(Republican) Rep. Eli Crane refers to Black people as 'colored people' on House floor.

This actually occurred in, present day, on the floor of United States House of Representatives in 2023.

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), who serves as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, reacts to a racial slur
uttered on the House floor by his colleague Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ).


Published July 16, 2023

Published May 10, 2023

the R's won't be content until they bring back segregation...

Oh my God, do you mean that he actually said "colored people" instead of "people of color?" This qualifies as hate speech and he should be charged, indicted, and sent to prison. We can't have this sort of disgusting white supremacy on display openly in our government.

Wow!!!

Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of this country's recent history would know why the term "colored" had negative connotations.

I consider anytime during my lifetime to be recent history.

Yeah, I lived through it, but that was then and this is now. In 2023, the difference between "people of color" and "colored people" would only offend a grievance collector. Those people who implemented the Jim Crow laws are all dead and buried. I belong to an ethnic group that was systematically exterminated by the millions far more recently, by a system that if things had turned out differently could have resulted in the execution of my mother, and I'm not going to whine that a well intentioned person altered word order in a phrase. Get over it.

1. I agree with you, but I would modify one thing in your statement.

2. The term "colored" had and (has) a negative racist connotation.

3. I would refer to your statement in the past tense and the present tense.

1. The Republicans behave as if they want to go back to the days when women and non-white men
were subservient to white men.

2. I guess that's what they mean when they say "make America great again"

(Republican) lawmakers spark outrage with comments on race

(Republican) Rep. Eli Crane says he misspoke after he referred to Black Americans as "colored people" during the debate
over his proposed amendment to the defense spending bill on the House floor on Thursday. It comes only days after
(Republican) Sen. Tommy Tuberville had a hard time determining whether white nationalists are racist or not.


Published July 16, 2023

1. Your statement doesn't make any sense.
1. Racist behavior in the past shouldn't be condoned.
2. Racist behavior in the present shouldn't be condoned.
4. It's not one and not the other.


1. You have the right to have your own opinion.
2. It's just sad that you have this opinion.


1. Yet, I fear that many of today's Republicans want to go back to that era.
2. Yet, I fear that many of today's Republicans, are legislatively trying to bring back some aspects of that era.
3. Yet, I fear that many of today's Republicans, through their rhetoric, are trying to bring back some aspects of that era.
4. Yet, I fear that many of today's Republicans want to culturally bring back some aspects of that era.
5. In fact, many of today's Republicans are actively trying to prevent future generations of ever learning about the real horrors of America's racist history.
6. I believe that many of today's Republicans believe that it would be much easier for Republicans to implement racist policies if people never learn about it in their history books.
7. History is bound to repeat itself, if future generations don't learn their history.
8. I believe that many of today's Republicans know that if future generations are educated about the real horrors of America's racist past, that the future generations would never allow that racist history to repeat itself.
9. That goes against the agenda of today's republicans

I really got a lot off my chest in that last post.

While I agree that Crane made a serious error, I really dislike the term "people of color" and I don't use it. Ever hear of the "National Association for the Advancement of People of Color"? If the signs in segregated public utilities had said "White" and "Black", would we now consider that term to have a negative racist connotation? If I have to make a distinction between people based on their skin color, I use the term "non-white". Other ethnicities with dark skin face discrimination in the US solely because of their dark color and not because of African ancestry.

Nah, that's BS. Getting offended by every little thing isn't a good quality in a person. If someone intentionally insulted my ethnicity, I'd be offended, but some accidental transposition of words that wasn't meant in a bad way would come to my attention for a second or two and then be forgotten. I never think about anyone's ethnicity. I think about the content of his character. Barring, actual, intentional racist slurs, I just don't give a sh*t.

The comment was EXTEMELY intentional. It was designed to get the maximum response specifically geared to offend. Speeches like this aren't just pulled out of thin air - it was prepared, rehearsed and spoken on the House floor.

There's no excuse and no defending racist comments, so blatant and brazen.

And that's exactly why you should care.

He said "colored people, or black people" – so he might have been distinguishing between African-Americans and other dark-skinned citizens who routinely face discrimination. Or, he just might have been lax and used a currently politically incorrect term. I doubt he actually meant to offend anyone. He appears young enough to have known better so I suspect cluelessness more than overt racism.

Your comments conjure up the image of Eli Crane as a small child who needs sat down and explained to what terms for people should or should not be used.

Eli Crain isn't a child. He's a grown man. A veteran in fact. So, the whole spiel he was given about military promotions is really just rhetoric. He knows first hand how TIS (Time In Service), TIG (Time In Grade), and BTZ (Below The Zone) promotions are given. That purely was a show - an offering to the conservative, religious right. Nothing more, nothing less.

His amendment to the NDAA only serves to stop Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training to military members on active duty. Crain could have benefited from such training so he wouldn't have made a spectacle out of himself later in his life for saying stupid ****.

Look, I agree with most of what you say in your post. I do want to make one comment.



Yes, the whole attack on "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training" is a sop to religious bigots and an attempt to divide the electorate (even more) and deflect attention from a myriad of other important issues. But the people pushing this agenda desperately wish to avoid being labeled as racists and usually try to come across as "defending our military preparedness" or some other patriotic bromide. So Crane does remind me of someone who needs these things explained to him. He let the cat out of the bag – not by overt racism but through the careless use of language.