Coburn Evokes Ricky Ricardo While Speaking To Sotomayor: "You'll Have Lots Of Splainin' To Do" (VIDEO)

(AP) WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tom Coburn evoked a 1950s TV show Wednesday in a quip responding to Sonia Sotomayor's scenario about what he might do if she - hypothetically, of course - attacked him.

"You'll have a lot of 'splainin' to do," Coburn said, to laughter from the crowd and Sotomayor. What he said - and how he said it - was a riff on a Hispanic television character, Ricky Ricardo, whose accent is now widely considered a broad parody.

In the famous 1950s TV show "I Love Lucy," the Cuban bandleader Ricardo (played by the equally Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz) would often admonish his scatterbrained wife, Lucy, by saying she'd have some "'splainin'" to do. The phrase, "Lucy, you have some 'splainin' to do," has since become part of the popular culture.

Calling Coburn out for this might be going too far - those who know him say he often speaks like this - but it was hard not to notice his inflection and choice of words. At the very least, it suggests a tin ear - particularly when speaking to a woman who would become the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice.

Yvette Melendez, a Glastonbury, Conn., woman attending the hearing, said she winced inwardly when Coburn made his comment but did not feel offended.

"I personally did not think it was appropriate," she said. "But I'm sure he said it as a joke."

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Comments

[Lefty08]

Totally innocent for crying out loud.

[lazercat2008]

I was just wondering what happened to those black guys who were always afraid of sometking. You never see them on TV anymore? Or those shoeshine guys? Or that upstairs maid that looks like the syrup bottle? It was just innocent.

[Martee]

But come on! Totally foot in mouth time at the very least! If I had said something like this at a dinner party to a Latino friend I would have gone to my grave regretting it.

[don quixote12]

What a misleading headline to this article. That was absolutely innocent.

[hardhat]

By the way Andy Griffith said the same words often to Opie on the
Andy Griffith show.

[Martee]

That show that potrays desperate alcoholics as lovable drunks !

[Leslib]

I couldn't believe my ears when they played that on t.v. Wow!

[lazercat2008]

I Love Lucy?

[LeslieM]

He has lots of "explaining" to do!
It's obvious that he is not comfortable around her and the fact that she is Puerto Rican is on his mind.

Unfortunately it happens to everyone over minor things like when someone has a disability and we try to notice of speak of it. Thing is, children always seem to get over it by just asking something like..."Wh­at happened to your leg?" Then that is it. It's over.

Perhaps if Coburn had more minority friends he wouldn't make such slips.

[lazercat2008]

Yeah, I tried to ignore his slight retardation.

[lazercat2008]

Everyone knows all latinos say splainin. Those latinos can't even pronounce their E's.

[lazercat2008]

Not only is this an overt racial remark, it's also blatant stupidity. Ricky was Cuban, it's a whole different Island carphead.

[DDK]

Come one now. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Coburn, but this isn't one of them. We don't have to see each and every action committed by our opponents as evil. After all, we're not them.

[zanbama]

So he is a fan of I Love Lucy show!

[Lakshmi0000]

2010 Vote them all out of office..

[lawgrrl]

To me, while it's not the worst thing, it's how I often hear white people talk who clearly don't spend a lot of time with non-white people. They break out the "phrases", that are just so dumb. I"m black and I can't tell you how many perfect strangers will say "girlfriend" to me. To me, "you'll have lot of 'splaining to do" to a Latina during confirmation hearings, is the equivalent of saying "DYNOMITE!" to a black candidate during confirmation hearings. Perhaps Mr. Coburn and the repubs will now sympathize with "an attempt at rhetorical flourish that fell flat". :)

[yukoner1]

There are probably 2 million reason to crap on Sen. Coburn but after watching the video this isn't one of them.
Humor will beget humor and not everyone will appreciate it. If we were all funny all the time there would be no need for professional comedians.

[WSAY]

You might want to think a little deeper on this issue.

[MichaelMcKLA]

Way to round up those Latino voters, Coburn. Keep it up. LOL

[TLV]

Perhaps he meant nothing by phrasing his statement this way, but my first thought was that he told his friends he would do it when they gathered for drinks the night before and they slapped him on the back.

[Scarlet]

I don't think it's any worse than if one of the senators had said to Clarence Thomas, in a parody of the Jack Benny Show: "Rochester, get me my violin."

[heisseh2o]

I nearly did a spit take at your comment! Thanks for that...

[espressobeans]

It seemed a good-natured exchange despite the unfortunate choice of words which probably came from some subliminal place rather than from an intent to be obnoxious.

[BigAl72]

Coburn is such a funny clown. Hispanics have Ricky Ricardo and rednecks have Gomer Pyle.