David Duke Decision Tree

Standards. My, how they can double.

On February 23, 1989, the Times Union ran an editorial that stated: "The Republican Party is rightly embarrassed that Klansman David Duke will be representing a Louisiana legislative district under its aegis...Still, the Klan and Nazi parties in the U.S. could rebound. They could return to intimidate, deny civil rights and otherwise spread their brand of nocturnal terrorism. Like any extremist group, they should be watched very closely."

On October 9, 1990, the Times Union editorialized: "While everyone expected David Duke to lose in Sunday's U.S. senatorial election in Louisiana, most Republicans in the nation hoped he would lose big. David Duke, a former Klansman and Imperial Wizard, ran, to the great embarrassment of the GOP, as a Republican. To the credit of national GOP, however, several prominent Republicans traveled to Louisiana during the campaign to endorse Mr. Duke's opponent."

On November 11, 1991, the Times Union told us: "Pity the poor Louisiana voter. There's a gubernatorial election coming up Saturday and the choices are bleak. On the one hand, there's the ostensible Republican candidate David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard...His duplicity was nowhere more evident than in a recent appearance on the "Donahue" television show, which placed his racist agenda before a national audience. For example, viewers learned that as recently as last year he was selling books out of his legislative office that question whether the Holocaust occurred and contend some races and nationalities are genetically inferior to others...As odious as Mr. Duke's views are, he nonetheless appeals to many voters, to the great embarrassment of national Republican leaders. The appeal isn't hard to understand. With the economy in recession, jobs are scarce, public discontent is growing and affirmative action programs become a source of controversy among those competing for work."

Sounds a bit like today, doesn't it? Bad economy, scare jobs (though actually much worse now), discontent public, etc.

Are you noticing how often they're tying David Duke to the Republican party (even when backhandedly talking about how the national party has condemned his candidacy)?

On November 19, 1991, the Times Union was back at it: "The nation can breathe a sigh of relief that former Klansman David Duke was not elected governor of Louisiana...there is much talk in the Duke camp about a run for the GOP presidential nomination...The Republicans have so far tried to disown Mr. Duke."

Ah, the Republicans have tried to disown him.

On March 12, 1992, the Times Union made it a bit more clear where voters stood on Mr. Duke: "On the Republican side, voters left no room for misinterpreting how they feel about David Duke 's message of divisiveness. He was trounced everywhere, including his native Louisiana - in effect, repudiated."

But, again, let's talk about how he ran as a Republican.

And when he dropped out after also be ignored by Republican primary voters, on April 29, 1992 the Times Union decided they had to talk about him again: "David Duke, withdrawing from the presidential sweepstakes, blamed his failure to win much popular backing on his late entry into the race...Voters who were given the choice simply rejected Mr. Duke's message."

When trying to talk about French politics, on April 23, 2002 the Times Union decided to go to the well once again: "Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who served as finance minister in Mr. Jospin's government, echoed the thought. ``Jean-Marie Le Pen represents everything I hate, and so I have no hesitation in saying: I will vote for Jacques Chirac.'' The reasoning sounds not all that unlike what emerged in Louisiana a decade ago. David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, ran for governor against the unsavory Edwin Edwards. Thus the slogan, ``Vote for the Crook. It's Important.''"

And let's not forget the Daily Gazette, on October 28, 2005 they decided to trot out this bad actor: "In a week that brought the death of Rosa Parks, the black woman whose simple act of defiance on a city bus in Montgomery, Ala., nearly 50 years ago touched off the civil rights movement, here's a painful reminder that the white supremacist attitudes that necessitated her protest still live...One of them is David Duke, the former presidential candidate, one-time Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and outspoken white supremacist, who uses them to draw a crowd."

So when David Duke makes the news, well, the locals probably have a decision to make, an editorial decision.

Is David Duke newsworthy? Why looking at the number of editorials they wrote about him above you would think, that, yes, they think David Duke is newsworthy.

Going to the next step in the flow chart we find this decision: 'Is the news about David Duke going to hurt: (left) Republicans --> RUN EDITORIAL; or (right) Democrats --> BURY IT.

Needless to say, given the news David Duke has been making lately, we can see which way the papers have turned, given their failure to report this: Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke Supports Occupy Wall Street Movement

David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, has joined President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in expressing support for the Occupy Wall Street movement, whose protests have been marked by anti-Semitism.

In a video about the Occupy Wall Street protests, Duke said: “I cheer the men and women on the streets condemning the international banks that hold America financially hostage. These Wall Street banks are not the product of free enterprise; they are the product of crime.”

“Yes, occupy Wall Street,” Duke also said. “Finally, Americans are rising up and it feels great.”

In the video, Duke repeatedly attacks what he refers to as “Zionist bankers” such as Ben “Shalom” Bernanke.

At one point Duke claims that while many Americans have lost up to 50 percent of their savings, the “Zionist owners of the predatory banks made more shekels.”

Besides Duke’s endorsement of the Occupy Wall Street protests, there have been numerous instances of anti-Semitic comments and signs at the demonstrations. Several videos now posted on YouTube show protesters holding anti-Semitic signs and making anti-Semitic statements.

(a search of the past two months of the entire papers, not just the editorials, finds zero local coverage)