Democrat Carla Blanchard Dartez and Buckwheat

Sometimes I find the stupidity of politicians absolutely astounding.

This is one of those cases.

Carla Blanchard Dartez made a major blunder.

HOUMA, La. (AP) -- A white state lawmaker in a runoff election called a black civil- rights veteran who had helped her campaign "Buckwheat," angering the NAACP, which urged voters to kick her out of office.

Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, a Democrat, acknowledged that she ended a Thursday night conversation with Hazel Boykin by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat." Dartez had been thanking Boykin for driving voters to the polls.

Buckwheat, a black child character in the "Little Rascals" comedies of the 1930s and '40s, is viewed as a racial stereotype.

Boykin, 75, helped desegregate restaurants and the parish school system in the 1960s. Her son, Jerome, is president of the Terrebonne Parish chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"I've never had no one talk to me that way, and I considered it a racial slur," Hazel Boykin said. "I know the meaning of it; it's just like the N-word."

On Monday, Jerome Boykin held a news conference asking voters to cast ballots against Dartez, who faces Republican Joe Harrison in Saturday's runoff.

"The NAACP is going to do all it can to see that she is not re- elected," he said. "At this point, the NAACP is not concerned about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. If a Republican is elected because of her racist remarks, that's her responsibility."

..."I made an insensitive comment, and I regret my choice of words," she said Friday. "I have apologized to both Hazel and Jerome Boykin. The Boykin family has been a huge help in my campaign for re-election, and I did not mean to offend them."

But Hazel Boykin said Dartez still has not personally apologized.

Dartez has represented parts of Terrebonne, St. Mary and Assumption parishes since 1999. She has said she does not intend to drop out of the race.

I don't know if "Buckwheat" is just like the N-word, but there's no question that it's a racially-charged name.

What was Dartez, this DEMOCRAT, thinking when she called a 75-year-old woman "Buckwheat"?

I don't understand how anyone could be so stupid. As an elected official, you'd think Dartez would be more careful with her choice of words.

I also don't understand why there's disagreement about whether Dartez personally apologized to the Boykin family.

That's a simple fact. She did or she didn't. I think Hazel and Jerome Boykin have more credibility than Dartez. I'm inclined to believe their version of events.

Thankfully, the NAACP has come out against Dartez. It would be disgraceful for the NAACP to give Dartez a pass simply because she's a Dem. Unfortunately, it's frequently the case that the Dems are held to different standards than Republicans.

If the Washington Post can destroy George Allen because of "Macaca," Dartez should certainly be booted out of office for "Buckwheat."