Talk show host Charlie Sykes notes on his blog that Milwaukee County Supervisor Ryan McCue is running for Mayor of Cudahy. 

“We'll see whether being Lee Holloway's water boy pays off for Ryan,” Sykes wrote.

I recall Ryan McCue was one of a group of 10 supervisors who went after Chairman Lee Holloway during the witch hunt last year. Now that McCue is taking a stand against the county budget proposal submitted by the neo-con Scott Walker, McCue is a bad guy?

The conservative Sykes adds, “McCue ran as a reformer, but has become a poster child for politicians who go native.”  Hmmm … McCue went “native” to fight against his own kind? After reading Sykes’ description of a white politician taking a stand against Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker as going “native” I thought to myself, “what an odd word."  At first, I thought Sykes was using the term “native” in the manner the characters in the movie, Gangs of New York (2002) used the term.  The movie is based on Herbert Asbury’s nonfiction book, The Gangs of New York — originally published in the late 1920s.  The book highlights 19th-century New York awash with crime, corruption, and poverty.  The movie takes place in 1846 as waves of Irish immigrants poured into a New York neighborhood called the Five Points.  Of course, opposition to these new immigrants caused citizens of British and Dutch heritage and who were born in the United States to begin openly displaying resentment toward the new arrivals.  William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), called so for his deadly mastery with a knife, organized the "Natives" (those of British and Dutch heritage born in the United States) into a gang to take on the Irish immigrants; the immigrants organized a gang of their own, "The Dead Rabbits."

Then I spoke to a number of county board members, I got a sense from them that this term was sinister, and another example of subliminal racism.

But to be sure, I asked Sykes to explain his use of this word. To his credit, he responded. First he said that that I was misinformed to believe that his use of the word “native” was racist.

“… It has nothing to do with race. It means that a politician has forgotten where he came from and begins to think of himself as one of the "insiders…" said Sykes.

Then why not use the word “insider?”

Sykes goes on to say that he uses the word “frequently to describe politicians who side with special interests or government bureacracies."

I guess Charlie is trying to coin a word here.

Frankly, this term to describe an embedded politician makes no sense at all.  What makes sense is that the word “native” is being used by Sykes to point out to his listening audience those white politicians who are siding with the people of color on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, while not agreeing with Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s recent budget veto.  Charlie ended his response to my questions with, “That is what the phrase means. But, feel free to detect racism, as you usually do.”

Well, thank you Charlie, I think I will point out the racist notions this word conjures up.  I stated to Sykes that many of his listeners deny racist thoughts came to them when he used the word “native.”  Indeed, I went on to say, many whites, that is, except those in prison and members of white supremecist groups outside of prison who openly call for racial war, seldom admit in public that they are racist.

Sykes continued by stating, “I use the term frequently…” That McCue was elected into office because of the pension scandal.  I asked, “frequently, meaning recently?  Did you use this term during the pension scandal?  Please point me to the articles/references you made about 'going native' or 'native' during that period.  If I am misinformed, then I ask that you correct my inferences.”

I’m still waiting for a response. I won’t hold my breath.

###

Guest Contributing Writer Robert Miranda, the author of this piece, is an award winning columnist.