Kentucky Republicans who backed a black candidate may have ‘racist intent’, claims liberal columnist

[ad_1]

Kentucky Republicans who backed Daniel Cameron, a black man, as the party’s gubernatorial candidate could still have voted with “racism or racist intent,” argued a liberal columnist.

In a Thursday article titled “Does Daniel Cameron’s Choice as Governor Mean Kentucky Republicans Are Not Racist?” Louisville Courier Journal writer Joseph Gerth argued that GOP voters who backed Cameron may still have shown their racism at the ballot box.

“A vote for a black candidate does not exclude racism or racist intent,” Gerth wrote. “Just because Republicans were willing to appoint a black man for governor doesn’t mean they aren’t racist. It just means they are willing to appoint a black man who acts like racism doesn’t exist. not.”

Gerth then painted Cameron, the first black man elected statewide in Kentucky, as anti-black, citing the Republican’s support for law enforcement and his opposition to critical race theory. In doing so, Gerth joined a long line of liberal media members who attacked Cameron for his status as a black conservative. Last year, Ricky Jones, a University of Louisville professor and Courier Journal columnist, called Cameron “white supremacist in blackface.” MSNBC’s Ja’han Jones repeated the phrase in May, writing, “For many, Cameron, a Republican, is seen as a black face of white supremacy.”

Kentucky voters elected Cameron as state attorney general in 2019. Four years later, the Republican is running to unseat Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Cameron went to the GOP nomination earlier this month, winning 47% of the vote, more than double the share of second-placed Republican Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.

Beyond his negative assessment of Kentucky GOP voters, Gerth, who declined to comment, criticized Cameron for “paraphrasing the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.” during his gubernatorial acceptance speech. “Here in Kentucky, the American Dream is alive and well because you’re judged not by the color of your skin but by the content of your character,” Cameron said. For Gerth, Cameron delivered this line simply because it allows him to “oppose policies like affirmative action that give African Americans an edge to let them thrive.”

“The point is, even though he’s black, Cameron takes a stand against what the vast majority of black people believe,” Gerth wrote. “In many ways, Cameron has transformed into the black man who doesn’t scare white people or challenge them on issues of race.”

Cameron responded by hammering Gerth on Thursday afternoon, saying in a Twitter thread that the writer “has a unique perspective born out of a far-left worldview that can’t imagine black Americans think any differently than he does.” .

“To Gerth, my opinions, the opinions of my parents, the opinions of countless family members don’t matter because we are black conservatives,” Cameron wrote. “I will continue to unabashedly uphold the values ​​that I believe in and that so many Kentuckians believe in despite the narrow and backward thinking of Gerth and the radical left media.”

Cameron will take on Beshear, a prime target for Republicans seeking to regain control of the governor’s mansion, in November. The race has intensified since last week’s primary, with the Democratic Governors Association pledging to spend money “at a historic rate” to ensure Beshear tops Cameron.

Click here for the mobile version of this story (with commentary)

[ad_2]