Ashley The Liar: Another Moment In The "Black Kid Did It!" History

A while ago I pointed out that every couple of years, the "black kid" gets blamed for some random crime by some random white person:

Now Lindsay Lohan is that random White person. Lindsay has played the race card. She claimed that the "Black kid" was driving after she got pinched for a DUI. ...

There are other infamous moments in the "Black Kid did it" history. Who can forget Susan Smith? With her, "the Black kid carjacked me and took my kids!" defense. Smith repented by getting busy behind bars. Or Charles Stuart, with his "the Black kid shot and killed my pregnant wife! Luckily, he just grazed me!"

The "Black kid did it" defense even inspired a South Park episode, where Butter's mom blamed the "Puerto Rican" guy. In the movie, Freedomland starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore, Moore used the "Black Neighborhood did it" defense when her kid went missing.

The latest hate crime hoax comes to us from College Republican Ashley Todd. Todd claimed that a big, dark-skinned, black Obama supporter carved a backwards "B" in her cheek after her saw her McCain bumper sticker. After he allegedly carved up her face, he declared her, "a Barack supporter now!" Oh, and he tried to cop a feel in the process.

Here we go again.

Todd has a history of mental problems. I still have a hard time mustering up a lot of sympathy for her. I wonder if some early voters fell for her race bait especially after she added that sexual assault flourish to her story. The "black man defiled the white women" false accusation has been with us for hundreds of years.

Of course, Todd carved her own face up, as many of us suspected when we saw the backwards "B".

What's up with that backwards "B" anyway? Kids today really need to learn their history! If Todd had studied the sordid history of carving up one's face for a racist hoax, she might have learned a thing or two from that other right-wing hoax screw-up Morton Downey Jr. Also, why not just carve an "O" on your her face? No way that comes out backwards. Am I just expecting too much from right-wing nutjobs?

It's hard to feel sorry for Todd when she's not remorseful:

"She hasn't really shown any obvious remorse," Kraus said. "She's certainly surprised that it snowballed to where it is today."

In her mind, it's the media's fault:

"She was upset with the media for blowing this into a political firestorm."

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the hoax is the McCain staffer's fingerprints on the story. Does he have a history of mental problems too? Does that excuse his behavior?

TPM is reporting that a McCain staffer was pushing the most inflammatory parts of this hoax by repeating the "political" parts of the story to the press BEFORE the details of the story were made public. Now the campaign staffer is denying it and it looks like might be a cover-up.

Did the McCain campaign want to stir up the racial tensions in PA? Is there a race baiter on McCain's staff? Is this Willie Horton 2.0?

What about the College Republicans? How did the photo end up on Drudge? Todd's friend said he gave the photos to the police and to the College Republicans.

One highlight of the sad tale was local law enforcement's measured response. We don't want our society to not believe real cries of assault and the police handled this hoax very professionally. That makes me tend to doubt the police leaked the photos to Drudge.

Also, did those hateful McCain/Palin rallies help inspire Todd? There were more hate fueled mobs at their rallies this week.

While we're on the topic of toxic right-wing nut jobs, anyone else notice that Representative Michele Bachman has crazy "Runaway Bride" eyes?

Bachman's crazy-eyed look on Hardball reminded me of the Jennifer Wilbank's "Runaway Bride" hoax. You might recall that the "Runaway Bride" also accused a man of color of sexual assault. Wilbanks falsely claimed a "Mexican" groped her when she ditched her fiance and went on her cross-country trip. I bet Todd wish she had a poncho like Wilbanks covering her face for her perp walk.

Now Todd's in jail, she will be charged and hopefully get the help she needs if her MySpace is any indication of her state of mind:

On her MySpace profile, where her screen name is "Italian Pajamas," Ms. Todd gives her occupation as "Being a badass." Next to her picture, she references the title of a song by the group Panic at the Disco: "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her cloths (sic) off," but adds to it "but its (sic) better if you do." Among the books she lists as favorites: "The Scarlet Letter."

This hoax will always follow Todd and the McCain staffer's involvement with this sordid but all too familiar episode gives the McCain campaign yet another black eye.

Follow Karen Russell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Karen_Russell

Comments

[ElevateArtvertising]

Thanks so much Karen for bringing some attention to this!
Its sad what people are doing...people should pay attention to what's going on and the huge distinction between the 2 candidates.
This is a Hate crime and she should be prosecuted and jailed for it.
Thanks

[Horus45]

You know why she put the B on her right cheek?
Because it is so much easier to see your right cheek when you are looking in your rear-view mirror from the driver's seat.

[gbpack425420]

I remember about four years ago, at University of Missouri-Columbia, a 300 pound offensive lineman, who was white, got shot. She said a 5'8, 140 pound black man in cornrolls came in and robbed him and shot him with his own shotgun in the forearm. As it later turns out the white guy was cleaning his shotgun and accidently shot himself. So instead of saying I accidently shot myself while cleaning my shotgun, he lied and blamed it on a black man. I have to give big props to the Columbia police department just like the police department in Philly for finding the incredible holes in this story. What really needs to be examined is the fact why do white people feel like that this exceptable? Time and time again we hear of white people who blame their crimes on blacks. And we think that racism is gone?

[djsue]

This girl made up this lie and tried to connect it to black male Obama supporters. What makes me mad is the myth that all black men covet and want the sexual favors of white women. That is the card she played. Obviously, she had some believers who fell victim to this stereotype.

[Wolfgang]

Maybe they are all just trying to imitate Twanna Brawley.

[kesiac]

Okay this is crazy. People are so quick to say she has mental issues, because she said she has mental issues. You also say that she said lying is fun. Thank God she wasn't able to pull this off. As history would show, and you have gave a very small few examples of our black men being the victims of these types of accusations. Over 80% of the men who have been cleared by DNA in the last ten years have been black. Many of these men were accused by white women of rape. And its not the 'black kid', that gets accused. Its the scary black man, even if that black man is a kid. My nephew was stopped for the first time last week, car was searched for an hor before he was released. His crime being a black man. Our family thanked God that nothing was planted in his car. All of us were sad for him, but none of us were surprised. Welcome to being a black man in America. This to me, is why black people gave so much support to OJ. Not because we thought he was innocent, but because we knew the cops could have been guilty.

[Digeeedad]

The afternoon that the Ashley Todd story "broke", Sean Hannity was in the middle of his radio program.
He stopped everything for a while to read the early reports on this "event" and seemed to be almost "gleefully speculating as to it's truthfulness!

Tonight on "Hannity's America", he had a 1 hour special on reasons NOT to vote for Obama. Filled, as is usual for this incredibly hate-filled and unfortunately powerful "man", this shocking program was filled with inuendo, half-truths, and misleading fear-based manipulation which is his constant methodology. He spent quite a while on claiming that "the ONLYperson talking about race is Obama"!

Really?....

The day after Michelle Obama's eloquent and moving speech at the DNC Hannity said" Don't you believe it! EVERYTHING Michelle Obama said was scripted, pure Hollywood! NEVER forget that this is an ANGRY BLACK WOMAN"!

Friday, when going to a commercial break, his announcer stated about Hannity, "Red WHITE and Blue, abd PROUD of it"! I was shocked, at the VERY HEAVY and OBVIOUS emphasis on "WHITE"!

[Querent]

"Perhaps the most disturbing part of the hoax is the McCain staffer's fingerprints on the story. Does he have a history of mental problems too?"

I'm pretty sure.

[TIGIW]

what happened to the Fox news VP's comment? he said "if the story is a hoax, McCain's campaign is over" I thought it was a promise.

[CaptainStormfield]

Good question ;)

[rich3324]

Do a timeline of when she said she was attacked,when it was reported to the police and when this staffer reported the BS story to the media.

[CaptainStormfield]

Ms. Russel thanks for a very well written article.
I thought one of the oddest things about this whole incident was the blog from the VP of Fox.
He wrote early the day the first story broke that if this were true, it would sink the Obama campaign and the if it turned out to be a faked attack that it would sink McCain, that his campaign would forever be
associated with race baiting. Im still pondering that one. Especially since Fox hit the story hard with their usual emotional translations. Of course the McCain campaign seems to be dodging most of the blowback.
The country has changed however, and thats a good thing. The 2 police officers that I saw on the local news report were 2 African American women. 10 years ago we probably would have seen 2 white men who have no clue.

[Karen Russell - Huffpost Blogger]

Yeah, that Fox blog was really out of character. Maybe some random black kid stole his password and made that post.

Seriously though, the McCain camp is acting as if the state staffer is at arm's length from the campaign, when the reality is that the state campaigns work hand in hand with the national team.

Now the PA GOP sent out an e-mail linking Obama to the holocaust:

"Pennsylvania Republicans are disavowing an e-mail sent to Jewish voters that likens a vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to events that led up to the Holocaust."

Now, they are claiming that the paid consultant was also a rogue player.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7927392

It's getting ugly in those swing states!

[CaptainStormfield]

Yes indeed and its not over yet.

If you are captured or killed the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your
existence and previous slavish loyalty to Republican organizations :)

[LoRiseAntlers]

Nice way to rail against white men.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

Three cheers for Woman's Intuition!

[sarge]

The runaway bride comparison cracked me up.

[Karen Russell - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Sarge!!

As you know, I watch way too much political coverage. With the volume of stuff I watch, you start to notice other things like crazy eyes and McCain's sinister laugh.

Like on Meet The Press this morning, McCain is starting to hold his pen like that other legendary hater Bob Dole.

Maybe it is a magic, hater pen that one GOP hater passes down to the next GOP hater running for President. They'll need more than a magic pen or crazy-eyed, hate-filled supporters to win.

It will be fascinating to watch the blame game in the next few weeks.

I blame McCain for not having a consistent and postive message about what he'd do for America. I also think he ended his campaign with his impulsive, unvetted and craven choice of Sarah Palin.

I am glad their smear politics aren't working.

I almost feel bad for McCain. He's sold his soul to win. He's hired the people who smeared him with robo-calls and "McCain has a black baby" lies.

No one can take away the honorable way he served this country but now he's circling the drain. Many will remember him for this awful, negative campaign. ... And that CREEPY laugh of his. What's with that?

[berkeleygirl1962]

I have zero sympathy for McCain, whose "service to the country" was negated long ago by the S&L debacle, was not restored by a few random "mavericky" acts of political "courage" on some no-brainer political issues, and whose legacy will forever reek of the low road that he chose in this "country last" campaign. I "almost feel bad" for Todd, who got used big time by her Republican Terrorist pals (and actually, if the right wing media hadn't jumped on this before fact checking, it wouldn't have been such a big story--even if she isn't astute enough to recognize WHO in the media screwed her--THEY certainly showed a disregard for the emotional health of this disturbed kid by running with the allegations too soon).

You, on the other hand, have written a fair, funny and nicely nuanced piece--first I've seen to add Wilbanks to the list of hate-pandering self-destructive kooks. The point about inanely using "B:" instead of "O" is hilarious (I'm thinking of carving a backward M on the next chick *I* assault for revenge, LOL), and your description the Pittsburgh police's measured response is indeed a hopeful note in the whole mess. Great job, Ms. Russell.

[Horus45]

All of this hate is not going to end on Nov 5 if Obama wins.
There will be throngs who say "He's not my President, I didn't vote for him" and the Right wing media will be on a quest to bring an Obama Presidency down, just like they tried with Bill Clinton.

[obamagirl1968]

This story WILL go down in history as Willie Horton 2.0. The McPalin team cannot sink any lower.....

[NoMoFearNoMoHate]

You're giving them WAY too much credit - after the depths they've sunk to in this election there is no stopping them - this aught to be a good metaphor for McCain... They're like a sub that is going down too fast to stop... crush depth is November 4th!

[XME]

IF she has VERY SERIOUS mental issues, I'd feel a bit badly for her, simply because I have a friend with severe mental issues and if they're bad enough, they truly don't control those problem.

That said, I have a feeling that this girl is simply making up excuses since she got caught. She may even be clinically depressed, but that is not serious enough to excuse what she's done.

It's really disturbing that there are people out there willing to do such things, to be so hateful. If nothing else, I can only hope that she learns something positive from what she's done and that she choses to turn it into something positive for herself to make the rest of her life one that is of benefit to the world. I do believe people sometimes deserve forgiveness, but they have to earn it and prove they deserve it. Considering she's only 20 years-old, I hope for her sake (and for society's sake!) that this is the path she chooses to take. But it should by no means be made easy for her.

[Querent]

Well, if mental problems are an excuse, I guess the whole Republicn party qualifies for a bye.

[ohioan73]

One of my brothers has already gone to jail, tried at age 16 as an adult and sent to prison for something someone who looked like him did. My mother was powerless to do anything. They DRUGGED him with a narcotic sedative, intimidated my mother, threatened a guilty plea out of him which eliminated any chance of him explaining his alibi in a trial. They did this in the presence of a public defender who was supposed to be on his side. So many of his civil rights were violated and they just simply got away with it because my mother is poor. Why waste money and time on investigations to find the REAL offender or at least give the black kid a fair trial? Just blame the first black kid and be done. Slam the gavel.