Friday, February 15, 2008

Why can’t Julian spell?

Okay, set aside the question of why Mr. Julian Bond – chairman of the NAACP – is sticking his dick in the Democratic Party’s business.

Never mind why he’s trying to advantage Hillary Clinton and disadvantage Barack Obama by urging that delegations from Michigan and Florida be seated at the nominating convention this summer. (All the candidates agreed not to campaign in those states... because the results weren’t supposed to count.)

My question is: Who da fuck taught Julian Bond how to spell?

He is a 68-year-old man, and he can’t spell “dilemma,” “obstacles” or “aspersions”? Dammit y’all, look at that letter he signed his name to. Julian Bond sent that letter (on NAACP letterhead!) to Howard Dean, head of the Democratic National Committee.

Bond has a degree in English from Morehouse College. Bond’s father, Horace Mann Bond, was the first black president of Lincoln University. Julian must’ve grown up around some books.

Delima... goodness gracious. Guess I should be grateful he spelled “NAACP” right.

(Hat-tip: Sherrilyn Ifill at BlackProf.)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

He probably dictated the note to a secretary.

I'm less concerned about his spelling than I am about his character. I've never like Bond. He gives me the creeps. And why on earth is he in Clinton's pocket?

Anonymous said...

He's either developing a case of Alzheimer's or has a secretary who needs to be fired.

ItAintEazy said...

Gives a whole new meaning to "dictated, not read"

quirkychick said...

Seems like those words would've popped up in spellcheck no matter who wrote it.

It is that first ruuuuuunnnnnooooooonnnnn sentence that took my breath away.

Anonymous said...

I used to like dude, but running off that cat who was trying to drag the NAACP into the new century, followed by this Hillary lovin', Obama hatin' behavior is a damn shame. Part of the ongoing tragedy of this election.

And needless to say, the incompetence demonstrated in this letter is an embarrassment to himself, the organizaiton and to black people in general.

Anonymous said...

Maybe he can spell but can't type. Or maybe a secretary typed it.

If Obama was behind in the vote and delegate count, and Bond was silent, then the Obama supporters would be up in arms wondering, where was he (and others) in this matter.

Anonymous said...

Angry, passive-aggressive secretary has her revenge on the Obama-hating Clintons!

Anonymous said...

lol

Thanks Mint.

BIG
GRIN,
R

Anonymous said...

I call BS. Any word processing program would have caught those words and I can't believe anyone is still using a typewriter for regular business letters. Better get Dan Rather to get to the bottom of this.

DeAngelo Starnes said...

Dave, what do expect from a muthafucka that went to Morehouse. Now if he went to the Mecca, we woulda taught him a lot better.

Anonymous said...

It looks like the answer to your question who taught Bond to spell -- if he actually typed or proofed that letter -- is "no-gott-damned-body!"

Seriously, though, I believe Bond to be highly literate. I think the problem is he has an assistant or a secretary who is far less so, and he didn't bother to proof the correspondence before affixing his signature. That was careless and very surprising -- particularly since one must assume he has some inkling that this staff person is, uh ... challenged when it comes to language skills.

He should be embarrassed to send junk like this out the door. I know I'm embarrassed for him.

Speaking of language skills, that still doesn't account for other issues with the letter. Frankly, someone needs to introduce Bond to the simple, declarative sentence so he can get straight to the point. His convoluted syntax makes my head hurt. And "...voters that..."? Last I checked, voters were people, not inanimate objects or animals. That should be "voters who...."

While embarrassing, however, sloppy spelling, grammar and syntax pale in comparison to other, more important issues.

I can't competently speak to Bond's intent in writing Dean. I know a lot of old-line Black officials are backing Clinton over Obama (a decision more than a few of them now are regretting/second-guessing). That notwithstanding, there is also a good deal of concern in the Democratic camp that the party's penalizing of Florida and Michigan voters may cause party defections come the general election, or cause thousands of disgruntled Democrats to vote with their butts -- to grumpily simply sit on their hands at home instead of going to the polls -- in the fall. It could be this is the concern that prompted Bond to write the letter.

But getting into his letter a little further, I have to seriously question Bond's fatuous praise of the party. Just exactly what the hell has the Democratic party done to combat "racially discriminatory ... obsticles (sic) placed in the way of full voter participation in the electoral process"? More specifically, what has it done for Black folks lately? Has Bond suddenly been stricken with amnesia? Galloping Alzheimer's? Doesn't he recall the party's shameful failure to act -- in the cases of Florida and Ohio, particularly -- in the last two presidential elections -- when it turned its back on plea after plea on the floor of the Senate by members of the Congressional Black Caucus after the 2000 election? When it uttered only the flimsiest of protests as the GOP flat-out stole the last two presidential elections with subversion of the courts and dirty tricks, lies, obfuscation and intimidation that targeted the most loyal base of the Democratic party, Black voters?

WTF?

The fact is the Democratic party has done about as sorry a job at protecting voters' rights as Bond did at spelling "Michagan."

With a desperate and flailing GOP doubtless poised to three-peat its dirty tricks campaign this time around, now is the time for Bond --and all of us -- to remind the Democratic party of its sorry record in preparing for and countering the scuzzy, sleaze-ball and outright illegal antics of the GOP and caution it against failing the American electorate again. This is not a time for false praise -- not even in passing. With so much critically at stake, we should be holding the Democratic party's feet to the fire and demanding better.

IMO, Black folks need to be jackin' those fools up down at Dem party headquarters and issuing threats -- not planting our lips on Dean's pasty, bat-shit crazy a**.

A poorly spelled communication is the least of all this. What the hell were you thinking, Julian? I mean jus' day-um!

Undercover Black Man said...

Has Bond suddenly been stricken with amnesia? ... Doesn't he recall the party's shameful failure to act -- in the cases of Florida and Ohio, particularly -- in the last two presidential elections -- when it turned its back on plea after plea on the floor of the Senate by members of the Congressional Black Caucus after the 2000 election?

POW!... to the jaw! Thank you for the comment, deecee.

Vanessa said...

Surely someone took the correspondence for granted and didn't bother to use spell check. Bond should have been more careful also. I bet he'll check the next time.

I live in Florida and I say let the ground rules stand or have a do over primary. Anything else is unsavory.