White GOP senator: I could say I'm a 'victim of racism' because people joke about my state

[turbinetree]

By Oliver Willis -
July 30, 2019

Sen. Kevin Cramer joined the chorus of Republicans defending Trump's racist attacks on Baltimore.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), who is white, argued that someone snickering about his home state could make him "a victim of racism."

Cramer made his statement on Monday in the course of defending Trump against criticism of his multiday racist meltdown targeting Baltimore and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).

"I could be a victim of racism, but I don't offend that easily," Cramer told NBC reporter Frank Thorp.

Asked to explain his claim, Cramer laid out an absurd comparison. "Well, if somebody said something about being from North Dakota, every now and then I get a snicker about it, somebody will say something about North Dakota in some snide way, I don’t offend because I'm comfortable with where I come from," he replied.

https://shareblue.com/kevin-cramer-white-gop-senator-victim-racism-north-dakota/

When was the last time you were on a reservation, what have you done to help the Natives with voting, since you got into office............................not much......................your bigot and racist..............and a fascist....................

https://time.com/5442434/north-dakota-voting-law-native-american-activism/

https://psmag.com/social-justice/for-native-americans-the-battle-against-voter-suppression-in-north-dakota-is-only-the-beginning

[yardwork]

1. OMG. I can't even.

[gratuitous]

2. "I don't offend easily"

Why don't we enslave you and your family for a few generations, Sen. Cramer, and then deny you and your family basic constitutional rights while lynching some random family members from time to time for being uppity? How easily might you offend, then? Considering how touchy you are that people bring up historic racism and oppression, I'd say you would pop an aneurysm on a daily basis with that sort of living history.

[Thomas Hurt]

3. I have never heard anyone make fun of North Dakota.

I didn't know there was anything there, of which to make fun.

[ProudLib72]

6. Well, there is now something to make fun of

Cramer

[ProudLib72]

4. Because North Dakotan is definitely a "race"

[Maru Kitteh]

14. Neither is Baltimore, but Orange Manson made it quite clear he was talking about "black"

In this case, I'm sure people making cracks about him being from North Dakota are likely employing back-handed ways of implying he may be somewhat less than sophisticated and may in fact have enjoyed his first relations with a domesticated stock animal of some type.

They likely did this in response to one of Cramer's many displays of ignorance, not his color.

[oasis]

5. Don't get me started on those particular kind of jerks. nt

[Leghorn21]

7. "Victim of stupid", pal

fixed it for ya

[aeromanKC]

8. Snowflake of the Year candidate

[Maru Kitteh]

9. Giving two senators to every state, no matter how small, is where the framers got it wrong

[customerserviceguy]

11. Wrong or not

from our two-plus centuries later perspective, it got the Constitution ratified. And altering the scheme is the ONLY thing in the Constitution that requires unanimous support, and not just an overwhelming supermajority.

[brush]

10. North Dakota should get snide remarks for electing that idiot to the Senate. What a dummie.

[mrs_p]

12. He is possibly the stupidest

R around. And he is my senator. God damn he is dumb.

[asiliveandbreathe]

13. ND a different mindset..still don't understand.. they descend upon our community in the winter

and take over our CC (like a ghost town in the summer, I like it that way) in AZ...a few DEMS from SD..but that is it..I stay away from all the socializing..but hubby LOVES to yank their chain - he will tell the off to the point no one talks politics around him..yea, there are some who like to instigate - they spew headlines - he shoots back with substance..why? Because his wife gives him all the ammunition he needs to make his case - he is a great orator , if you know what I mean...

Not just into them..

[ismnotwasm]

15. This is that "reverse racism" bullshit

Some of us had to argue against that concept right here at DU.

[Caliman73]

16. Standard tactic. Muddy the waters. Run away...

David Packman on his radio program yesterday was saying something about why it isn't the best strategy to debate Trump's racist tweets and have a 5 day cycle of back and forth. I disagree with some of what he said, but this is an example of how the media just gets caught up on the most inane argument and framing.

There should be no debate. Trump's comments are deliberately racial and are meant to stir up racial tensions and grievances. They are meant to energize the base of supporters who see a racial hierarchy while forcing other White people to pick a side (either you stand with White people or you are a traitor) which is an uncomfortable situation because we have all benefited from the racial hierarchy in some way if we aren't Black. There is obviously a lot more to it like gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, immigration status, socioeconomic status, etc... that intersects, but for the sake of brevity, the US has operated under an implied hierarchy with White being at the top socially and non-White being subservient. Given that history, when any White person talks about how "Black people need to pull themselves up by their boot straps" or "The inner cities are falling apart..." they are making a racially charged statement that discounts the structural racism that has created that situation for Black people, or any other historically marginalized group.

This latest idiot is just adding mud to the water. There may be stereotypes about people from North Dakota, or the midwest, or White people from there. There may even be bigotry toward them. Racism however, has a specific meaning and that meaning has to do with the belief that racial groups have defining characteristics, that some racial groups are inferior and thus there is a hierarchy. It leads to the idea that those "superiors" have a natural right to lead and enjoy the benefits of being at the top of the hierarchy, which leads to discrimination.

Trump through out the years has said as much and has discriminated as a result. He is a racist despite his protest. When he uses racially charged language it is deliberate and based on his racial hierarchy.

Like I said, there should be no debate. No questions about, "Do you think the president's words are racist?" That is a dumb question. Yes, they are racist. They are specifically meant to stimulate outrage from those of us who have been affected by racism, and to divide us from those who have not had to think in racial terms, while those White people who are in fact racist, continue to advance their agenda.