Is that a Loafer or a Mule?

A bit closer to home, local gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez once again stuck his foot in his mouth, big time. He's always been an ass, but apparently he is willing to say just about anything to try to get points.

Last week, he was discussing his position on abortion during an interview with a local radio station. As part of his "platform", he announced that a) abortion is wrong and b) that black women have an appalling number of abortions. This was his "support" for his statement:

"I've seen numbers as high as 70 percent, maybe even more, in the African-American community that I think is just appalling,"

Apparently he just pulled that number right out of his ass, in an attempt to gain support from "his base". It has no basis in reality, and only serves to show that he is as bigot as well. Local African-American groups are not accepting his recent apology, either -- they think (and rightly so) that this is just a glimpse of what he is really thinking and not a gaff at all.

It's bad enough that Beauprez repeated the 70 percent number - which he apparently "heard somewhere" but didn't bother to actually check. But what does it say about him that he ever believed it? He can't even be bothered to confirm something he "heard" because he seems to want it to be true so that it can serve his purposes.

The facts? Only 4% of Coloradans are black. They account for about 5% of the abortions in the state. Just what sort of political hay did Bob think he was going to make on the back of such a small group in his home state? Or did he just bring up the spector of "blacks" because it will rile up the neanderthals who support him?

Bob claims that he he "fits colorado" and should be governor (note that this guy is already a congressman). Well, Mr. Beauprez, you certainly don't "fit" me and you don't even come close to representing what we believe in. Perhaps you thought that by insulting minority groups you might gain some points with the whitest of the white? Well, most of us find that entire concept repugnant, and we find you repugnant, too. It might appeal to his right-wing, regressive base to blame the ills of society on "others" who are different, but for most of us, it's simply proof that he's the wrong person for the job.

He needs to sit down and shut up.