Only Marion Barry could manage to do this.
During a joint news conference with Asian-American advocacy groups to formally apologize for recent comments he made about Asian businesses and Filipino nurses, Barry offended another community.
At one point, Barry said the country has a history of racial tensions and said the following:
“The Irish caught hell, the Jews caught hell, the Polacks caught hell.”
Polack is a derogatory term for a Polish person and in the U.S. is considered an ethnic slur.
When he was later asked about this reference, according to The Post, Barry first denied using the term and then said he meant “Poles.”
Now, Polish-American groups are already calling on the former D.C. mayor to apologize.
"It's not really cool. It's pretty nasty," said Gary Kenzer, who runs the Chicago-based Polish-American advocacy group, and described also the term as "inappropriate."
"It's not very nice. It's just not nice," Kenzer continued. "What a loose cannon this guy is. Truly a loose cannon. What the hell?"
"There just isn't a good way to talk about this," Kenzer told BuzzFeed. "Like the jokes, they're just not funny. This is consistent with [Barry's] credibility. I don't know if you have access to this man but he needs to apologize yet again."
* Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is slated to debate New Gingrich on Meet the Press Sunday.
The two will discuss what’s “fair game when it comes to campaign attacks and where the race between President Obama and Romney stands now, “ according to the Meet The Press website.
* Maryland House Republicans are opposing a special session to discuss gambling issues, saying special sessions should only be used in times of crisis.
Some GOP members wrote a letter to the Governor and the legislature’s residing officers arguing that any expansion of gambling should be taken up in a regular 90-day session to give lawmakers more time to consider it.
Gov. O’Malley indicated earlier this week that the session could be held July 9 if a work group can reach a consensus on the expansion of gambling in the state.
* Metro’s board of directors unanimously approved its $2.5 billion annual budget Thursday that would increase fares system wide and require large subsidies from local jurisdictions.
According to The Washington Post, the spending plan includes $1.6 billion to operate and maintain its regional network of trains and buses, to pay about 11,000 employees, to hire more police officers and to prepare to open the Silver Line in Northern Virginia.
The budget will also pay for a new service called “Rush Plus” on the orange line, which will help with train crowding by adding more trains per hour on the Orange Line during rush hour.
The remainder of the budget will be used to pay for mandatory maintenance costs like replacing and rehabbing escalators, elevators and buses, and fixing platforms at some stations.
* Real Clear Politics has an article on why Virginia Senate hopeful Tim Kaine is distancing himself from President Obama’s attacks on Romney’s private equity career.
* Virginia Democrats are trying to get Republican Senate hopeful George Allen to come forth with his stance on pending legislation in the U.S. Senate that would boost pay equality for women, but the former governor has remained silent so far.
The Democrat-backed Paycheck Fairness Act would bolster existing equal pay laws by protecting women from retaliation when they sue for gender discrimination, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
A spokeswoman for Allen said the Senate candidate supports equality for women, but wouldn’t say where he stands on the measure.
VIA Virginian-Pilot:
“There is no question George Allen supports pay equality for women and will stand as the strongest advocate for women struggling to keep their businesses and households afloat under the failed economic policies Tim Kaine championed in Washington,” she said via email.
* Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) publicly endorsed George Allen Thursday.
“I’m proud to announce my support for George Allen,” said Senator Coburn. “He was one of only 14 Senators who stood with me when I led the effort to eliminate funding for the infamous ‘Bridge to Nowhere.’ It didn’t make us popular with many of our colleagues but we did what was right. George is ready to fight Washington’s reckless spending. Future generations need leaders like George Allen stepping up today, so they won’t be forced to shoulder the burdens of Washington’s continued failures tomorrow.”
* On Thursday, Howard Brooks, a campaign staffer to D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, because the second staffer to plead guilty to a federal offense that occurred during Gray’s 2010 mayoral campaign.
According to the AP, U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said in a statement that the guilty plea further reveals the underhanded dealings that tainted the integrity of the 2010 mayoral campaign.
"Although Mr. Brooks' conduct was egregious, he deserves some credit for owning up to his mistakes and eventually telling the truth," Machen said. "We urge others to do the same as we continue our efforts to get to the bottom of what happened during the 2010 election."
