It seems both of Utah's U.S. Senate candidates are suffering from foot in the mouth disease.
Democratic challenger Brian Moss was the latest victim when he made inappropriate remarks during a speech at the Hinckley Institute of Politics last week."You may call us the party of the polacks, the party of spiks, the party of wops, the party of the Irish . . . any of those names, because the Democratic Party has always had a tent large enough to welcome all those groups . . . .," Moss said in a speech that was taped by the Deseret News.
The candidate, of course, insists he meant no harm by his comments and apologies went out immediately. He said it wasn't so much a joke as an illustration of the harshness of a slur made earlier by incumbent Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch during a speech in St. George in late August.
Hatch raised the dander of Democrats when he said the Democratic Party is too closely tied to special interest groups, calling it the "party of homosexuals, pro-abortion advocates . . . " A national wire service reported Hatch's comments across the country.
Hatch initially denied the comments, but later amended his denial, saying he didn't remember using those exact words - which had been captured on tape by a St. George radio reporter. Hatch later said he never intended to indict all Democrats as homosexuals and that such a comment was a mistake, but he refused to issue an apology.
Now Moss is saying what he meant to say was that Democrats - his own party - will always welcome diverse groups, although that does not always mean the party will agree with these groups.
Fine. But both of these men are well schooled in English as a first language so such verbal faux pas are inexcusable.
Admits Moss, "It was rash. And for that I have apologized, will apologize and will continue to apologize."
The point is that no apology would be necessary had both Moss and Hatch had taken a minute to think about what they were saying before they said it.