Republican donor just copped to sending racist and Islamophobic emails

Indus

Lifer
May 11, 2002
11,715
8,175
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https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/07/politics/joe-ricketts-pete-ricketts-rnc-chicago-cubs/index.html

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ou may not immediately recognize the name "Joe Ricketts." But you should -- he is the patriarch of one of the most influential (and wealthy) families in conservative politics. And he is also, apparently, the author of a slew of emails recently made public in which he condones and even expresses racist and Islamaphobic sentiments.

The emails, which were obtained by Splinter News, detail electronic correspondence sent and received by Ricketts during the 2012 election. There are loads of emails, but here's two, just to give you a sense for their contents.
  • "Christians and Jews can have a mutual respect for each other to create a civil society. As you know, Islam cannot do that. Therefore we cannot ever let Islam become a large part of our society. Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims."
  • "I tired of Political Correct, Multicultural and Diversity aspects of our culture."
Ricketts, who made a fortune as the founder of TD Ameritrade, also passed on a series of racist jokes in the emails and raised questions about whether then-President Barack Obama was born in the United States.

"I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails," Ricketts said earlier this week in a statement posted on his personal web page. "Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I've said things that don't reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong."

The Chicago Cubs, which Ricketts' family owns, were quick to distance themselves from his problems. Tom Ricketts, one of Joe's sons and the chairman of the Cubs, said that "the language and views expressed in those emails have no place in our society."

But the political world has been slower to react -- which is somewhat remarkable, given how deep the financial roots of the Ricketts family are sunk into not only the conservative movement but the Trump White House.

Pete Ricketts, another son of Joe, is the governor of Nebraska. Of his father's emails, Pete Ricketts told a local TV station, "my dad apologizes, deeply regrets those emails. He acknowledges he should have pushed back and responded more appropriately and there's no place in society for bigotry." (A quick check of the Omaha World Herald website Thursday reveals no news stories about the Ricketts controversy -- although there is a column on what Joe Ricketts' emails say about our digital age.)

Todd Ricketts, brother of Pete and a(nother) son of Joe, was initially President Donald Trump's pick to serve as deputy secretary of Commerce, but withdrew shortly after he was nominated -- citing an inability to untangle his complicated personal finances. In early 2018, however, Todd Ricketts was named the finance chairman at the Republican National Committee, taking over in the wake of a scandal that led casino magnate Steve Wynn to step aside.

Just days before the story of his father's emails broke, Todd Ricketts was named as the chief fundraiser for Trump's 2020 re-election race.

That's, in and of itself, is a fascinating story arc -- given that the Ricketts family was adamantly opposed to Trump's nomination. In the 2016 race, Joe Ricketts and his wife, Marlene, were major financial backers of then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's presidential bid and then, when Walker dropped out, of Sen. Ted Cruz's candidacy. So opposed to Trump were they that the couple spent more than $5 million to help fund an anti-Trump super PAC during the primary fight. (The Ricketts also finance a super PAC -- Ending Spending -- that spent more than $24 million in 2014 and an additional $16 million in 2016.)

Trump, as he does, called out the Ricketts for their efforts against him. "I hear the Rickets family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $'s against me," he tweeted in February 2016. "They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!"




Luckily I don't give these pricks any money by going to their games. Shows what kind of regard they hold people in.
 

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
18,527
11,189
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  • "Christians and Jews can have a mutual respect for each other to create a civil society. As you know, Islam cannot do that. Therefore we cannot ever let Islam become a large part of our society. Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims."
  • "I tired of Political Correct, Multicultural and Diversity aspects of our culture."
.

Conservatism in a nutshell?
 

Indus

Lifer
May 11, 2002
11,715
8,175
136
I like how out of everything about this guy, you chose "Republican donor."

Well since your tax cuts only go to the 1% or to donors in particular.. you should know who gives you the koolaid and steals from your tax cuts which could fund..

Medicare for all
Better Education for all so we don't need to hand out H1B's
Green Energy for all so we don't need foreign oil.

But you'll keep saying libtards are evil by drinking even more of the kool-aid thinking you're the wisest of them all.
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,333
136
I like how out of everything about this guy, you chose "Republican donor."
Because he is a major player in the Republican party. He finances the largest GOP superPAC, while one of his sons is the governor of Nebraska, and another son is the finance chair of both the RNC and Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.
 
Nov 29, 2006
15,692
4,204
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I like how out of everything about this guy, you chose "Republican donor."

Because he is a major player in the Republican party. He finances the largest GOP superPAC, while one of his sons is the governor of Nebraska, and another son is the finance chair of both the RNC and Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.

Game. Set. Match. Vic is the winner.
 
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Nov 29, 2006
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"I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails," Ricketts said earlier this week in a statement posted on his personal web page. "Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I've said things that don't reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong."

Wow. Did you hear that guys. He "deeply regrets" getting caught.
 

UNCjigga

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
24,929
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[*]"Christians and Jews can have a mutual respect for each other to create a civil society. As you know, Islam cannot do that. Therefore we cannot ever let Islam become a large part of our society. Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims."
[*]"I tired of Political Correct, Multicultural and Diversity aspects of our culture."
Am I missing something here? Is my liberal broken? What’s the big deal over some rich racist spouting personal opinions in emails? If you don’t like it, stop going to Cubs games, don’t buy merch and move all your money out of TD AmeriTrade. He’s a private individual expressing an opinion privately. I disagree with him, but he’s entitled to that.

It’s only a problem if his opinions, tied to mucho $$$, are directly influencing policies enacted by the politicians he supports. Did he come up with the Muslim Ban, or did Trump come up with that on his own? In that case—blame the politician for taking money from a racist scumbag and get rid of him. They are accountable to us. Joe Ricketts is not.
 

Indus

Lifer
May 11, 2002
11,715
8,175
136
Am I missing something here? Is my liberal broken? What’s the big deal over some rich racist spouting personal opinions in emails? If you don’t like it, stop going to Cubs games, don’t buy merch and move all your money out of TD AmeriTrade. He’s a private individual expressing an opinion privately. I disagree with him, but he’s entitled to that.

It’s only a problem if his opinions, tied to mucho $$$, are directly influencing policies enacted by the politicians he supports. Did he come up with the Muslim Ban, or did Trump come up with that on his own? In that case—blame the politician for taking money from a racist scumbag and get rid of him. They are accountable to us. Joe Ricketts is not.

Except if you look at the dates chronologically.. it's hard not to see the influence and how Trump or the current GOP pretty much ran on the hate described in that.
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,859
4,976
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"I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails,"

He does regret the exchanges. He regrets the exchanges being made public. I hate when people release "apologies" like these
 

woolfe9998

Lifer
Apr 8, 2013
16,189
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Other times I've said things that don't reflect my value system.

Because why? Tourette's syndrome? Or was it aliens? That's it.

Guys, we have a strange disease or condition here in the US right now that is causing people to say and do all sorts of things which are "not who they are" and "do not reflect their values." It must be an invasion of the body snatchers as these people are clearly claiming to not be acting on their own free will.

Given the sheer number of people who have recently claimed this, I think an investigation of this covert alien influence is in order.
 
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soundforbjt

Lifer
Feb 15, 2002
17,788
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Because why? Tourette's syndrome? Or was it aliens? That's it.

Guys, we have a strange disease or condition here in the US right now that is causing people to say and do all sorts of things which are "not who they are" and "do not reflect their values." It must be an invasion of the body snatchers as these people are clearly claiming to not be acting on their own free will.

Given the sheer number of people who have recently claimed this, I think an investigation of this covert alien influence is in order.
Space Force to the rescue!
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
Because why? Tourette's syndrome? Or was it aliens? That's it.

Guys, we have a strange disease or condition here in the US right now that is causing people to say and do all sorts of things which are "not who they are" and "do not reflect their values." It must be an invasion of the body snatchers as these people are clearly claiming to not be acting on their own free will.

Given the sheer number of people who have recently claimed this, I think an investigation of this covert alien influence is in order.

Obama made them do it! I mean, you must admit that having a black President made them really, really crazy. Crazy enough to elect Trump.
 

UNCjigga

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
24,929
9,208
136
Because why? Tourette's syndrome? Or was it aliens? That's it.

Guys, we have a strange disease or condition here in the US right now that is causing people to say and do all sorts of things which are "not who they are" and "do not reflect their values." It must be an invasion of the body snatchers as these people are clearly claiming to not be acting on their own free will.

Given the sheer number of people who have recently claimed this, I think an investigation of this covert alien influence is in order.
I'm pretty sure it was the Ambien that made him say it...