SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is seen in the U.S. Capitol before a procedural vote in the Senate on voting rights legislation on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was excoriated Thursday after suggesting that Black Americans aren't really American during a news conference the previous evening.
"McConnell's comments suggesting African Americans aren't fully American wasn't a Freudian slip--it was a dog whistle. The same one he has blown for years."
At a Wednesday evening press conference, McConnell (R-Ky.)--who joined with the rest of the GOP to block the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act--was asked by a reporter what his message was for "voters of color who are concerned" that without the legislation they won't be able to cast their votes in the upcoming midterm elections.
"Well, the concern is misplaced," said McConnell, "because if you look at the statistics, African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans."
Democrats subsequently accused the senator of racism, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) tweeting that "Jim Crow is alive and well."
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted, "The othering of Americans who aren't white was never a 'quiet part,' it has always been loud and painful for everyone who has experienced it."
\u201cWe been knew how @LeaderMcConnell really felt about black people in this country. He just accidentally fucked around and finally said it. In his eyes, the real Americans are white people.\n\n\u201d— Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1642697091
Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-181), who is running for U.S. Senate, tweeted: "Mitch McConnell's comments suggesting African Americans aren't fully American wasn't a Freudian slip--it was a dog whistle. The same one he has blown for years."
Charles Booker, the progressive former Kentucky state legislator also running for the U.S. Senate, responded to the Republican leader's remarks by tweeting, "I am no less American than Mitch McConnell."
The government accountability watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) said: "When Mitch McConnell says we don't need to protect voting rights because 'African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans,' he makes it clear why we need to protect voting rights."
\u201cWe\u2019ve been \u201cAmericans\u201d \u2014 23,000 years longer \u2014 than Mitch McConnell.\u201d— Lakota Man (@Lakota Man) 1642713233
Some Twitter users were moved to share a quote by the late novelist Toni Morrison: "In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was excoriated Thursday after suggesting that Black Americans aren't really American during a news conference the previous evening.
"McConnell's comments suggesting African Americans aren't fully American wasn't a Freudian slip--it was a dog whistle. The same one he has blown for years."
At a Wednesday evening press conference, McConnell (R-Ky.)--who joined with the rest of the GOP to block the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act--was asked by a reporter what his message was for "voters of color who are concerned" that without the legislation they won't be able to cast their votes in the upcoming midterm elections.
"Well, the concern is misplaced," said McConnell, "because if you look at the statistics, African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans."
Democrats subsequently accused the senator of racism, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) tweeting that "Jim Crow is alive and well."
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted, "The othering of Americans who aren't white was never a 'quiet part,' it has always been loud and painful for everyone who has experienced it."
\u201cWe been knew how @LeaderMcConnell really felt about black people in this country. He just accidentally fucked around and finally said it. In his eyes, the real Americans are white people.\n\n\u201d— Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1642697091
Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-181), who is running for U.S. Senate, tweeted: "Mitch McConnell's comments suggesting African Americans aren't fully American wasn't a Freudian slip--it was a dog whistle. The same one he has blown for years."
Charles Booker, the progressive former Kentucky state legislator also running for the U.S. Senate, responded to the Republican leader's remarks by tweeting, "I am no less American than Mitch McConnell."
The government accountability watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) said: "When Mitch McConnell says we don't need to protect voting rights because 'African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans,' he makes it clear why we need to protect voting rights."
\u201cWe\u2019ve been \u201cAmericans\u201d \u2014 23,000 years longer \u2014 than Mitch McConnell.\u201d— Lakota Man (@Lakota Man) 1642713233
Some Twitter users were moved to share a quote by the late novelist Toni Morrison: "In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was excoriated Thursday after suggesting that Black Americans aren't really American during a news conference the previous evening.
"McConnell's comments suggesting African Americans aren't fully American wasn't a Freudian slip--it was a dog whistle. The same one he has blown for years."
At a Wednesday evening press conference, McConnell (R-Ky.)--who joined with the rest of the GOP to block the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act--was asked by a reporter what his message was for "voters of color who are concerned" that without the legislation they won't be able to cast their votes in the upcoming midterm elections.
"Well, the concern is misplaced," said McConnell, "because if you look at the statistics, African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans."
Democrats subsequently accused the senator of racism, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) tweeting that "Jim Crow is alive and well."
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted, "The othering of Americans who aren't white was never a 'quiet part,' it has always been loud and painful for everyone who has experienced it."
\u201cWe been knew how @LeaderMcConnell really felt about black people in this country. He just accidentally fucked around and finally said it. In his eyes, the real Americans are white people.\n\n\u201d— Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1642697091
Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-181), who is running for U.S. Senate, tweeted: "Mitch McConnell's comments suggesting African Americans aren't fully American wasn't a Freudian slip--it was a dog whistle. The same one he has blown for years."
Charles Booker, the progressive former Kentucky state legislator also running for the U.S. Senate, responded to the Republican leader's remarks by tweeting, "I am no less American than Mitch McConnell."
The government accountability watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) said: "When Mitch McConnell says we don't need to protect voting rights because 'African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans,' he makes it clear why we need to protect voting rights."
\u201cWe\u2019ve been \u201cAmericans\u201d \u2014 23,000 years longer \u2014 than Mitch McConnell.\u201d— Lakota Man (@Lakota Man) 1642713233
Some Twitter users were moved to share a quote by the late novelist Toni Morrison: "In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate."