As a white man from rural Mississippi, it's just bizarre watching all these newspapers around the country treat white right-wingers like exotic zoo animals who require study.
When is the last time a newspaper dedicated its letters page to Black women who vote Democratic?
Or to trans people marginalized by Trump's policies?
Or to people at risk of losing heath coverage?
Or to the homeless?
Or to prisoners of victimless crimes?
Understand them!
Honestly, if you want to understand white Trump voters, Black organizers and leaders in the South oftentimes understand them better than they understand themselves, because Black southerners have HAD to understand how whiteness thinks.
THREAD: For the past few days, there's been a lot of talk (& reporting by me) about Republicans in Mississippi talking like the Dixiecrats who once ran MS (Rep. Price Wallace wanting to "succeed from the Union").
BUT: They aren't the only Republicans in the Legislature. 1/
There are Republicans in the Mississippi Legislature who aren't left wingers by any means, but if given the chance to lead, would point the party toward a more inclusive future focused on solving problems, not winning & maintaining power with divisiveness & demagoguery. 2/
That includes Republicans who have worked to champion pro-LGBT legislation, like a bill to add LGBT people to Mississippi's hate crime laws.
It includes Republicans with strong pro-public education stances.
These are not Republicans who try to imitate Trump or focus on him. 3/
In DeSoto County, where only one ICU bed remains, Sheriff Bill Rasco, a Republican, is refusing to enforce Gov. Tate Reeves' mask order for the county.
Rep. Price Wallace's declaration that Mississippi needs to "succeed from the union" comes less than a week after Mississippians' voted to replace a flag that symbolized the last time we tried to *secede from the union with a new one. mississippifreepress.org/6731/mississip…
Top Mississippi Republican officials, on the other hand, have mostly remained silent about President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' victory. mississippifreepress.org/6813/top-missi…
NEW: “We need to succeed from the union & form our own country,” Mississippi Rep. Price Wallace tweeted after networks called the election for Biden, misspelling "secede."
Two young Mississippi House Republicans celebrated the fact that America elected a woman to the vice presidency.
Republican House Rep. Jansen Owen: "Regardless of one’s political ideology, this moment stands as a testament to our great nation." mississippifreepress.org/6813/top-missi…
Republican Mississippi House Rep. Kent McCarty: “I would hope that ALL of us, regardless of party, can acknowledge the historical significance of the daughter of immigrants becoming the VP of the United States. ... I’m not sure why that’s controversial." mississippifreepress.org/6813/top-missi…
This dude and his whole congregation appears to be going through a hysterical mass psychosis event over the election results.
It reminds me of the infamously super awkward laughing scene in Final Fantasy X.
The difference: Tidus, the Final Fantasy character, wasn't encouraging thousands of maskless people to gratuitously spray aerosol particles amongst one another indoors amid the deadliest pandemic in 100 years.
The US reported 133,000 new #COVID19 cases yesterday.