Rep. Betty Brown's Like Your Adorably Oblivious Grandmother [Lost the Plot]

State Representative Betty Brown (R-Terrell) found herself in a bit of a pickle this week after suggesting that Texans of Asian descent should change their native names to ones that would be "easier for Americans to deal with."

At a hearing on Tuesday by the House Elections Committee over the controversial new Voter ID bill, Ramey Ko, a representative from the Organization of Chinese Americans, explained how many citizens of Asian descent could faced difficulties while voting under the proposed policy, partly because of confusion over differences between their transliterated names—phonetically mapped-out names from someone's native language into English—and their "common" English name.

Brown cuts in, asking, “Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?”

Seemingly oblivious to the casually racist nature of her initial remark, she digs herself deeper a short while later, adding, "Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

The response by the Texas Democratic Party was swift and decisive, with Chairman Boyd Richie issuing a statement calling for an immediate public apology from Brown.

"It's already shameful enough that the Republican Elections Committee members are trying to suppress the votes of countless Texans with their partisan Voter ID bill," said Richie. "Now Rep. Brown is adding insult to injury with her disrespectful comments... We are calling on Rep. Betty Brown to apologize for her offensive and out-of-touch remarks."

Brown's spokesman dismissed the incident, alleging that Democrats were capitalizing on Brown's remarks in order to distort the voter ID issue. “They want this to just be about race,” he said.

More hilariously, Brown, in all earnestness, at one point during the video asks Ko whether people back in China faced similar difficulties presenting valid identification in elections there.

Ko good-naturedly replies, "Well, there's not a lot of elections in China."

Related:
Betty Brown, Republican Party Intolerance Shown in Voter Suppression Debate [Burnt Orange Report]
It Doesn't Get Any Simpler Than "Betty Brown" [Dallas Observer blog]
I'm Changing My Name to Elise Hughes [Elise Hu, KVUE's Political Reporter]

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Allen Y Chen in News on April 9, 2009 1:18 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Ryan

Straw man? Does Betty Brown have to worry about not being able to vote due to this bill? Is it a coincidence that she is telling people of Asian decent to change their names? What do you think names that are "easier for Americans to deal with" means? If Betty Brown has any clue of her white privilege, it wasn't on display in this exchange.

Wes

You're basically saying that "white privilege" exists and that denying that white priviledge is evidence that white privilege exists.

You're right, your argument isn't a straw man. It's a logical fallicy based in circular reasoning. Mea culpa.

Ryan

Part of white privilege is not having to admit there is such a thing as white privilege.

Wes

Nice straw man, Ryan.

mdahmus

Random, the Republicans right now have a healthy contingent of racists and a large contingent of racist apologists. I'm assuming you're a member of the latter group.

Random

Not at all. The generalization of Republicans as racists or racist apologist is what I oppose. Perhaps if Austin had more republicans, or at least more of those not afraid to speak up, the more tolerant the general populace would be towards people of different political views.

And not once did I make excuses for her. You jumped to that conclusion.

mdahmus

You didn't care enough to say anything about it, but obviously care to jump in and attack back. That's practically dictionary definition for 'apologist'.

Random

I thought the story spoke for itself. If we're going to measure compassion or caring by who's more outraged in a blog comments section, you win, hands down.

mdahmus

How convenient for you.

chairvaincre

What a dumb c***.

And I'm not just talking about your mom, "Random."

Random

My comment had nothing to do with voter ID. I assumed you were taking the ignorant/racist angle. If I misunderstood you, I apologize.

If you were taking the republican=racist angle, well, then I don't.

LoudMouth

This state elects some stupid motherfuckers.

mdahmus

Random, you're full of crap. This whole Voter ID thing is a combination of Smart Evil Republican (putting up roadblocks in the way of voters who weren't going to vote for them anyways) and Possibly Well-Meaning But 1950s Time Warped Republicans (maybe ole Betty if you view her through rose-colored glasses).

Studies of voter fraud show it to be something that hardly ever happens in the way that this effort would attack - i.e. people aren't voting multiple times or voting when ineligible. The whole thing is nonsense.

Random

This is what today's Republican Party is, people. Don't forget it.

This is misleading Democractic Party talking point number 1, people. Don't forget it.