(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Mitch, You Can't Play the Name Game, but You Can Call Out Tommy [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-07-12
First, it is cringeworthy to share my middle name with the Senate minority leader from Kentucky, Addison Mitchell McConnell; not as serious, but I understand the pain of kids—now men—called OJ. As a kid, people wanted to sing along with me, and I could never be included in the Name Game song: Mitch, Mitch, bo___ well, you get it. I have new reasons to be mad at Mitch McConnell. He has a race-baiter in his midst, and his deafening silence speaks volumes. One of the colleagues he leads is the junior Senator from Alabama, Thomas “Tommy” H. Tuberville. Tuberville has been dancing with white supremacists—reminiscent of Donald Trump after the Charlottesville, Virginia riot that resulted in the vehicular homicide of protester Heather Heyer and injuring several others.
Senator Tuberville is fresh off an explanation of his blockade of military promotions (pay increases), resulting in the first time since 1910 the Marines have been without a Commandant. Futzing around with the nation’s military readiness was not enough for Tuberville; he decided defending racism is a noble and patriotic cause. Every historical educator, pundit, civil rights organization, and even Merriam-Webster’s dictionary describes White Nationalist as “one of a group of militant white people who espouse white supremacy.” Despite all, Mr. Tuberville insists white nationalists are patriotic Americans, “My opinions of a white nationalist, if somebody wants to call them white nationalist, is to me ‘an American,” Tuberville said. At another point in the interview that seemed to leave CNN, reporter Kaitlin Collins gobsmacked Tuberville also equated white nationalism with being “patriots.”
Generously one might say Tubererville is tone-deaf, but it is hard to believe a man who grew up in deep south culture has no idea of what a white nationalist is despite what some believe is his feigning ignorance. If the GOP has a moral compass, what should be happening now is the wholesale condemnation of Tuberville. It would be beyond Mitch McConnell to call for Tuberville’s resignation, but at least standing before a camera and saying his comments were racist and wrong would go a long way, not just Senators scurrying down hallways. In a carefully crafted statement, McConnell did poke his head out last evening, denouncing white supremacy but not Tuberville, “White supremacy is simply unacceptable in the military and in our whole country,” McConnell said to reporters when asked about Tuberville’s comments on white nationalism.
As a black American, I have been told over and over by Republicans, even the first black GOP Senator[Tim Scott] since Reconstruction, that systemic racism in America is not a thing. I am sure Mitch has called Tommy after taking the temperature of his caucus. So the man who worked assiduously to prevent the first black president of this country from his right to appoint a Supreme Court Justice likely was on a call to a colleague who would prefer that the United States military should possibly change the uniform. Maybe one of the three Marine dress uniforms, evening dress, for example, should come with an optional white hood. That way, Senator Tuberville only has to salute the “patriots he likes.
Vote Against Guns
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/12/2180612/--Mitch-You-Can-t-Play-the-Name-Game-but-You-Can-Call-Out-Tommy
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
