POLITICIAN WATCH : Foot in Mouth

Is there some horribly contagious foot-in-mouth disease making the rounds among California politicians these days? Just recently Assemblyman William J. (Pete) Knight of Palmdale shamelessly circulated a racist poem from a constituent about Latino illegal immigrants. Now a black councilwoman in San Jose is facing an uproar because she made blatantly bigoted remarks.

As the only African-American on San Jose’s City Council, certainly Kathy Cole should know better than to buy into stereotypes of race or ethnicity. But that didn’t stop her in a speech this month from referring to Latinos as “pit bulls” and, using her fingers to pull her eyes into slits, saying of Asians, “If you get up and slant your eyes, you might get something out of the deal.” This referred to her charge that Latinos, Asian-Americans and homosexuals get preferential treatment at San Jose City Hall.

How ironic that many of the people Cole expressed such disdain for obviously voted for her when she won office just five months ago. In her district, Latinos and Asian-Americans outnumber blacks 9 to 1. At first Cole said her remarks were misinterpreted, but a videotape undermined that claim. Finally she apologized.

Californians have to ask whether politicians who say such foolish and hurtful things are tapping into a dangerous unspoken sentiment among the public. It’s been said that nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known. As distressing a thought as this is, it’s the most generous interpretation one can give to remarks of this ilk.