It's amazing how tough it is for some of these racist, bigoted Republicans to restrain themselves from revealing their true colors in what are supposed to be civilized settings. Colorado State Rep. Douglas Bruce was immediately scolded and barred from speaking Monday after he called migrant workers "illiterate peasants" on the floor of the statehouse. Kudos to the fellow lawmakers who were quick and swift with their denunciations.
Disparaging remarks aimed at migrant workers got resident House rabble-rouser Douglas Bruce banned from speaking on a temporary-worker bill today.
"We don't need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in the state of Colorado," Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, told the chamber to an audible gasp.
Rep. Kathleen Curry, leading the House at the time, immediately barred Bruce from speaking at the podium, an uncommon maneuver.
"How dare you?" she asked Bruce, before House members moved back to discussion of a bill aimed at helping seasonal farm workers from other countries enter the state legally on a temporary basis.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Bruce, he masterminded Colorado’s notorious Amendment 2 debacle and the state’s disastrous “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” (TABOR). He’s been relatively calm of late, having only been involved in three embarrassments this calendar year (until today).
- In January he became the first representative ever formally censured by the Colorado legislature. Why? For kicking a photographer.
- He pissed off his colleagues by refusing to support a bill honoring military personnel, a move that got him removed from a House committee overseeing veterans affairs.
- In February he got caught - ironically enough, given TABOR - charging the state for days he didn’t actually work.
UPDATE: Rep. Bruce responds by digging deeper.