Every time Iowa Republican state Senator Ralph Watts turns around he seems to be in insulting his fellow Iowans. Last month he repeatedly used a gay slur in a conversation with the husband of Bryce Smith, his former Democratic opponent:
A video taken at the Saturday forum at the Adel library shows Watts referring to business owner Bryce Smith — the Democrat whom Watts defeated in November to win his seventh term in the House — as either "Red Ryder" or "red rider."
The terms sound the same and are one letter apart. But the meanings are drastically different.
One Iowa, the Des Moines-based advocacy group, said in a news release Monday evening that "red rider" is a slur used to describe a gay man.
The other is, of course, the famous Red Ryder BB gun featured in the movie A Christmas Story. Watts repeated the “red rider” phrase three times. It seems clear what his intent was that day, but when asked about it at a later public meeting over the weekend, Watts brushed it off saying “anything you say to a gay anymore is a gay slur.”
Iowa political blog Bleeding Heartland (which I love, highly recommended) has Smith’s response:
After seeing, watching and hearing Mr. Watts during his forum, I am disturbed. I am at a loss for words really. A person who has held public office for nearly 14 years lowered himself to levels of name calling, bait and hook questioning and a total lack of facts and knowledge of what is going on in our state government and what is going on in our communities day in and day out. Mr. Watts said many false statements, could not supply evidence or citations when asked and lacked the humility to admit when he did not know something.
I want to send a message to Mr. Watts regarding his actions and words at his forum:
“I will continue to be a thorn in your side. I will continue to hold you to extremely high standards as I take the integrity of our government very seriously. I will continue to make sure every Iowan knows what you are doing, when you are doing it and how you are doing it. This includes voting, sponsoring, legislation proposals, forums, and public appearances. No one likes a know-it-all and no one likes a person who thinks they are better than others because of their position of power.
I also want to say that how you treated my husband was totally unacceptable and very disrespectful, especially an elected official who is suppose to represent all people. The acts of intimidation, lack of respect, and the derogatory slur/name calling was live streamed and recorded. Be careful Mr. Watts, the people are watching and listening…”.
Indeed. We see you, Ralph Watts. And we aren’t going anywhere.