are still fighting for wages that the US kept, my grandfather has already gotten his $10,000 dollars only 50 years later. So a lot of us Naturalized Citizens it is hard to express our opinion on this issue, yes an illegal immigrant has the job that my unemployed Plumber husband needs, but my family was forced to once have been in that position after the US negated my father a promised Green Card. So, who is at fault? How can it be fixed? Will someone ever step? Who knows. All I know is blaming it all on the illegals is not the way to go.
Tim M.,
Joe Novotny was killed by one Marco Antonio Valencia. I don’t give a damn if he was a citizen. We all know where he came from and how he respected our laws.
Good for Meg! See a Democrat CAN say something nice in regards to a Republican.
Thank you for the post Kari and your perspective. I hope others have read it and seriously thought about your thoughts on this issue, because you are RIGHT-ON!
Kellar’s comments on the John and Ken Show are troubling. He also has made the same comment elsewhere a couple of times on how he receives complaints from SCV residents about the drunk and loud illegals on the streets.
How can you tell by looking that someone is illegal? Sounds like Kellar is sterotyping that any Hispanic must be illegal.
While I believe that he is not a racist, his remarks are not constructive and were inappropriate. While he may not have intended to represent the City, he has negatively. Nothing what he has done has helped solved the problem of illegal immigration.
The matter of the fact is this….when companies, small businesses, and busy homeowners etc., stop hiring illegals they will have nothing more to do but go back home. Yet, it’s cheaper to pay that cleaning lady $30 a day than $100, that gardener $60 a mo. than $200 and those workers minimum wage or less per hour. If you practice this, you are guilty of adding to the problem of illegal immigration. I am a citizen and my husband is a legal resident and have been unemployed for about 2 years between the both of us. Thanks to our savings we are fine, but this economy might force us to go back to Mexico, like many Mexican-Americans already did, I never lived in Mexico, and I sincerely don’t want to, but we aren’t able to find work. These are the problems we should be worried about. Not what some ignorant person who thinks he has power said. And btw the problem of illegal immigration has always been part of the “American Dream”, “give me your poor, your tired, huddled masses yearning to breathe free” inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. These people, like Kellar, say to be proud Americans, but they have forgetten what America is about. Can someone remind Kellar, someone in his family got on a boat and came to America long ago, it just wasn’t called illegal (Check with the Native Americans on that one) LMAO!
Bill:
Thanks for clarifying your position. I hope everyone who says that Bob Kellar was taken “out of context” and is the victim of “political correctness” reads your comment.
The letters to the editor in this morning’s Signal were overwhelmingly in Kellar’s favor. Meg Whitman may be making a big mistake in distancing herself from him (from a political standpoint).
I know Meg, worked with her when she was at eBay. Very smart woman.
God Bless us that she doesn’t win. We don’t need her politics.