The Self-Destructiveness of White Supremacy

across this country. He wants to ban migrant workers. He wants to ban LGBTQ people from existing. He wants to erase black history and black people in general from this country and make things very, very comfortable for white America.

That's the goal here, folks. And we've been talking about this on WOKEF for quite some time that the Republican Party uses Florida, uses Texas and Tennessee in these other states as their peatrie dishes to workshop their most cruel policies to see how it will play out on the

national stage. Now, everything is being banked on the fact that Donald Trump, while he overwhelmingly would beat the crap out of Ron DeSantis in the polls in a head to head right now, well, Donald Trump has multiple indictments looming. Donald Trump could potentially have been indicted again by Georgia's Fannie Willis by the end of the summer. Right she gave us all the time frame between July and September.

You have Jack Smith who is wrapping up his investigation on the stolen documents, and we have Donald Trump, in his own words saying that he stole the documents and what So you have those two major cases that are looming, on top of which you already have out of the Manhattan DA thirty four indictments right on fraud. So Donald Trump is not a sure thing. He's not a sure thing to make it right to election day and not also have to be appear in court that day. So

that's the reality. And so the Republican Party is now backing up their spare right, which would be Rond de Santis. Now, Ron de Santis does not have the charisma, does not have the support of the MAGA base, but he definitely has the cruelty is the point down pat and he definitely understands how politics works. So he is even more dangerous than Donald Trump. We are not just up against

right Donald Trump or Rond de Santis, the people. We are up against a white supremaist, Christian fundamentalist ideology that seeks to erase and oppress everyone else who does not implore their same beliefs or look the same, pray the same, love the same as they do. Right, We're in a

real fucking pickle. The other point is that, yes, we're aware that Joe Biden is going to be the oldest man running for reelection, and if he pulls out this reelection, we'll be the oldest president to serve at this time. There is no backup plan, right, Joe Biden is it? And if you're not going ten toes down for him, then you're not going ten toes down for democracy period. So we're going to continue to cover this and follow this.

But coming up next, I'm so excited to welcome back to WOKF my co host of Democracy, ish wajahat Ali and the author of Go Back to Your Country. We get into a conversation about the NAACP's ban, about the erasure of by people, about cruelty is the point and where we think this country is headed. And as a bonus, my dear friends, A new democracy Ish episode drops two days, so make sure that you check out democracy Ish wherever

you get your podcasts, folks. I am always very excited when I get to bring on my co host, my weekly co host of a Democracy Ish, Washa hot Al Lee, who is an author, a columnist, and all around badass on Twitter. If you have not read his book go back to where you come from and other helpful tips

you should. And if you're loving wokf daily on iHeart, you should absolutely check out democracy Ish, which drops new episodes each and every Thursday with wajaht and I and some really amazing, amazing guests that we get into conversation with. So wa, you know, first of all, I just America, you know, I'll just start there America and then slap

my head and we can just go from there. But over the weekend, the NAACP issued a really intense warning to black people in America and members of other marginalized groups in saying that you should be wary of traveling to the state of Florida, that Florida is essentially a hate state, that it is a dangerous state for black people,

for LGBTQ people, for women. It was lengthy. It was necessary, and it harkens back to essentially a time in this country during Jim Crow segregation where black Americans had to if they were traveling, they got something called a green

book jajah hot Ali. They got a green book at different gas stations, in different places of respites in between their travels from the North throughout the South that would signal to them in providing great detail places that would accept their money and their presence as black people, whether it was at a restaurant or a gas station or

a hotel. And traveling was so precarious and could end up resulting in a lynching, a rape, a robbery, a beating, all of these things that the Green Book was necessary. Created by Victor Green, a postal worker who created this and printed it himself and was disseminated throughout the South. And so here we are was fast forward to twenty twenty three, where the nacious, longest and oldest civil rights organization has made this stark warning. How did that land with you?

I think GLAD or any organization that represents LGBTQ plus communities should also issue an advisory because don't say gay. I think educators and librarians should also issue an advisory because they're banning books, they're banning ap African American studies,

they're silencing academics, and they're threatening librarians. And I also think any group that tries to protect immigrants, especially on document immigants, should also issue advisory warning because with the new anti immigration bill, which none enough people are talking about that he passed, basically they could just stop anyone who looks mexicany ask them for their papers, and out

of state driver's licenses apparently aren't enough. So it has led to Danielle as of last week and something that people should mention. Massive stoppages in construction in Florida. Why because just like in the African American community, in the immigrant community and migrant community, especially the Latino communities weren't spread and people are like, yo, unless you want to get detained and deported, don't go to Florida. So I would say, Danielle, if you go anti woke, you'll go broke.

And another thing I'll say is good on the NAACP. And we were talking about this earlier. A tweet came out from a friend of ours, historian Kevin Cruse of Princeton, who's excellent on Twitter, follow him if you don't. And Ted Cruz, Senator Ted Cruz, who cares so much about his constituents that whenever there's trouble he goes to can Kuhn. You know, he's now leading the charge with all these other Republicans. How dare you, nubacap, how dare you? And

he invokes doctor King. Doctor King would be so embarrassed. And then Kevin crew says, ah, as a historian, I have receipts. Actually Doctor King back in the day called for a boycott of this state called Alabama, precisely because as you described, Danielle, it was a haven for white violence, white vigilante violence against black people and those whites who helped black people. Yeah, that's what I think.

that Professor Kevin Cruz tweets this. In nineteen sixty five, doctor King called for a national boycott of the state of Alabama, saying that the Democratic governor George Wallace's policies constituted a quote reign of terror against black Americans. And so, just so folks don't get it twisted, Ted Cruz knows nothing,

and I know that it is. It is very hard to dig into the bin of idiocy and lack of intellectual, nimbleness and honesty when we're talking about the Republican Party writ large, but in particular Ted Cruz, much alike Republicans love to do coming around the Martin Luther King Junior Holiday, which is to take out the one quote that they

know out of its context. Come on, Daniel, be fair three quotes, you're right, You're right, and admonish black people for acknowledging the racist policies that they put together, because us acknowledging racism is what is racist, not the policies in and of itself. So Professor Cruse said, let me provide you with the actual receipts of the New York

Times article that was written in nineteen sixty five. And so I think what gets me here is that facts don't register with the Party of Lies and the Party of hate. But what should register with Americans and the populace is that this party hasn't just regressed, it has devolved, right, It has devolved into something where we thought that the commentary that we understood around the civil rights movement we

would always look at through a historical lens. But here we are, in present day twenty twenty three America, following the successful two terms of our nation's first black president. We currently have our first black and an AAPI vice president woman of the United States. That we are still in the midst of experiencing some extraordinary first but here we are with the nation's oldest civil rights organization having to issue travel warnings to black people in America.

I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever. And what I said during the tyranny of Donald Trump's four years in the White House is that he has a lot in common George Wallace. He's a demagogue. In fact, people support George Wallace should support Donald Trump. So you say devolved, I say, they're returning back to their roots. This is who they were, And people say, oh, well, joh, that's too harsh. I want to remind you all that Donald

Trump said, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Another famous pro segregation dog whistle in those parts right from the sixties. So these folks Ted Cruz and the modern Republican Party literally, I mean, do we really think if they took a Dolorean back to the sixties, would they be on the side of Doctor King or would they

be on the side of George Wallace. And I'll give you this, don't say gay banning, any treatment of transgender kids, banning books written by Tony Morrison, going after Colin Kaepernick for bending a knee, but supporting white supremacist and Christian nationalists who tried to literally overthrow our election right, calling Donald Trump, calling the black officer who defended these Republican congressmen a thug, but praising Ashley Babbitt, who was radicalized

by QAnon, Praising people like Kyle Rittenhouse who shan and killed two white folks at a BLM protest, praising and the guy, the white guy who got convicted by a jury of his peers in Texas for shooting another protester at a b protest. Tucker Carlson said, parton them, and Greg Abbat said, sure, I'll part on this white killer who was convicted by a jury of his peers. Literally lynching. I'm at Arbury for jogging while black in his neighborhood. And if it wasn't for the video that was released,

they would not be in prison. So you tell me, Danielle. Would these people, these modern Republicans, be on the side of doctor King because they only know three of his quotes and forget everything else, especially the condemnation of corrupt capitalism and white supremacy? Or would they be on the side of George Wallace? And I would tell you they'd be on the side of George Wallace. So NAACP is finally flexing and the way you go after these folks.

And this is why I've always said that white supremacy is ultimately self destructive. Because Ron DeSantis, in order to feed the magabase that has been radicalized and weaponized, has to go after Disney. He can't double down, he can't retreat, even though you and I know on the d all the Republicans like whoahoa, whoa Easier, They're Ronda Santiss. You can't bite the hand that feeds you. Now they've gone all in to feed this radicalized base that wants to

stand its ground. That Florida is I'm sorry to say, getting some karma. Disney flex last week, right, they're actually just a couple of days ago Disney said, all right, that huge billion.

I want Glad. I want all these groups now to say, all right, Florida, you want to go anti woke, you're gonna go bro. That's my take on this.

And I said, well, you know, money talks and bullshit walks. So if at the end of the day, we are still operating under this capitalist regime, right, and you have the power to sway you know, the ticket masters of the world and the big names from going and performing in places like Florida, if you have the ability to say, you know what, NBA, nc DOUBLEA, NFL and others that we're not going to support you if you are playing

games and giving money to this state. Because it isn't just construct that is now faltering in Florida, it is also guess what agriculture is faltering in Florida, right, because they literally have fruits and vegetables dying on the vines. Because our agriculture market requires right migrant workers. Yep, whether or not we want to pay them, acknowledge them, provide them with dignity and respect. This is how things work.

So you know, when I see the NAACP and equality Florida, and I think there is one other organization that I am remiss at remembering right now who has issued warnings with regard to Florida. I believe that everyone else, the Human Rights Campaign glad ACLU others Southern popular law. Everybody should fall in line.

there would be changes in this country. Disney Disney's kind of like the unexpected hero because they pushed Disney to the point where they finally had to step up. Disney could have done this on its own right. So it just goes to show you how much power these organizations have that if you go after their bottom line, they're going to go after the Republicans that they also feed.

But it also goes to show you that if they actually cared overnight, they can rain in the Republicans and the majority can stop, you know, being hijacked by a minority. That's the sad part. This could happen overnight.

that are happening, to the NAACP's announcement. But in Tim Scott's America and the reality that he lives in, in his hehaw America, he believes that anybody who tells you that America is racist, they are lying to you. That's what he said in his announcement speech. And you know, Tim Scott has been the literal blackface that the Republican Party has trotted out to deal to come up with compromise legislation that fell apart after the murder of George Floyd.

He was supposed to be working with his counterpart, Senator Corey Booker to create legislation that would, I don't know, stop cops from being able to kill unarmed black people and use police brutality and wield unimaginable force. And that all fell apart after about eight months, and they have yet to come back to the table again on those issues.

But anytime there is an issue with regard to race or racism, it is Tim Scott that the Republican parties pushed to the front, and he is saying that he wants us to get back to a place of unity right where we can have differences with one another, but that we are all part of the same American team. He harkened back to Reagan that America is this beacon on the hill. He pulled out every single trope, every

single Republican talking point. But the differentiator here is that he is not referring to his Democratic opponents as his enemies. He is not calling for them to be round up and hunted like dogs, like Governor McMaster just said at a South Carolina Republican convention meeting.

be the Nikki Haley, the vivid Ramaswami. Right. And the interesting thing is they engage in all these petzel circusile rational you know, gymnastics in their head. Nicky Haley said the same thing when she ran for when she announce her candidacy, and literally right when she did, and Colter told her to go back to her own country. People always forget this, right. Literally, Donald Trump said she has

the wrong complexion to be my running mate. Right, So they're being racist to their face and they sit there and they eat their shit sandwich, because that's the fausting bargain. Tim Scott knows what's up, but he's made this fasting bargain. He's never going to be president. He effed up. Literally, he took the mic and did a Howard Dean moment and effed up even making his announcement. So it's over.

He's he's gonna be a punch line. But what he'll get is a lifelong tenure in the Republican Party as the token black. He'll get a six or seven figure book deal, he'll get a consulting gig, and he'll allow Republicans to get away with the fiction that they're not racist because look, we support the black yep.

And if we just ignore it, if we just align with our oppressor and be grateful to share stages with them and share microphones with them, then all will be well.

Byrons and the tim Scotts. You know, is this the new Republican Party or just the same old ropodope?

who's hated? Who's beating up black people? Even though my natural allies will be the black and brown folks, let me chase whiteness. I'll never be white, but I'll be protected. I'll be asymptotic to whiteness. Right, and then you engage in all these rationalizations, and I am the good one. If they only pull themselves up from the bootstraps like me, if they got rid of their pathology and self loathing. If they became post racist, then everything would be better.

And yet time and time again, you can't wipe off the blackness and the brownness. This country reminds you violently your place in the hierarchy. And so what I think is going to happen is that whiteness has always evolved to survive. It is trying to win over Latinos and Asians and black folks through family values, through the transgender panic. I think they will win over a minority of our community.

I think they will, and I think you're going to see like the Latino white supremacist in Texas who killed eight people, We're going to see more and more of that. But I do think the cruelty of white supremacy is finally animating enough people, Danielle, thanks to the work of Martin Luther King, the Silver Rights Movement are ancestors who fought in bled that they say I'm done with this,

and enough whites. Maybe if in enough whites can say, oh, this is self destructive for our families in this country, we can get that coalition of about seventy percent. But I think this will be the norm. You're going to see more tokens you're going to see more Latino, black, brown white supremacists, and you're gonna see our community having to call them out and expose them and do more education.

I know that's not the answer that people want, but that's my realistic answer as to how white supremacy will evolve to try it to stave off the inevitable minority majority that is America.

and have our own shows on Fox but Friends. If you enjoy our conversation today on wokef make sure to check out Waj and I each and every Thursday on Democracy Ish. You can catch Democracy Ish wherever you get your podcasts. And if you have not read Wah's book, go back to where you came from. Folks, you are missing out. Be sure to get your copy.