Once again, the Hagan campaign is trying to make hay out of something stupid Thom Tillis said years ago. Except in this case, it’s not that stupid. In September 2012, Tillis appeared on the Carolina Business Review and was asked for his take on the changing state of politics in North Carolina. But the show’s host was no doubt taken aback when Tillis instead went off on a tangent about demographic changes and made some shockingly racist and vile comments:
“The traditional population of North Carolina and the United States is more or less stable. It’s not growing. The African American population is roughly growing but the Hispanic population and the other immigrant populations are growing in significant numbers. We’ve got to resonate with those future voters.”
Gasp! Thom Tillis is such a hateful racist that he can’t even conceal his contempt for people of color when asked a relatively mundane question about state politics. Naturally, the liberal snark brigade has taken to Twitter to post things like “How’s that GOP outreach working out?” and “OMG the video is even worse than the transcript!” Liberal hack Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire blared the headline: GOP Candidate Laments Decline of ‘Traditional Population’. Yeah, except he wasn’t lamenting anything. Liberal clickbait news aggregate websites will bring about the death of any reasonable discussion on the issues.
Look, it’s a fact that the traditional population of North Carolina is in dec- oh, I see what the problem is. Tillis is implying that blacks aren’t part of the ‘traditional population’ of North Carolina. Of course, what he really means is ‘traditional electorate’, which is easy to understand given that Tillis had on his political analyst hat. And he’s still not lamenting anything.
And even if he did mean to imply that whites are the ‘traditional population’ of North Carolina and the United States … so what? That’s a correct statement, especially if we take population to mean ‘majority population’. What, are we no longer allowed to acknowledge demographic reality anymore?
This is traditional gotcha politics at its worst. There are too many substantive policy differences between Hagan and Tillis to waste time talking about nonsense like this. So he conflated ‘electorate’ with ‘population’; big deal. One Twitterer suggested that Thom Tillis needs sensitivity training. I disagree. This “gaffe” was born out of a desire to be politically correct. After all, who says ‘traditional population’? It’s a euphemism. Tillis used it because Republican politicians are afraid to use the phrase ‘white people’. This is yet another instance of how trying to be unnecessarily politically correct will get people into trouble.
Still, despite everything I wrote above, I can’t help but conclude that Tillis is a fire-breathing racist who could very well be the second coming of David Duke. As a former IBM executive and avid paintballer who lives in a posh Charlotte suburb and got into politics because of a bike path, he fits the profile. Next time, Thom, leave the KKK robes at home. And check your privilege. Or something.
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
Tillis meant exactly what he said” Traditionals” =white folks. T
hen non-traditionals = blacks, foreigners,immigrants,Asians, other colored people, yankees, etc. You know…wink,wink.
Hacks blew Tillis’s remarks out of proportion–surprise! “You didn’t build that” wasn’t a shining moment of intellectual honesty, either. But this time, the politician’s wording was truly problematic. Even if he just meant “electorate,” he still failed to recognize the critical role of the minority experience in this state’s history. For centuries, institutionalized oppression was a defining fact of life in North Carolina. Yet despite suffering discrimination, minority communities achieved some of the greatest parts of the state’s legacy, such as the courage of the Greensboro Four, the audacity of Lumbees at the Battle of Hayes Pond, and the genius of Hamlet/High Point native John Coltrane. Republicans–especially those who aspire to represent us all–shouldn’t breezily dismiss the people without whom this state wouldn’t be what it is.
Someone from Main Street USA: You asked: “Please explain the outreach NCGOP has done to reach “nontraditional” voters? I’m not seeing it.”
Easy, and thanks for asking.
The NCGOP announced to all voters, including the “non-traditionals,” that voting days would be reduced, that they couldn’t vote straight tickets, and that they’d have to show photo ID at the polls.
They told us all, including the non-traditionals, that personal income tax rates would all be the same, whether we made $40K/year or $1B/year.
They sent out the personal information of 40,000 Medicaid recipients, many of whom were non-traditionals, to addressees who were not those 40,000 recipients.
They increased taxes on electricity bills. It’s been reported that many non-traditionals actually use electricity every so often.
Many Morale Monday protesters, including those who were non-traditionals, were reached with face-to-face briefings of their Miranda rights as they were personally escorted to arraignment for “reaching out” to legislators.
I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point.
“liberal snark brigade”? Really John? Gotcha politics? Really? Tillis said it John. Traditionally that would mean that the comment and the candidate are answerable to what is a
stupid and racist based comment so no snarking needed. “Librl” or otherwise.
Slightly off-topic, but everyone should keep in mind that the first European settlement in inland North Carolina was established by Spaniards at Fort San Juan, near present-day Morganton. And the Spanish were also on the Outer Banks already when the Roanoke Colony was founded. Does that make Latinos a “traditional” population by Tillis’s standard? Maybe someone should ask him.
John: You said: “And even if he did mean to imply that whites are the ‘traditional population’ of North Carolina and the United States … so what? That’s a correct statement, especially if we take population to mean ‘majority population’.”
Actually, “traditional” is closer to meaning “historical” than it is to meaning “majority.” And the historical population of the state (listen up now, John and Thom) includes whites (as settlers/invaders and their descendants); blacks (as slaves, freed peoples, and their descendants); native Americans (as original/banished peoples and their descendants); hispanics (making up the largest contingent of immigrants over the last 15 years); and a wide spectrum of other ethnic groups that have settled in NC.
So, Tillis’ view is a bit out of kilter regarding what peoples have “traditionally” made up the NC population. He’s the one, not his critics, who has compartmentalized things in his own mind about there being “us’n” and “them.” I won’t say racist. I will say biased. And it’s not the sort of mindset I want rep’ing me in the US Senate.
Wynne, you got it right, proving the old adage about stopped clocks. 🙂 and so, to the pos(t)ers above…when the other party does ‘outreach’ to minority groups….that’s not the same thing? You’ve dug yourself a rhetorical hole…..keep diggin’
Democrats don’t reach out to minorities they are welcomed. It’s not pandering. While you may still be of the mindset that it is only white democrats and republicans (saying white republicans would be redundant) that matter, democrats have progressed forward. As it is not who we associate with but our belief in good government for all, not a select few that look like us. I’m sorry you believe it is merely that dems pander to minorities for votes because all that does is acknowledge your belief that minorities do not matter. All that being said, here is a history lesson: in the fifties democrats adopted a civil rights platform that many racist southern dems didn’t want to accept. As a result we welcomed minorities with open arms and embraced inclusion. The republicans did the same except it was racist southerners instead of minorities. Bravo sir.
Keep talkin Mike….just keep talkin….
With such a weak response it seems you’ve fallen into your own rhetorical hole. I don’t think we’ll be joining you anytime soon. But while you’re down there try some soul searching and maybe you’ll be able to see past your flawed ideas about what motives some people be compassionate about their fellow man for reasons other than votes and money.
Please explain the outreach NCGOP has done to reach “nontraditional” voters? I’m not seeing it.
Tillis recognizes the “nontraditional” populations – blacks and hispanics – are growing; thus, NCGOP needs to reach out to them. And you say this isn’t racism. That’s a joke.
This is a leader of the party that worked hard to gerrymander districts to make it impossible to dislodge a Republican incumbent; this is a leader of the party that initiated some of the worst voter “reform” in the country, almost immediately after SCOTUS struck down the Voting Rights Act.
This is NOT “gotcha” politics. This is exposing Tillis for what he is – a racist man who thinks only of helping his “traditional” base.
“Of course, what he really means is ‘traditional electorate’, which is easy to understand given that Tillis had on his political analyst hat.”
Huh? I don’t see a hat anywhere in that video. Tillis doesn’t say electorate, he says population. Black people, who have lived in this state for hundred of years, just ain’t traditional enough to count.
Is it possible you’re right? Sure. Is it possible that Tillis is a racist? You betcha. This sounds like exactly the kind of Freudian slip that a racist would make, so I’d say the burden rests with Mr. Tillis, or his shills. So far, they haven’t chosen your preferred explanation (‘of course!’), since it relies on, you know, Tillis saying a completely different word than the word that he did say. On video.
The Simpsons said it best, in describing FOX News: ‘Not racist, but popular with racists.’ Mr. Tillis and the GOP may not be racist (though I’d need convincing on that one), but they sure are popular with racists. And as long as that’s true, they’re going to see added scrutiny for flippant remarks that dismiss a quarter of the state population as less-than.
Get used to it.