Now that the midterm election results are official in Georgia and Florida, the spotlight is on next Tuesday’s runoff election for the remaining Senate seat in Mississippi. While the GOP will maintain a majority no matter who wins, the Democrats are eager to mark another gain.
Unfortunately, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, is spending the last few days before the vote defending herself against claims of racism. During an early November appearance with close friend and cattle rancher Colin Hutchinson, Hyde-Smith said the following: “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.”
A video clip quickly went viral and now her words threaten her runoff chances against Mike Espy, the Democratic challenger and former Secretary of Agriculture under former President Bill Clinton.
There is no doubt that Hyde-Smith’s words were a poor choice given the history of the very state she is asking to represent. Mississippi has a past filled with slavery, racism, and yes, lynchings. But were her words actually racist? Was her expression meant to ridicule the ethnicity of her challenger or the many residents in the state who are African-American?
The answer is no.
It is altogether too easy to assert that a politician is racist, sexist, or otherwise cruelly disparaging of individuals simply based on what their words seem to have meant. But Hyde-Smith used another rather wild expression in that video that no one is discussing. Before her comment about the public hanging, she said of Hutchinson, “I would fight a circle saw for him.” During Monday’s debate, she both explained and offered an apology:
When legislators or other media figures clearly engage in racist rhetoric, it must swiftly be called out. There is no room for that kind of sickness, no matter who is saying it or what’s at stake. However, it’s also wrong to make claims of the individual that are obviously not in line with their speech. At The Daily Beast, Hyde-Smith is described as a “race-baiting senator.” Others have labeled her “String-em-Up Cindy,” believing her comment was about lynchings and meant to hurt the black community in Mississippi and around the nation.
Many times, political figures say or do things they later regret even if their intentions were not malicious in nature. It is clear that Hyde-Smith has a measure of remorse for the hurt that has been caused by her words. I do not believe she meant to demean anyone. We should remember that she was appearing in public with a supporter and knew there was an audience. Hyde-Smith is also not new to the Mississippi scene, having served as both commissioner of agriculture and commerce and as a member of the state Senate.
Regardless of Tuesday’s runoff results, I believe it is clear that Hyde-Smith’s words were not racist in nature. While she could have (and should have) used a less controversial turn of phrase, it is incorrect to claim she demonstrated anything more than a clumsy attempt at showing affection to a friend.
I understand the media’s collective desire to pounce on clear examples of racism, but this isn’t it.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a senior contributor at RedState.com.
