"So...African Americans aren't real Americans, Mr. Turtleman, sir?"

[634-5789]

If you wish to hear it for yourself:

Link to tweet

[Frustratedlady]

1. So there is a distinction? Hmmm! I guess African-Americans must mail in their votes...

from Africa since McConnell compares them to REAL Americans? Where else would they be residing?

Make that clear for the rest of us, McConnell.

[malaise]

2. Holy shit!

This should be in every ad

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. He's lying. Flat out lying. Racist liar

63% versus 71%

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/large-racial-turnout-gap-persisted-2020-election

Large Racial Turnout Gap Persisted in 2020 Election

70.9 percent of white voters cast ballots compared with only 58.4 percent of nonwhite voters — a disparity that will worsen with new restrictive voting laws.

The 2020 election must also be remembered for another turnout statistic: 70.9 percent of white voters cast ballots while only 58.4 percent of nonwhite voters did. As the graph below shows, 62.6 percent of Black American voters, 53.7 percent of Latino American voters, and 59.7 percent of Asian American voters cast ballots in 2020.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. D'oh!

Big time misplacement of the foot in mouth.

[RandiFan1290]

5. Mitch and his 'centrist' allies don't have to hide it anymore. nt

[nuxvomica]

6. And to think he once marched with MLK

I guess it was good politics at the time.

[wnylib]

14. He did? I didn't know that.

[Solomon]

15. Prove it please. Snopes has nothing about it. I'll keep googling.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

16. Found this on Wikipedia...

I hadn't heard about it before either.

"McConnell attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave the "I Have a Dream" speech. In 1964, at the age of 22, he attended civil rights rallies, and interned with Senator John Sherman Cooper. He has said his time with Cooper inspired him to run for the Senate later in life."

[nuxvomica]

17. I recall seeing a photo of him with Rev. Dr. King

Can't find it now. I thought this was common knowledge.

[Farmer-Rick]

18. Well that's not marching with MLK

That's attending a rally.

I went to MLK's funeral when I was a kid. Does that count as marching with him too?

Besides it's clear he learned nothing from that rally.

[Wednesdays]

22. He could just as well

"attended the rally" as a counter-protester!

[nuxvomica]

25. Times article from 2015

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/us/politics/mitch-mcconnell-republicans-civil-rights.html

Mr. McConnell’s strong feelings about racial equality began with his parents, whom he often refers to as “very enlightened Southerners” who were involved in the National Urban League.
...

During college, he served as an intern in Washington and attended Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 — “You could see a massive throng of humanity down to the memorial” — and wrote a college editorial excoriating opponents of civil rights. He worked as an intern for Mr. Cooper, opening mail, much of which was from constituents unhappy with the senator’s support for the Civil Rights Act.

Mr. McConnell, 73, recalled, as he often does, asking Mr. Cooper how he could handle the overwhelming pressure. His boss told him, “There are times when you are supposed to lead, and other times to reflect the views of your state, and I think it is time to lead,” he said. “That was pretty inspirational to a young guy just going to law school.”

[Farmer-Rick]

26. So, it does seem he attended and did some egalitarian things back then

He "said" all the right things back in 2015 too. Before TFG made racism popular.

So, was he telling the truth about how he feels about racism back then, or when his actions prevent Black voters from voting now?

[nuxvomica]

27. He's obviously an unprincipled game-player

He may have been passionate about civil rights way back because of his parents' and Sen. Cooper's influence but he's obviously decided it's all a game now. I'd like someone to ask him what he thinks Cooper would've thought of all this.

[Farmer-Rick]

28. Yeah,

Good question.

[keithbvadu2]

7. What about Irish-Americans or Italian-Americans or ____-Americans?

What about Irish-Americans or Italian-Americans or ____-Americans?

[Mister Ed]

8. Kinda said the quiet part out loud there, didn't he? n/t

[sop]

9. He's talking about the folks Tucker Carlson refers to as "Legacy Americans."

[niyad]

10. What a vile waste of resources.

[Mad_Machine76]

11. Oops

Mask is slipping

[DFW]

12. Talk about letting his slip show!!!

Anyone OTHER than McTurtle would have been offering their resignation right about now. I wonder what Tim Scott is privately thinking?

[IronLionZion]

13. Moscow Mitch thinks Russians are Americans

[raccoon]

19. You own it, Mitchie-Mitchie-bo-Bitchie. Nt

[Act_of_Reparation]

20. It's never been "the quiet part"

They've been saying it out loud for decades now.

[BlueJac]

21. Unreal, and mind blowing!

[bullwinkle428]

23. He might as well have that huge Confederate flag behind him, like that

picture from the 1990s.

[femmedem]

24. If Black Americans are included in the "Americans" statistic this isn't racist--but it's incorrect.

For example, I live in a majority minority neighborhood. Life expectancy in my neighborhood is eleven years lower than in the city as a whole--and of course, my neighborhood's residents are included in the "city as a whole" statistics.

Similarly, saying that African Americans vote in the same percentages as Americans is not the same as saying they vote in the same percentages as white Americans If I saw data that said that 60% of Americans vote and that 60% of Black Americans vote, I would assume that Black Americans were included in the "Americans" statistic.

However, McConnell is incorrect. In 2020, 70.9% of white Americans voted and 62.6% of non-white Americans voted. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/large-racial-turnout-gap-persisted-2020-election

Of course, even if Black and white Americans voted in the same percentage, this wouldn't address the barriers that Black voters face compared to white voters. How long do Black Americans have to wait in line to vote? How far do they have to travel to vote? When it comes to voting rights, it's the barriers that matter, not how many Black Americans are motivated enough to overcome those barriers.

Edited to add that a poster above me cited the same Brennan Center article. I should have read all the replies before adding my own.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

29. Toni Morrison: "In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate."

Link to tweet

[live love laugh]

30. This wasn't even on the news but Biden's mention of Ukraine was

criticized incessantly.

[MustLoveBeagles]

31. Why am I not surprised?

[lunatica]

32. A Democratic Senator should criticize him publicly.

Call for a censure vote from the Senate.

McConnell is a mental and moral pig.

[Blue Owl]

33. Please croak Mitch you miserable, racist fuck