PoliticusUSA

After being criticized for a statement that suggested that African-Americans aren’t Americans, Mitch McConnell said that calling him racist is hurtful.

McConnell told reporters in Kentucky:

McConnell shouldn’t be surprised by the backlash. He has positioned himself as the face of voting rights opposition in the Senate. Mitch McConnell spends his time supporting laws that make it more difficult for non-white people to vote, so he shouldn’t be surprised that no one gave him the benefit of the doubt on his remarks.

If Mitch McConnell doesn’t want to be viewed as a racist, there is a simple and easy solution. The Senate Minority Leader could begin by doing what he did in 2006; McConnell could support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

It is difficult for anyone to believe McConnell’s claims that he is not a racist when he has changed his position on supporting the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.

McConnell’s hurt feelings don’t mean anything when compared to the millions upon millions of Americans who could lose the right to vote. The Senator from Kentucky has done the right thing on voting rights in the past, and he could do so again.

The best way for McConnell to walk the walk is to support voting rights legislation.

Jason Easley

Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association