In case you haven’t heard, the Mitch McConnell truth bomb dropped against African-American voters has turned social media upside down and left the Senate Republican leader red-faced and scrambling for an explanation.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is defending himself from what he says is a “deeply offensive” and “outrageous mischaracterization” of his voting rights record after a Freudian slip last Wednesday left him demeaning Black voters.
During his weekly press conference at the US Capitol, McConnell was asked whether voters of color would be hurt if the election legislation being promoted by Democrats did not pass. His reply is what lit the fireworks.
“The concern is misplaced because if you look at the statistics, African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.”
Yes, the GOP leader separated African-American voters from other Americans as if they’re not the same — and the entire Mitch McConnell truth bomb was all captured on television.
Realizing that he was a bit too honest in his original statement, McConnell went before the press again on Friday in an attempt to clean up his remarks. Except, he only made matters worse by announcing that he really meant to say: “African American voters are ALMOST voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.” As he left the microphones, an aide pulled him aside and alerted him that he’d done it again, prompting McConnell to go back before the press for a 3rd time to clarify that he meant to say “African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as ALL Americans.”
Later, McConnell’s office issued a statement saying the senator actually meant to say “other” Americans — but by then, the damage was already done.
Now, Mitch is standing on a soapbox and shouting to anyone who’s willing to listen his version of the old adage: “Hey, I have Black friends, too.”
“I was there for Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in the audience. When I was a student at (University of Louisville), I helped organize the March on Frankfort, the first state public accommodation law. Thanks to my role model, John Sherman Cooper, I was actually there when President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in the Capitol in 1965,” the senator said in the hopes of making everyone forget about his Mitch McConnell truth bomb.
Too bad for Mitch, but his repeated attempts to fix his remarks just don’t appear to be working!
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The Washington Post:
Black Americans are using social media to express outrage over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s comments on African American voters, with the phrase “I am American” and the hashtag #MitchPlease.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/21/i-am-american-black-americans-use-social-media-respond-mcconnells-comments-voting/