Thread by @RevDrBarber

Democrats, you have to answer the lies about critical race theory and how it’s being used to foster a racist culture war.

Remember this is not new. 1/13

Richard Nixon’s “law and order” campaign in 1968 was an intentional effort to win the solid South by appealing to racial hate and fear without using racist language. His advisor, Kevin Phillips, called it the “Southern Strategy.” 2/13

In 1968 a memo was written to a sitting President. It was called “positive polarization,” a plan to intentionally split the nation in half with racism, classism, homophobia for the one purpose of holding on to power. 3/13

Jonathan Schell wrote a book about it called “The Time of Illusion.” For 52 years this deliberate illusion has been at work. The aim, wrote Pat Buchanan, was to “cut the Democratic Party and country in half; my view is that we would have far the larger half.” 4/13

Here’s what you need to do:

First, stop being afraid to say what it is: a legal analysis of how the law was used to entrench racism. Get a team of scholars—white, Black, brown, native, Asian and some from the South—to take on the issue. 5/13

Then prepare @POTUS to do a major speech in the South to a diverse audience to say what it is & that he will not just sit around & let lies & racism distort the truth. Say to the American ppl you can believe the lies if you choose to, but I’m going to tell you the truth, 6/13

what lies are being told, why they are telling them, and what they are doing underneath the lies to hurt the people they are feeding the lies to. This multiracial pushback must happen, because we have never overcome racism when it was couched as just a Black issue. 7/13

Imagine the president on stage with two Black scholars, two white, two brown, two Asian, two native debunking all of these lies. 8/13

Second, stop thinking you have addressed racism just because you are against police shootings and voter suppression. 9/13

Third, when you pass or promote policies, discuss the class, geographical, & racial impact. For instance, on $15/hr federal min wage, talk about how it will help the South, the North, the Midwest, white, Black, brown, API, native, urban & rural ppl & areas. Don’t be afraid! 10/13

Fourth, show how those opposed to these policies are hurting people in all these same areas, in their own states! 11/13

Fifth, recognize that those believing this foolishness are not poor people. The data says poor and low-wealth people, even white, tend to vote for progressives when mobilized around an agenda. 12/13

Lastly, do an analysis of who didn’t vote in Virginia and why. 13/13