men with nicknames like "D-Money" are coming from cities to sell heroin and "impregnate" Maine's wh

[THE_DEVIL]

Maine Gov. Paul LePage made a racist claim about his state's heroin epidemic on Wednesday, alleging men with nicknames like "D-Money" are coming from cities to sell heroin and "impregnate" Maine's white women.

During a town hall meeting in Bridgton, Maine, LePage was asked how he plans to address the state's heroin epidemic. The first step, LePage said, is beefing up enforcement.

"Now the traffickers ... These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty, these types of guys. They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, and they go back home," LePage said. "Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road. We're going to make them very severe penalties."

LePage's office didn't immediately return a request for comment. The governor's office did provide comment to the Portland Press-Herald, which first reported the remarks.

"The governor is not making comments about race. Race is irrelevant,” LePage communications director Peter Steele said. “What is relevant is the cost to state taxpayers for welfare and the emotional costs for these kids who are born as a result of involvement with drug traffickers. His heart goes out to these kids because he had a difficult childhood, too. We need to stop the drug traffickers from coming into our state."

Screenshot
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) partially blamed Maine's heroin epidemic on out-of-state drug dealers that "impregnate" white women.

 

[Pepperman]

He was fine until he said "white girl", right?

 

[THE_DEVIL]

He was fine until he said "white girl", right?

So its only THE_BLACKS who sell drugs to the "white girl", right?

 

[cigaretteman]

LePage has a long history of making incendiary, racist statements.

 

[Pepperman]

So its only THE_BLACKS who sell drugs to the "white girl", right?

Duh, haven't you seen the movie Traffic?

Nothing about his statement implied blacks were dealing the drugs until he said "white girl".

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Wow he could have probably just said that people where trafficking heroin from other states and bringing it up into Maine.

The comment about their names and impregnating people was quite frankly stupid.

 

[markfromj]

He was fine until he said "white girl", right?

Yes. Or, at least, not racist. Probably dumb, though.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

Bangor? I just met her!

 

[hawkifann]

Always good to see the grown-ups in charge.

 

[linkshero]

He's 100% on in terms of the epidemic. Kids are getting hooked on H through script meds, and the heroin is actually now a little cheaper than Vic, or Oxy. But, as a paid official, he can't say what he said. Even if guys like D Money are coming up and getting girls knocked up, and even if most of them are white (girls), he can't say that. In fact, it doesn't really matter who is doing the crimes, it needs to be dealt with. The question is if the guy is really racist, or if it's just advanced rhetoric, with the intention of garnering support by painting a more vivid narrative.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

He was fine until he said "white girl", right?

That was for those too dumb to realize he was talking about blacks, or who may have realized he was talking about blacks but weren't sufficiently upset by that.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

He's 100% on in terms of the epidemic. Kids are getting hooked on H through script meds, and the heroin is actually now a little cheaper than Vic, or Oxy. But, as a paid official, he can't say what he said. Even if guys like D Money are coming up and getting girls knocked up, and even if most of them are white (girls), he can't say that. In fact, it doesn't really matter who is doing the crimes, it needs to be dealt with. The question is if the guy is really racist, or if it's just advanced rhetoric, with the intention of garnering support by painting a more vivid narrative.

How can there be any doubt that he's really a racist? That's cartoonishly racist.

 

[Funky Bunch]

I'd like to hear his thoughts on the NBA

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

"Now the traffickers ... These are guys with the name Jamie, Conrad, Kyle, these types of guys. They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their mortgage-backed derivatives, and they go back home," LePage said. "Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, black girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road. We're going to make them very severe penalties."

It's just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

 

[artradley]

He's 100% on in terms of the epidemic. Kids are getting hooked on H through script meds, and the heroin is actually now a little cheaper than Vic, or Oxy. But, as a paid official, he can't say what he said. Even if guys like D Money are coming up and getting girls knocked up, and even if most of them are white (girls), he can't say that. In fact, it doesn't really matter who is doing the crimes, it needs to be dealt with. The question is if the guy is really racist, or if it's just advanced rhetoric, with the intention of garnering support by painting a more vivid narrative.

Well, the "more vivid narrative" is clearly designed to scare Mainers with visions of black guys f-ing their white girls, so it's hard to consider that anything but racist.

 

[hawkifann]

Well, the "more vivid narrative" is clearly designed to scare Mainers with visions of black guys f-ing their white girls, so it's hard to consider that anything but racist.

Not to mention that their names and what they do or don't do with girls of any color really don't have anything to do with the H problem. I don't live in Maine, but I can certainly believe that there's an H problem....but the rest of this? It's hard to tell from his "vivid narrative" whether the H is the epidemic or interracial coupling.

 

[Wahawk56]

Them low down dirty good for nothing niccas. How dare they do something so heinous as knocking up then sweet innocent white girls. We can live with the drugs, but you can't rehab the impurities away.

 

[KitingHigh]

"Now the traffickers ... These are guys with the name Jamie, Conrad, Kyle, these types of guys. They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their mortgage-backed derivatives, and they go back home," LePage said. "Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, black girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road. We're going to make them very severe penalties."

It's just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

It does actually.

 

[swagsurfer02]

I'm not sure I've ever met a "D Money" who was on the up and up!

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

It does actually.

Do you think you could get legislators to pass laws throwing those folks in jail, or authorizing SWAT teams to storm their homes, or putting them away for life after 3 strikes? Because we know that didn't happen. And there's no indication it will ever happen.

 

[jscott78]

And yet conservatives continue to wonder where Trump came from.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage made a racist claim about his state's heroin epidemic on Wednesday, alleging men with nicknames like "D-Money" are coming from cities to sell heroin and "impregnate" Maine's white women.

During a town hall meeting in Bridgton, Maine, LePage was asked how he plans to address the state's heroin epidemic. The first step, LePage said, is beefing up enforcement.

"Now the traffickers ... These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty, these types of guys. They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, and they go back home," LePage said. "Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road. We're going to make them very severe penalties."

LePage's office didn't immediately return a request for comment. The governor's office did provide comment to the Portland Press-Herald, which first reported the remarks.

"The governor is not making comments about race. Race is irrelevant,” LePage communications director Peter Steele said. “What is relevant is the cost to state taxpayers for welfare and the emotional costs for these kids who are born as a result of involvement with drug traffickers. His heart goes out to these kids because he had a difficult childhood, too. We need to stop the drug traffickers from coming into our state."

Screenshot
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) partially blamed Maine's heroin epidemic on out-of-state drug dealers that "impregnate" white women.

 

[IACub]

"Now the traffickers ... These are guys with the name Jamie, Conrad, Kyle, these types of guys. They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their mortgage-backed derivatives, and they go back home," LePage said. "Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, black girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road. We're going to make them very severe penalties."

It's just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

More like impregnate themselves with fresh Maine lobster, amirite?

 

[linkshero]

Well, the "more vivid narrative" is clearly designed to scare Mainers with visions of black guys f-ing their white girls, so it's hard to consider that anything but racist.

How can there be any doubt that he's really a racist? That's cartoonishly racist.

I never said, or implied the statement wasn't racist. I'm saying he may of purposely crafted the narrative to try and scare his constituents. The fact he chose to do it using stereotypes was his call. If you break it down, his stereotypes in the beginning are not racist, maybe social, or economical, but not racist. If you chose to assign those nicknames to race, that's your call. I would personally associate the name 'Shifty' to a white guy just as easily a black guy. He made it about race when he said 'white' girls.

 

[KitingHigh]

Do you think you could get legislators to pass laws throwing those folks in jail, or authorizing SWAT teams to storm their homes, or putting them away for life after 3 strikes? Because we know that didn't happen. And there's no indication it will ever happen.

Do you really think it would be that different if the roles were reversed?

Regardless, I wasn't speaking for other people. It has the exact same ring to me. the knife cuts both ways

 

[KitingHigh]

Do you think you could get legislators to pass laws throwing those folks in jail, or authorizing SWAT teams to storm their homes, or putting them away for life after 3 strikes? Because we know that didn't happen. And there's no indication it will ever happen.

Do you really think it would be that different if the roles were reversed?

Regardless, I wasn't speaking for other people. It has the exact same ring to me. the knife cuts both ways

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Do you really think it would be that different if the roles were reversed?

Regardless, I wasn't speaking for other people. It has the exact same ring to me. the knife cuts both ways

Pretty sure my example points out that it absolutely is different with the roles reversed and that the knife does not point both ways. White people raping the underclass doesn't even merit a slap on the wrist. The closest thing we got was Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley - one of which has already been gutted and the other is on the chopping block, because they are just too mean to the good sorts of exploiters.

 

[KitingHigh]

Pretty sure my example points out that it absolutely is different with the roles reversed and that the knife does not point both ways. White people raping the underclass doesn't even merit a slap on the wrist. The closest thing we got was Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley - one of which has already been gutted and the other is on the chopping block, because they are just too mean to the good sorts of exploiters.

Once again, I am commenting on my view of your statement. Nothing more.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Once again, I am commenting on my view of your statement. Nothing more.

Whatever that's supposed to mean.

 

[KitingHigh]

Whatever that's supposed to mean.

It means your statement was just as racist as the original one.

 

[artradley]

I never said, or implied the statement wasn't racist. I'm saying he may of purposely crafted the narrative to try and scare his constituents. The fact he chose to do it using stereotypes was his call. If you break it down, his stereotypes in the beginning are not racist, maybe social, or economical, but not racist. If you chose to assign those nicknames to race, that's your call. I would personally associate the name 'Shifty' to a white guy just as easily a black guy. He made it about race when he said 'white' girls.

But when he specifically says "white girls" it means, quite clearly, that the "others" are not white. When you contrast some guy named "D-Money" with a "white girl" the statement has been made. It's disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

 

[herecomethehawkeyes]

 

[Huey Grey]

Asians must be feeling left out of this Maine fiasco, so I'll just leave this here:

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Update-

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) held a press conference Friday to stop some of the damage from his recent comments about heroin dealers, insisting he was not being racist when he said that men with names like "D-Money" come to the state and "impregnate a young white girl before they leave."

"I apologize again," LePage told reporters, saying he "slipped up." "My brain was slower than my mouth."

During a town hall meeting Wednesday, LePage told constituents that Maine needs to beef up enforcement in order to address the state's heroin crisis. He said there were traffickers coming from Connecticut and New York with names like "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" who "come up here, they sell their heroin and they go back home.


"Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road," he added.

The comments quickly went national, with the media calling them "racist" or, at the very least, "racially charged." Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign even weighed in, saying they were "racist rants."

LePage, however, said Friday that his remarks had nothing to do with race.


"I tried to explain that Maine is essentially all white," he said. "I should have said 'Maine women.'"

According to the Census Bureau, Maine is 95 percent white, which is a far higher percentage than the country at large.

LePage also said he didn't intend to imply that people with names like "Smoothie" were black.

"I never said anything about white or black on traffickers. ... What are they, black? I don't know. I just read the names," he said.

LePage, as usual, also went after the media for focusing on his comments instead of the broader heroin crisis. He said they were goaded by blogs into covering his remarks.

"You are in the back pocket of the Maine bloggers. Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame," he said.

Reporters challenged LePage's charge that they haven't covered the heroin epidemic, asking him what they missed.

"I'm not certain of everything you've missed, but I've only read two articles that really explained what is happening in society," he said.

LePage has long had a bitter relationship with newspapers in Maine, saying he'd like to blow up the Portland Press Herald's building and shoot a Bangor Daily News cartoonist. In April 2014, he also said the "worst part" of his life was that "newspapers are still alive."

LePage is an outspoken supporter of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and was the first prominent elected official to endorse his presidential bid.

 

[cigaretteman]

Update-

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) held a press conference Friday to stop some of the damage from his recent comments about heroin dealers, insisting he was not being racist when he said that men with names like "D-Money" come to the state and "impregnate a young white girl before they leave."

"I apologize again," LePage told reporters, saying he "slipped up." "My brain was slower than my mouth."

During a town hall meeting Wednesday, LePage told constituents that Maine needs to beef up enforcement in order to address the state's heroin crisis. He said there were traffickers coming from Connecticut and New York with names like "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" who "come up here, they sell their heroin and they go back home.


"Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road," he added.

The comments quickly went national, with the media calling them "racist" or, at the very least, "racially charged." Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign even weighed in, saying they were "racist rants."

LePage, however, said Friday that his remarks had nothing to do with race.


"I tried to explain that Maine is essentially all white," he said. "I should have said 'Maine women.'"

According to the Census Bureau, Maine is 95 percent white, which is a far higher percentage than the country at large.

LePage also said he didn't intend to imply that people with names like "Smoothie" were black.

"I never said anything about white or black on traffickers. ... What are they, black? I don't know. I just read the names," he said.

LePage, as usual, also went after the media for focusing on his comments instead of the broader heroin crisis. He said they were goaded by blogs into covering his remarks.

"You are in the back pocket of the Maine bloggers. Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame," he said.

Reporters challenged LePage's charge that they haven't covered the heroin epidemic, asking him what they missed.

"I'm not certain of everything you've missed, but I've only read two articles that really explained what is happening in society," he said.

LePage has long had a bitter relationship with newspapers in Maine, saying he'd like to blow up the Portland Press Herald's building and shoot a Bangor Daily News cartoonist. In April 2014, he also said the "worst part" of his life was that "newspapers are still alive."

LePage is an outspoken supporter of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and was the first prominent elected official to endorse his presidential bid.

LOL, someone should tell him that he needs to stop digging!

 

[The Tradition]

"I tried to explain that Maine is essentially all white," he said. "I should have said 'Maine women.'"

This is exactly what I was going to say. Saying "Maine white girls" is redundant.

 

[IACub]

Update-

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) held a press conference Friday to stop some of the damage from his recent comments about heroin dealers, insisting he was not being racist when he said that men with names like "D-Money" come to the state and "impregnate a young white girl before they leave."

"I apologize again," LePage told reporters, saying he "slipped up." "My brain was slower than my mouth."

During a town hall meeting Wednesday, LePage told constituents that Maine needs to beef up enforcement in order to address the state's heroin crisis. He said there were traffickers coming from Connecticut and New York with names like "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" who "come up here, they sell their heroin and they go back home.


"Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've got to deal with down the road," he added.

The comments quickly went national, with the media calling them "racist" or, at the very least, "racially charged." Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign even weighed in, saying they were "racist rants."

LePage, however, said Friday that his remarks had nothing to do with race.


"I tried to explain that Maine is essentially all white," he said. "I should have said 'Maine women.'"

According to the Census Bureau, Maine is 95 percent white, which is a far higher percentage than the country at large.

LePage also said he didn't intend to imply that people with names like "Smoothie" were black.

"I never said anything about white or black on traffickers. ... What are they, black? I don't know. I just read the names," he said.

LePage, as usual, also went after the media for focusing on his comments instead of the broader heroin crisis. He said they were goaded by blogs into covering his remarks.

"You are in the back pocket of the Maine bloggers. Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame," he said.

Reporters challenged LePage's charge that they haven't covered the heroin epidemic, asking him what they missed.

"I'm not certain of everything you've missed, but I've only read two articles that really explained what is happening in society," he said.

LePage has long had a bitter relationship with newspapers in Maine, saying he'd like to blow up the Portland Press Herald's building and shoot a Bangor Daily News cartoonist. In April 2014, he also said the "worst part" of his life was that "newspapers are still alive."

LePage is an outspoken supporter of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and was the first prominent elected official to endorse his presidential bid.

So it's okay if you accidentally let the world know you're racist, rather than on purpose?

 

[Huey Grey]

Not a very good week for Republican governors.

 

[linkshero]

But when he specifically says "white girls" it means, quite clearly, that the "others" are not white. When you contrast some guy named "D-Money" with a "white girl" the statement has been made. It's disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

I'm not 100% clear on your statement.

Clearly everybody is in agreement that as a whole, it was an incredibly dumb, ultimately racist comment to make, especially for an elected official.

As directed towards me, are you saying I'm being disingenuous because I'm trying to suggest that it wasn't about race until he mentioned 'white girls'? If in fact, that is what you meant I would argue it's far from disingenuous, but more my inclination to spark discussion. In your justification, you chose to eliminate 2 of the 3 nicknames the Gov actually used, to contrast to 'white girl'. I'm sure it's no coincidence that you chose D money, instead of sneaky, or shifty, or whatever the other ones were. In away, by eliminating the other two nicknames, you are using rhetoric to develop a narrative to justify your point, which is exactly what I was saying the Gov was doing by issuing the statement in the first place.

 

[dgordo]

Well, the "more vivid narrative" is clearly designed to scare Mainers with visions of black guys f-ing their white girls, so it's hard to consider that anything but racist.

I think his point was if you dont want to lose your girl to a negro you better get her some heroin.

 

[IACub]

I think his point was if you dont want to lose your girl to a negro you better get her some heroin.

Dating has really changed since I was younger.