For four years when Trump was president, Democrats condemned inflammatory rhetoric as dangerous and said it would lead to violence.
Yesterday, after weeks of baseless, racist attacks on Larry Elder, such violence occurred. A white woman wearing a gorilla mask attacked Elder during a campaign stop at a homeless encampment in Venice, California. Elder has been experiencing these bigoted attacks for weeks now. A lack of condemnation from Democrats is sadly to be expected, but where are Republicans condemning this behavior? Republicans must demand Democrats condemn the bigoted attacks against Elder.
It’s racist enough for a white woman to accost Elder, who is black, while wearing a gorilla mask. The racist trope of comparing black people to primates has an ugly history. The fact that she also threw eggs at him and physically assaulted campaign aides is horrifying. That is racist violence.
And it came one day after multiple speakers at a campaign rally for beleaguered California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched bigoted attacks against Elder, focusing on his skin color. This was also after the Los Angeles Times op-ed called Elder the “black face of white supremacy.”
Why is it that Republicans, who are quick to denounce groups such as the Proud Boys, cannot muster enough courage to condemn the bigoted onslaught Elder has been facing? Democrats get a lot of mileage demanding Republicans denounce people. So where are Republicans calling for Democrats to denounce the bigotry against Elder?
Democrats are quick to give lip service to racial equality, yet there they are, painting Elder as the nefarious black man, demonizing him, much like their party leaders once did as members of the KKK. How much more needs to happen to Elder before Republicans speak up? They let Democrats do such things to Justice Clarence Thomas, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Ward Connerly, Herbert Cain, Kimberly Klacik, and Sen. Tim Scott, among others. Yet, Republicans in Congress have barely said a word.
It’s time Republican politicians speak up and insist that Democrats condemn the attacks on Elder.
