Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves at the Governor’s Mansion on June 30, 2020, in Jackson, Mississippi. | Source: Pool / Getty
In today’s episode of Republicans Say The Darndest Things…That Are Demonstrably Racist And Untrue, a new Mississippi GOP mailer supporting incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves in the 2023 gubernatorial race against Democrat Brandon Presley appears to denounce the “Biden-Presley agenda” by employing its own agenda of doing what Republicans do best: scare white people.
The mailer was posted to X by Mississippi Free Press journalist Ashton Pittman, who noted that it indicated that the “‘Biden-Presley Agenda’ is a Black woman holding a room of mostly white kids hostage with masks & increasing crime.” This does appear to be the case seeing as it includes a photo of Stacey Abrams in a room full of white children in face masks with no additional context but a caption that reads, “Indocrination In Schools And Sports.” The caption might as well have read, “LOOK! She’s Black, they’re white. IT’S WOKE!!”
The image also includes a message that reads, “We all know what Democratic leadership has meant to the American people—rising crime, higher taxes, failing education, high inflation, wide-open borders, a highjacking of our culture, and erosion of personal freedoms.”
So, let’s examine some of that.
First, it’s not clear what “a highjacking of our culture” is supposed to mean, but one can speculate that the creator of the graphic is referring to white American culture—whatever that is. Perhaps it refers to the taking down of Confederate flags and monuments—because we all know how white conservatives love to dry-hump their odes to white supremacy and Black bondage. Maybe the Reeves supporters are blaming Democrats for people kneeling during the National Anthem, or the singing of the Black National Anthem during sports events. Or maybe they think the fight against the whitewashing of Black history is part of a Democratic agenda, as opposed to a pro-Black, anti-white supremacy in education agenda. Either way, “a highjacking of our culture” just creams, “WE NEED TO PROTECT WHITENESS AT ALL COST!”
But, whatever, that’s all just speculation and conjecture (albeit, well-substantiated speculation and conjecture). So, let’s move on to some facts.
According to USA Facts, four of the five states with the most violent crime per capita—which delusional right-wingers would probably never believe doesn’t include the state where Chicago resides—are Republican-led states. Three out of the five states with the least violent crime—which delusional right-wingers would probably never believe includes New York—are run by Democrats. (Now, to be fair, Democrats do run most of the states with the highest property crime rates, but it’s also worth pointing out that these states contain the cities with the highest populations in the nation. More people = more crime, unless you’re doing Republican math in which 1 + 1 = CHICAGO, CHICAGO, CHICAGO, CHICAGO!!!)
According to World Population Review, Republican-led states account for eight out of the 10 least educated states in America, with number two on that list being—you guessed it—Mississippi. (It’s also the poorest state in the nation, and nine out of the top 10 states on that list are also run by Republicans, but at this point, pointing that out is just me being petty.)
Anyway, Pittman went on to note examples of how “scaring white people by associating candidates like Brandon Presley with Black leaders is an old tactic.”
Pittman also noted Reeves’ own history of frightening his constituents by associating his opponents with the Black, brown and Muslim congresswomen of “the squad,” as well as liberal Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
(Side note: Conservatives also really appear to be trying their absolute hardest to give the word “progressive” a negative connotation when the very nature of the word implies the opposite. But we shouldn’t expect them to be any better with etymology than they are with math and statistics.)
Of course, obtuse white conservatives will point out that Presley is also white and that race isn’t mentioned in any of the mailers. But if you’ve been a Black person or person of color in America for long enough, then you know dog-whistling, veiled racism and white grievance pandering when you see it.
And we see it!
SEE ALSO:
Mississippi GOP’s Plan To Create Rogue Court System In Jackson In Full Swing
Mississippi GOP Rejects Prominent Black Educator For Superintendent, Dems Point To Race
