A South Carolina state senator used the racist term "rag-head" to describe President Barack Obama and Indian-American gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley Thursday evening on an online talk show, one of the show's hosts has confirmed.
"We already got one rag-head in the White House, we don't need a rag-head in the governor's mansion," Sen. Jake Knotts (R-Lexington) said on Pub Politics Live in reference to the fellow Republican's campaign for governor.
The show, held weekly at the Flying Saucer bar in Columbia's Vista area, is hosted by Senate Republican Caucus worker Wesley Donehue and his Democratic counterpart, Phil Bailey. Bailey said Knotts unexpectedly appeared on the show Thursday evening, and was invited to stay.
"Rag-head" is a racist epithet which usually refers to Middle Easterners and Sikhs who traditionally wear turbans. Haley (R-Lexington) was raised by Sikh immigrants, but converted to Methodism when she was 24.
"Jake Knotts represents all that is wrong with South Carolina politics," Haley spokesman Tim Pearson responded after learning of the comment. "He's an embarrassment to our state and to the Republican Party. South Carolina is so much better than this, and the people of our state will make that quite clear next Tuesday."
Knotts downplayed the comment when contacted for an explanation, saying his use of the offensive term was intended to be "lighthearted."
"My 'rag-head' 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 [the] local political version of Saturday Night Live, which is actually where the joke came from." A search of Saturday Night Live transcripts did not show any comments similar to Sen. Knotts' use of the slur.
Knotts also offered a back-handed apology to Obama and Haley: "Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologize," he continued. "I still believe Ms. Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur."
South Carolina Democrats clearly did not accept Knotts' apology, and party leaders immediately called upon the longtime state senator to step down. "The language Senator Knotts used, and his lame excuse for an apology, are completely unacceptable," said state Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler. "If he has any shame at all he will resign from the Senate. There should be no room in government for hate speech."
The chairwoman of the state Republican Party also condemned Knotts' use of the term, but did not call for the senator's resignation. "Sen. Knotts should apologize for his inappropriate comments, so that we can put this unfortunate incident behind us and focus on issues important to moving our state forward," said SCGOP Chair Karen Floyd.
Former first lady Jenny Sanford weighed-in on Knotts' comments Friday. "I have watched with revulsion the spectacle that is now surrounding the Governor's race. Our state is better than this. I can't help but think that these attacks are being leveled at Nikki Haley because of the courageous stands she has taken over the years in defense of taxpayers and government reform -- stands that offend many of the most powerful interests in state government. I am more convinced than ever that Nikki Haley is the best person to be South Carolina's next Governor," said Sanford.
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Peter Hamby Discusses Jake Knotts 6-4-2010by StatewideSpy1,037 views
Obama is a black ****, wish someone would put a bullet in his head,
MrPenfold84 2 months ago
Actually he was right when he made that comment! Obama is, Well you know the word i'm looking for here!
MrPenfold84 2 months ago
Hate speech breeds hate. You end up with a vicious cycle. Don't you all want to live peacefully? Or are you so bored with your pathetic lives that you need to make others miserable?
Niloiv13 2 months ago
@ADDMOREMAPS define your hollow and meaningless militant liberalistic word "racist".
OBAMABInlaDENrublind 2 months ago
God bless for a man to speak FREELY. Your lack of compassion for the right to free speech, IS REAL HATESPEECH. Haley was elected to represent his BASE. PERIOD. You stupid and willingly ignorant limp wristed libs, shut your eastern red european mouths. We dont need a dune kuhn in our American, AMERICAN government, because they are what one percent of one percent of our ethnic populous?
OBAMABInlaDENrublind 2 months ago
lol what a moron.the "old" south comes shining through once again....racist pig.
ADDMOREMAPS 7 months ago
Knotts 2012.
Zero2562130 7 months ago
senator jake is a racist!!!......knott!!!
joninyt 10 months ago
A rage head is a rage head. Its not shame..... Its the truth. Its not a religon, its a cult.
jasonavy 11 months ago
A rage head is a rage head
jasonavy 11 months ago