RNC Official: New Mexico Governor’s Meeting With Indians “Dishonored” General Custer

A Republican National Committee official upbraided members of New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez’s staff over her planned meeting with a group of American Indians:

A progressive group called on Republican National Committee leader Pat Rogers to step down on Friday after emails showed him telling New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez’s staff that meeting with a group of American Indians “dishonored” Gen. George Armstrong Custer, the 19th century commander who killed scores of American Indians.

“The state is going to hell,” Rogers, who is a member of the GOP executive committee and is currently in Tampa for the RNC convention, wrote in a June 8 emailreleased by Progress Now New Mexico. Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Col. Allen Weh “would not have dishonored Col Custer in this manner,” he wrote.

As it turns out, Martinez is apparently required by state law to hold a meeting with tribal leaders every year. Even if she weren’t, though, what’s the big deal here? Native Americans make up nearly 10% of the state’s population and Native American culture is a huge part of the state’s history. Rogers, obviously, is an idiot.

As a parting thought, one wonders what he would’ve thought about this meeting between President Coolidge and a group of Sioux Indians in 1927:

FILED UNDER: Race and Politics, US Politics, , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. emails showed him telling New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez’s staff that meeting with a group of American Indians “dishonored” Gen. George Armstrong Custer

    The crazy is going beyond parody.

  2. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Even if she weren’t, though, what’s the big deal here?

    Doug, even you aren’t that stupid. You know what the big deal is, or would if you would just remove the blinders and cut the “both sides do it” bull shit. One side has given up on dog whistles and gone to full throated racism and misogyny while the other….

    The other alternates between fits of hysterical laughter and utter disbeleif.

  3. Cheryl Rofer says:

    Anyone who could say something like that obviously has no idea of how New Mexico works.

  4. bill says:

    well, there goes the indian vote…..

  5. Phillip says:

    Well the GOP has managed to piss off everyone else who isn’t white, male, or rich. At least they’re showing some consistency. I can see why they feel the need to defend Custer, though, they’ve clearly snatched his mantle of self-assured ignorance.

  6. al-Ameda says:

    “The state is going to hell,” Rogers, who is a member of the GOP executive committee and is currently in Tampa for the RNC convention, wrote in a June 8 emailreleased by Progress Now New Mexico. Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Col. Allen Weh “would not have dishonored Col Custer in this manner,” he wrote.

    What surprises me is that Rogers, of all people, beat – Michele Bachman, Herman Cain, Allen West, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump, Governor Jan Brewer, the entire Republican House and most of the Republican Senate – to the punch in letting us know that General Custer was dissed.

    Seriously, why does anyone bother to write fiction any more?,

  7. neil hudelson says:

    Martinez is apparently required by state law to hold a meeting with tribal leaders every year. Even if she weren’t, though, what’s the big deal here? Native Americans make up nearly 10% of the state’s population and Native American culture is a huge part of the state’s history.

    Also, Custer was a royal c*ck who deserves to no longer be venerated.

  8. Rafer Janders says:

    Actually, this makes sense to me. But then again, I also think that whenever a US government official meets with a Southerner that it dishonors the memory of General Grant and General Sherman…..

  9. giantslor says:

    As a parting thought, one wonders what he would’ve thought about this meeting between President Coolidge and a group of Sioux Indians in 1927

    He wouldn’t have thought anything. Coolidge was white, but Martinez is Hispanic so obviously she’s giving preferential treatment to the Indians.

  10. James H says:

    Perhaps that by his expression, Coolidge would distinctly prefer to wear his hat.

  11. @neil hudelson: There’s Gettysburg and his other Civil War actions, but that’s about it.

  12. anjin-san says:

    Rogers, obviously, is an idiot modern Republican.

    FTFY

  13. swbarnes2 says:

    Even if she weren’t, though, what’s the big deal here?

    Yet another post where Doug pretends he doesn’t understand what conservatives are doing.

    Why are you even pretending to be a commentator when you claim to be so astonishing ignorant of how conservatives work?

    What service do you think you are providing for readers when every other post of yours is “Republicans do a stupid, hurtful thing, darned if I can explain it”? Are you auditioning for a stenography job with the MSM?

  14. george says:

    I was expecting to see a link to The Onion. Seriously, they can’t really be that stupid?

  15. Clanton says:

    When I was a child, we listened and read with eagerness about General George Armstrong Custer. He was regarded as a great Civil War hero back then. My high school social studies teacher (a former West Point graduate) knew and taught us a lot about General Custer. His grandfather was in the US Army and had fought the Indians out west. History was very exciting. Now a days, most people could not identify one major Civil War battle.

  16. Neil Hudelson says:

    Now a days, most people could not identify one major Civil War battle.

    I’m sure that’s your perception but it is, of course, complete horsesh*t.

  17. Clanton says:

    @Neil Hudelson: I don’t know about that, but Jay Leno goes out on the streets to ask people (many are college students) questions like “who was the first president?” “Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?” “What happened on July 4, 1776?”
    You wouldn’t believe the answers. And just think, some of these people actually go out and vote!

  18. Neil Hudelson says:

    I know you are being glib, so don’t think this is me trying to attack you or anything…

    But please tell me you honestly aren’t judging any generation’s intelligence on a 1 minute Jay Leno skit. You aren’t, right?

    The ‘jay walking’ skits are famous for people acting dumb to get on television. Now, if you want to make an argument that those on jaywalking are disgustingly vain and will do anything to have 5 seconds of fame, I’m on board.

  19. DRS says:

    Here’s a chance to put in a plug for a really good book: Evan S. Connell’s Son of the Morning Star: http://www.amazon.com/Son-Morning-Star-Custer-Bighorn/dp/0865475105

    A seriously good read. No personal connection to the author or the royalty cheques.

  20. Clanton says:

    @Rafer Janders: Sherman? There’s still parts of the south that haven’t recovered from him coming down through here tearing everything up.

  21. DRS says:

    There’s still parts of the south that haven’t recovered from him coming down through here tearing everything up.

    Why not? What are they waiting for?

  22. Davebo says:

    Rogers, obviously, is an idiot.

    Rogers, who is a member of the GOP executive committee

  23. Davebo says:

    From this we can only reach two conclusions. That the GOP put an obvious idiot on it’s executive committee.

    Or that Rogers knows exactly what he’s doing.