April 28, 2024

RANK RACISM: Republicans in PANIC over hate hurting their party in election year

Kirk Dixon on racist rhetoric

MAGA Republicans are not using racist dogwhistles anymore.

If you’ve tuned in to conservative media, you’ve probably heard racist dogwhistles — that is, racial hatred that’s very thinly disguised, perhaps as concern over “culture” or a pretense that anti-racism efforts “discriminate” against white people.

One right-wing presenter, though, has dropped the pretense and come forward with some of the most openly racist rhetoric we’ve seen in a while, and even Republicans are worried about it.

Charlie Kirk has been full-tilt on his false claims that diversity efforts by companies mean they’re passing over qualified white men to hire unqualified Black people. It’s not only airline pilots he’s talking about, though, but even customer service jobs, where he complains he’s encountering “moronic Black wom[en].”

Now let be clear: if airlines were truly hiring unqualified pilots, it would be a genuine cause for concern, regardless of race or gender. The problem with Kirk’s view of things is that he’s making an assumption about qualifications based entirely on race, as though white people have a monopoly on piloting (and customer service) skills.

This also follows his recent – as in, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — attacks on King, in which he declared that the radical civil rights leader was a “bad person” and suggested that he shouldn’t be celebrated.

Now other conservatives in media and politics are starting to speak out, including Trump-endorsed former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon and Pastor Darrell Scott, who has served as an advisor to Donald Trump.

Their message is that Kirk’s rhetoric is bringing the party down, and they don’t want Republicans associated with it. Dixon said:

“He’s gonna burn down Martin Luther King…That’s it, everybody has got to be done with him.”

She invited Pastor Scott onto her podcast, where they discussed the danger of the Tea Party USA leader’s rhetoric. He agreed that Kirk is just showing true colors, and expressed similar concerns. He said:

“He is the ringleader and he’s actually trying to resurrect that spirit in the party of superiority of whites over Black, and he insinuates that every Black person you see in a pilot position, that there’s an air of suspicion about them that they didn’t really earn their position, that they were given this because of affirmative action…and it’s absolutely not true.”

Meanwhile, others in right-wing media have tried to defend Kirk. Candace Owens, for instance, reiterated his points on her own show, arguing that she’d be “terrified” if she had a female pilot, because she would believe the pilot had been hired for their gender, rather than their skills.

Pastor Scott addressed this too, sharing that Owens had previously confided to him that, while she serves as an apologist on Turning Point USA’s networks, she’s well aware of the danger and damage the rhetoric does.

Or, to quote Scott, Owens told him, “But one thing she said to me…she looked at me and said, TPUSA is the real plantation. So that shows what her real thoughts were.”

The two are particularly concerned this could be “a real hindrance” for Trump in the 2024 election. Dixon worried:

“He is billing himself as Donald Trump’s right-hand man when it comes to young people, and this, to me, is catastrophic for us.”

Perhaps she could muster a little concern for how racist rhetoric affects American citizens, too, but at least some Republicans have found a cause that makes them want to disavow hate — even if it is simply for concern over the future of their own party.

Tudor Dixon says the conservative movement has to dump Charlie Kirk.

Dixon shared the clip in which Kirk attacks Black pilots, and she and Pastor Scott agree it’s disturbing.

Scott opines that Kirk is trying to “resurrect” racism in the Republican party.

Candace Owens defends Kirk.

Scott calls out Owens for continuing to cover for racism, and says she’s admitted it to him.

Dixon and Scott discuss Kirk’s latest comments, in which he conjures up a hypothetical “moronic Black woman” as evidence for his racist rhetoric.

Dixon worries this will all hurt Trump in November.

Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: