File this quote in your I Love To Use Code Words file. It comes to us courtesy of actor Stephen Baldwin, speaking at the CPAC convention, talking in talk radio political culture language about Barack Obama. That is: going for the shock sound bite and lowering the bar on political a debate little. (Or more.) Via ABC:
The crowd was full of frustration towards President Obama and his administration, and the words “Tea Party” seemed to be flying out of every Republican’s mouth. One big agenda item for the Republicans? Galvanizing the youth vote.
And one of the people leading the youth charge is Stephen Baldwin. One of the famous Baldwin brothers, Baldwin hosts a conservative radio show and has enlisted himself in the youth recruitment effort. Baldwin told our Jonathan Karl that he blames Obama for the state of the country, but also prays for him.
“I am not happy about the way things are. I pray for President Obama every single day. But tell you what. Homey made this bed, now he has got to lay in it,” said Baldwin.
When we asked Baldwin to clarify that he did in fact mean Obama when he said “homey” Baldwin stuck by his words. “That is correct,” he said.
Welcome to the “No Shame” society.
There will be spin and insistence that, why, you PC idiot, you know he only referred to “homey” as a generic youth phrase which can really refer to anybody. Of course: Jay Leno is what people think of as a typical homey. Wolf Blitzer is what people think of a typical homey. Hanna Montana is a typical homey.
Woody Woodpecker was, too.
I was at a synagogue school in Boca Raton last week and — surprise of surprises — the phrase “homey” wasn’t in vogue there. Hey, Joe: My homeys and I have to go now to study the Torah!
Or it’ll be argued it can refer to Latinos, Asians, Martians, dogs, cats and string bean addict support groups.
But, in reality, this is a case of the smelly elephant in the room (or podium) that some will insist has no aroma at all.
I suspect independent voters who read his comments will run for their gas masks.
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.