Despite the shitstorm stirred up by a mistaken writer at Harpers, the RNC delegates did not boo Zori Fonalledas. They did not boo her accent (they were already chanting before she began speaking.) They did not boo Puerto Rico. Their chant of "Kick them out" was not referring to Puerto Ricans.

It's a shame that the story of the undemocratic process the Republicans used to squash dissent has been overshadowed by the 100% bogus claim that the RNC delegates booed Puerto Rico.

The fracas had nothing to do with Puerto Rico. The next speaker would have been disrupted and delayed no matter who she was. She just happened to be from Puerto Rico.

Got it?

Obviously this topic hits a nerve. In order to get the context of this diary, it's best to read the Harpers article first, then the buzzfeed article.

What I don't mean to suggest is that there is no racism in the GOP. The incident was portrayed on Daily Kos and in other outlets as "GOP boos Puerto Rico at convention", which is not what happened. A speaker from Puerto Rico was interrupted (it appears to me she never really began) by delegates upset that their requests for a point of order were being ignored as they expressed displeasure at an underhanded vote that had just taken place.

I cannot say one way or the other whether any of the delegates harbor any racist attitudes toward Puerto Ricans, or whether any of them decided the best way to delay the proceedings was to attack the speaker using racist language or implied slurs. I just haven't seen that in the videos. There is speculation that one person was yelling something about "foreigners." If so, it's reprehensible, but that is not "The GOP" booing Puerto Rico.

We have plenty of material to write about regarding the racist and sexist policies and behavior of many Republicans. It hurts our credibility to make a video into something it isn't.

Thank you to Armando and others for making me really take another look at this. I respect their opinions but I don't feel my diary is inaccurate.