Mitchell Statement to Groff Draws Questions

What Really Happened

Hey Pols, Shawn Mitchell here. You're being misled by someone with an agenda. Here's what happened. During a debate on medical malpractice insurance, I mistakenly attributed a comment by Peter Groff instead to Ken Gordon. Each of them started in instantly with the jokes, along the lines of "I'm taller" or "I'm better looking." Since one is tall, young, and black, and the other is short, middle-aged plus, and white, I made a quick jab at absurd humor and said, "Well they all look alike to me," referring to Democratic leadership.  In case your informant is unaware, Groff is Senate President and Gordon is Majority Leader. So, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you can chill the scandal siren.

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by: rockclimber @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 12:34:52 PM CST

Good

Thanks for you view of what happened.

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by: Coloradobaywatch @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 12:37:47 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I believe Mitchell - and I'm a liberal Democrat

I abhor many of his positions, but he is personally an honorable guy. I can't imagine him using that phrase with any intent that race even be considered. Instead he was just saying that all the Dem leaders look alike to him.

Which is actually kind of funny.

So everyone take a chill pill and wait for the next TRULY insensitive remark by a legislator. It won't take long, but it almost assuredly won't be made by Mitchell.

Defend the 1st, 10th, 14th and 17th Amendments - and Social Security! Vote Democratic!

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by: Half Glass Full @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 17:59:08 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Thank you Shawn

I am very glad you clerified that. When I first read the comment I was wondering if you meant something like "all you Dems look alike to me". Which really IS humerous when compare the diversity of our respective parties.

Democrats Unite! After all, it's only the future at stake.

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by: Dan Willis @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 21:42:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Racially charged?

Shawn Mitchell's explanation seems-to me, at least-credible & honest.  Shouldn't you-coloradopols-take down this piece right now, since it's almost certainly inaccurate, inflammatory, and perhaps even libellous.  I don't agree with most of NMitchell's stands, but he always struck me as an honest, amiable guy who wouldn't make the kind of remark that you attributed to him.  Leave that kind of rumour-mongering to Matt Drudge!

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by: H-Dog @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 12:46:10 PM CST

Amen

Slow news day?  

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by: St. Patrick @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 12:49:59 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Seems like..

Colorado Pols is too busy pulling stuff out of different asses, like their own.

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by: guesswho @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 15:25:23 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Apparently,

Hasn't Doug Bruce done anything today?

Proudly being investigated by Nancy Pelosi!

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by: cologeek @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 22:08:05 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I accept the explaination

Seems collegial to me.  Iwasn't there, but unless Peter feels different we should let it rest.

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by: Danny the Red (hair) @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 12:56:47 PM CST

it's a joke son

Much to do about nothing

Has Sen. Groff even complained about this?

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by: dumbfounded @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 14:43:44 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Mitchell's 'explanation' is troubling

We'll see what others on the floor heard, and there could be more to this than the Senator is claiming, but even we accept his spin, it still paints an ugly picture.

Mitchell's version seems to go like this:

* Groff tells him he misattributes something.

* Mitchell thinks a phrase with a clearly racist history would be funny.

* Mitchell tells Groff that his people all look alike to him. Accidentally smearing his race with his racial slur when he meant only to smear his politics with a racial slur.

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by: TakeBackTheHouse @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 12:58:26 PM CST

I didn't get the racial slur part at all

I think perhaps the use of "you all look alike to me" as a racial slur is more isolated than some seem to believe.  I've certainly heard the sentiment in a racist way, but I'm nowhere near assigning a racist meaning to the very phrase.

Definitely let this one go.  Mitchell is a horrible legislator, but there's no reason to believe this was anything worth thinking about.

"... politics has been divided between two types of people: those who want more people to vote, and those who want fewer people to vote."
- Sen. Kerry

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by: cdsmith @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:13:02 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Very well said

Let it go.

Defend the 1st, 10th, 14th and 17th Amendments - and Social Security! Vote Democratic!

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by: Half Glass Full @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 18:00:02 PM CST

[ Parent ]

TBTH has no credibility...

TBTH...

Aren't you a staffer, or at least a volunteer for Joe Whitcomb (Mitchell's opponent)?

That INSTANTLY calls into questions your credibility to comment on this issue.

Clearly this exchange was taken out of context. Gordon, Mitchell and most of the better spoken Sentors from both parties are constantly cracking jokes at each other's expense.  

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by: Captain America @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:30:59 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I am very up front and proud of it

You know that I support better government and that I want Whitcomb to replace the worst Senator in Colorado because I have stated many times on here that I am working hard to do just that.

You get the cause and effect reversed though. I don't think Mitchell is a racist because I support Whitcomb. I am working to get Joe elected BECAUSE of Mitchell's racism.

When the Denver Post said Mitchell, "took issue with some sentiments in two MLK Day tributes delivered on the Senate floor." and that Mitchell said, "To equate those economic facts with racism, I believe, is intellectual, moral and political sleight of hand", Mitchell himself gave evidence that his definition of racism only includes the racism that comes overtly and with visible anger. His brand of 'joking' racism is not real racism at all.

I don't care if you find me 'credible' on this. I am not making any claims on anything that isn't in the verifiable record. I proudly support Whitcomb. You might. You might not. Who cares? What matters here is what Mitchell said and did, and regardless of my politics the facts are right there on tape.  

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by: TakeBackTheHouse @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:39:40 PM CST

[ Parent ]

How is this a racial slur?

I tell my daughters quite often that all their friends look alike to me - I'm commenting on the fact that to me all high school girls do look very similiar.

For a year I just called them all Heather because of this and all the friends thought that was hilarious (my daughters did not).

Tom Tancredo Interview

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by: DavidThi808 @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 15:00:33 PM CST

[ Parent ]

A friend's father used to call me "You're Not Jackie?"

I think that the presumption of racism is a prejudice, first of all.  Second, with the exception of Reps. Madden and Balmer, all of the leadership in either party, or chamber, looks a little alike.  Is there some kind of requirement to not have a lot of hair?  I'm not calling anybody bald really, I'm just saying...

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by: shrubsrock @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 15:08:58 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I'm with you on this ...

I have four sons, all of age ... and I have said more that once about their girlfriends, "They're all beautiful, but I don't have to know any name until the rehearsal dinner."

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by: Taxosaurus @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 20:19:12 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The tape exposes...

"Each of them started in instantly with the jokes, along the lines of "I'm taller" or "I'm better looking."

Where is that on the tape?

The Senator's explanation suggests that they were all just joking around. The tape shows that Mitchell instantly puts the the slur into the record.

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by: TakeBackTheHouse @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:09:51 PM CST

The tape captures the person with the mic

No one else is audible.  There is no reason to believe anything untoward happened here.

"... politics has been divided between two types of people: those who want more people to vote, and those who want fewer people to vote."
- Sen. Kerry

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by: cdsmith @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:14:14 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Yes there is

They may have been talking to quietly for the mic, but they must have been speaking very very quickly too to fit in the banter that Mitchell alleges into the space between Mitchell's words.

I think there is a lot of reasons to believe something untoward happened here. The Senator admits to using a racial slur, but excuses it as a joke.

I saw earlier where you state you are nowhere near assigning a racial meaning to the phrase, but that phrase is a manifestly racist slur that has been used almost exclusively for that purpose for over a hundred years.

Even if you just Google ""look alike to me", you will see thousands of pages of evidence that supports this, and right up front are entries that make it shockingly clear.

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by: TakeBackTheHouse @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:31:08 PM CST

[ Parent ]

For goodness sake

Just wait until Sen. Groff says something about it before you go all Macaca on Mitchell. You've got plenty of ammo on the guy without this.

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by: BoulderDem @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:35:26 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Gotta agree with BoulderDem

You're just providing fodder for people who complain about excessive political correctness.

I was once at a meeting where a speaker referred to the "black humor" of a certain difficult situation the company was in. An executive, who happened to be a recent immigrant from Nigeria, was obviously grossly offended.

I don't know whether the speaker or the executive later talked, or if someone else explained to the executive the totally non-race-related context of the phrase "black humor," but after that the speaker and the executive continued to work together effectively.

Defend the 1st, 10th, 14th and 17th Amendments - and Social Security! Vote Democratic!

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by: Half Glass Full @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 18:03:40 PM CST

[ Parent ]

And "Black Friday" is a positive connotation

Based on the ink color used in accounting.

Tom Tancredo Interview

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by: DavidThi808 @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 19:23:43 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The real story here is

TBTH/Joe Whitcomb campaign trying to "create a buzz" and abusing coloradopols in the process.  Credible posters from both sides have cast an unfavorable light on the motives of TakeBackTheHouse.  Now when to say when, dude!

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by: K'andi @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 15:06:01 PM CST

Get a life TBTH

It's crap like this that has soured being in the legislature. Republicans and Democrats can't even joke with each other without some 20's something blogger living in his parents basement twisting it all out shape.

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by: MichaelScott @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 15:50:45 PM CST

They all sound alike to me

The "20's something blogger living in his parents basement"

Tom Tancredo Interview

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by: DavidThi808 @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 17:07:31 PM CST

[ Parent ]

David

LOL

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by: Roger D @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 17:59:38 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Does anybody remember laughter?

OK, full disclosure, I am definately not in Sen. Mitchell's camp, and, frankly am not crazy about him as a legislator BUT:

C'mon. We should be allowed to make jokes from time to time. There's a difference between race-related and racist. I think the joke here is that a black guy and a white guy "look alike" because Sen. Mitchell sees all dems the same.

I'll wait and see if Sen. Groff is offended (which I doubt), but I think we, as a country, need to chill out a little. Especially if we are going to have a black president.

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by: Wile E. Coyote @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 16:41:47 PM CST

wow. talk about a flexible standard.

.
wait and see if Regis' son was offended,
and if he was,
then a sin against God was committed.  

what are we ?  EEOC ?
.

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by: Barron X @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 22:03:44 PM CST

[ Parent ]

You're fired

Seems that everyone here agrees that this is much ado about nothing... except for TBTH. Can't we vote him off the island or something? Whitcomb, if you're out there can't you tell him your campaign isn't about rumor mongering?  

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by: Miss Ive @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 18:31:54 PM CST

Hey now...

I am definitely not Whitcomb's spokesman, I don't do communications or messaging or policy for his camp. He is very capable of speaking up when he has something to say. The things I say here are my views alone (...and very alone by the looks of this room.)

But "Rumor mongering"? Please.

ColoradoPols posted a story, and I weighed in with my opinion. Shooting the messenger is bad enough, but piling on to shoot the guy next to the messenger is a bit much.

You and I disagree. Fine. But if you think it is much ado about nothing, why make so much ado about it?

I'm dropping it. Are you?

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by: TakeBackTheHouse @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 19:58:22 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Yep,

Done with all the ado.  

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by: Miss Ive @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 22:07:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Typical

Mitchell has a very condescending type of humor, which is why "jokes" like this do not work for him.

Stick to your day job!

"Suddenly, it may be cool to be American again" - William J. Kole

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by: Go Blue @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 23:22:22 PM CST