Cliven Bundy Says ‘The Negro’ Comments Taken Out Of Context [Carol Bundy Interview]

Cliven Bundy has come under fire for “the negro” comments made during a Saturday press conference at Bundy ranch. A New York Times article about the public meeting has gone viral and drawing backlash as the Nevada rancher has been deemed a racist. The speech Bundy made was recorded and still available for watch online. The statements made by the Nevada rancher who garnered support from hundreds of thousands of people around the world after armed BLM agents arrived in Bunkerville, do appear to have been taken out of context.

The New York Times article which has now been republished by The Blaze and a host of other media outlets, does not include a video of Cliven Bundy’s speech or a comment from the Gold Butte are rancher about the allegedly derogatory racial statement. The Times piece stated that Bundy wondered whether “blacks might have been better off as slaves picking cotton” when referencing the rancher’s remarks about “the negro.”

The excerpt, taken out of context, could easily be construed as an utterance by someone with a racial bias, but when followed by the rest of Cliven Bundy’s remarks about the lack of freedom in America despite the passage of decades and the heralding of the work ethic and regard for family by Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal, the racism claims appear to unravel.

Carol Bundy, Cliven’s wife, accepted a telephone interview request with The Inquisitr, and explained in detail what her husband’s motivation was for his words, and encouraged everyone to watch the recorded encounter to garner a more clear understanding of what was actually said.

Carol Bundy on Cliven’s remarks:

“What he was saying, and perhaps not as eloquently as was relayed, that America is becoming a welfare state that makes us more reliant upon the government and eats away at the freedom of us all. He was attempting to point out what little progress has been made for black people who once lived in slavery. During that point in our history, black people were totally reliant upon someone else for their food, homes, etc. and not much has changed, sadly, in many cases for poor black families. Slavery was wrong, horrible, and we do not support that. Cliven was trying to illustrate how dire the situation was not only in the past, but currently, and how it will negatively impact the future, if Americans, of any color, continue to be dependent upon the government to survive.”

Of course any loving wife will support her husband and desperately want to stop any bashing against him, but Carol’s take on Cliven’s speech and mindset do appear to coincide with the entirety of his speech about the state of many poor black families in his area of Nevada. Just before launching into the comparison about black people living under slavery and the modern poor black family, Bundy was addressing government bureaucracy, freedom to earn a living and use resources, and the number of people now living dependent upon the government to meet their daily needs. Carol also referenced history and fate of Native Americans and how the federal government infringed upon their freedoms, leaving whole generations of families living on reservations without many prospects for a self-reliant existence.

Excerpt from the Bundy ranch press conference which reference Mexican immigrants:

“Now let me talk about the Spanish people. You know I understand that they come over here against our Constitution and cross our borders. But they’re here and they’re people. I’ve worked side-by-side a lot of them. Don’t tell me they don’t work. Don’t tell me they don’t have better family structures than most of us white people. When you see those Mexican families, they’re together, they picnic together, they’re spending their time together. And I’ll tell you, in my way of thinking, they’re awful nice people.”

Cliven Bundy is nearly 70, he comes from a generation that had never heard the phrase political correctness. His “the negro” phrasing may have raised eyebrows, but after listening to his speech several times, it truly does not seem that his intend was to diminish the evils of slavery or chastise a specific race of people. According to both Carol Bundy’s interview statements and the recorded speech, Cliven was attempting, in his own unpolished manner, to note how a lack of freedom and reliance upon the government has negatively impacted the America family and the concept of self-reliance.

In Bundy’s view, having too much time on your hands, being unaware of the sense of accomplishment which comes working to provide for the family, and not having enough money to engage in positive leisure activities sparked the troubles which face not only low-income and minority neighborhoods, but increasing the nation as a whole. Cliven referenced the intent of the Founding Fathers for the new nation they gave birth to and the sense of duty we have to correct the course we are currently on to ensure freedom and the benefits of self-reliance and not government dependence for future generations.

How do you feel about Cliven Bundy’s comments?