Apparently, the fact that South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley was raised as a Sikh is a problem for some of her fellow Republicans:
Lexington state Sen. Jake Knotts called political rival and Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley a “raghead” on an Internet political talk show Thursday evening.
The term is a slur typically used against Arabs or other ethnic groups who wear turbans or headdresses. Haley, a state representative from Lexington, is the child of Indian immigrants.
“We already got one raghead in the White House,” Knotts said. “We don’t need another in the Governor’s Mansion.”
According to those present and watching the show, “Pub Politics,” Knotts also talked at length about Haley’s parents’ religion and her family. Haley was raised as a Sikh, but converted to Methodist and has said she attends both services. “Pub Politics” host Wesley Donehue said the video will be posted today.
Haley’s religion was raised as an issue during her first S.C. House run in 2004, when anonymous fliers claimed — inaccurately — that she was a Hindu. Haley won the race, unseating the House’s longest-serving lawmaker.
Haley is in a four-way contest for governor. Knotts is a longtime ally of Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who is also running for governor. Wednesday, Bauer campaign consultant Larry Marchant said he had a one-time sexual encounter with Haley in 2008. Bauer asked Marchant to resign, but Haley accused Bauer of “fishing” the story to the press. The allegation was the second in as many weeks against Haley, who has maintained she has been faithful to her husband of 13 years.
Though they both hail from Lexington, Knotts and Haley have been adversaries, as they represent opposing wings of the county’s Republican Party. Haley is a longtime supporter of Gov. Mark Sanford, who has been a Knotts adversary.
“What the race in ’04 proved was the goodness of the people of South Carolina,” Haley said after a Columbia campaign stop. “What the race in 2010 will prove is the goodness of the people of South Carolina, that there fewer people of the Jake Knotts (ilk) and that there are a lot more good, educated people (who) want their voice heard in government.”
Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson said that Knotts was an embarrassment to the state, and that South Carolina voters would make it clear on Tuesday they are better than this.
S.C. GOP chairwoman Karen Floyd called on Knotts to apologize, which he did late Thursday.
Knotts said his comments were meant as humor.
“My ‘raghead’ comments about Obama and Haley were intended in jest,” Knotts said in a statement. “Bear in mind that this is a freewheeling, anything-goes Internet radio show that is broadcast from a pub. It’s like local political version of ‘Saturday Night Live.’
Yea, yea, really funny you asshole.
Update: Wait, it gets worse:
With a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face outside a Columbia bar, Republican S.C. Sen. Jake Knotts called Lexington Rep. Nikki Haley, an Indian-American Republican woman running for governor, a “raghead” several times while explaining how he believed she was hiding her true religion from voters.
“She’s a f#!king raghead,” Knotts said.
He later clarified his statement. He did not mean to use the F-word.
Knotts says he believed Haley has been set up by a network of Sikhs and was programmed to run for governor of South Carolina by outside influences in foreign countries. He claims she is hiding her religion and he wants the voters to know about it.
(…)
Knotts says he believes Haley’s father has been sending letters to India saying that Haley is the first Sikh running for high office in America. He says her father walks around Lexington wearing a turban.
“We’re at war over there,” Knotts said.
Asked to clarify, he said he did not mean the United States was at war with India, but was at war with “foreign countries.”
Oh my god.
[...] comment in an interview for “Pub Politics” — hosted by Wesley Donehue (h/t Below the Beltway). And who is Wesley Donehue, you ask? Well, presumably, he’s the same Wesley Donehue named in [...]
This is pretty funny, given how much hate their is between Sikhs and Muslims.
This is America? Are stupid white men in complete denial about the change in demographics? Being Indian she probably possesses a higher education, a higher level of expectations, a higher level of class, and a worldly view, all the things we need in our govt. that have been lacking the last 10 + years…do not vote for this kind of jackass.
If you don’t know who Sikhs are, I encourage anyone reading this to watch the video produced by the US Department of Justice, which is required viewing for all TSA workers:
doj video http://www.justice.gov/crs/video/ocg-video.htm
I have no idea about the details of this story, but Sikh Americans are the ones that are often called the epithets you mention. Please watch the video.
Amazing. What a complete ass. I’m particularly surprised by this one:
“’She’s a f#!king raghead,” Knotts said.
“He later clarified his statement. He did not mean to use the F-word.”
And so that means he MEANT to just call her a raghead?! I think I need to move to SC just to vote that guy out. If not punch him out.
This guys is complete white trash… though I am not sticking up for Haley. She is just another bible thumping Palin clone that SC can do without.
Jake Knotts is the kind of guy I would like to put in a cage with me and with a referee and commence beating his fat Limbaugh sized pork fed head into the cage and make pork sausage as it is squeezed through the links in the fence. I would of course stop at anytime the ref sees I am breaking the rules.
He’s a Republican. Why are you surprised?
Wow, what a fat, ignorant, no wait, STUPID redneck PIG.
Ponder a few of South Carolina’s “contributions” to the American experience: It gave us Caite Upton, the stupidest beauty queen ever. Its governor vanished for an extramarital affair & returned expecting redemption. And its citizens kept reelecting Strom Thurmond, the most unapologetically racist lawmaker of modern times, for 50 years. Is it a shock that this state, shaped like an unreleased turd, managed to crap out a moron like Knotts?
What he should be worried about is the over-representation of jews in the government. If it wasn’t for them, American boys wouldn’t be dieing in a war based on lies.
As someone who has studied Sikh history, here’s a short discourse on Sikhism. In the late 1600s Indian society was suffering under the atrocities committed by the Muslim Mughal rulers. The muslims were forcefully coverting people to Islam and would kill or penalize people who resisted it. It was during this time that the 10th and last Guru of Sikhs, Guru Govind Singh extoled people to take up arms against the Muslims. The turbans were meant to be used as helmets in combat and as a symbol of pride. Make not mistake, the Sikh turban is a symbol of the reaction against muslim ravages.
Clearly history is not Knott’s strong point. Neither is Geography. Goes to show that politician will say just about anything to get votes, not withstanding if its offensive or just plan non factual nonsense.
@Mark99
What does the shape of a state have to do with anything? Are you a complete dumbass or just running out of real criticisms? (As if claiming a beauty queen’s intelligence matters was actually a good point. It’s a beauty competition, not a spelling bee.)
i’m not politically correct. so i find this hilarious. i wish people would be more open about stuff like this. this is something lisa lampanelli would say. and i fucking love it. no offense to people from south east asia.
[...] noted before the South Carolina primary that one Republican had called her a “raghead” because of her Sikh heritage. Now that she’s in a runoff, Nikki Haley is the target of an [...]