Leaked video: GOP Senate candidate told black leaders it's pointless to call out Trump racism

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Michigan GOP Senate candidate John James chided Biden’s “hurtful” comments but defended silence on Trump's racism

Igor Derysh
May 29, 2020

John James, the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, privately told African-American leaders in the state that it was pointless to publicly call out President Donald Trump's racist statements — shortly before he publicly criticized former Vice President Joe Biden for "hurtful" remarks he made about black voters.

"When I do talk about a prosperity agenda, that's the goal, is achieving equity and equality for our people, not standing up on Twitter and condemning folks," James said in a leaked video obtained by Salon, in response to a question about why he had not spoken out about the president's racist rhetoric. "We've had our minds twisted to believe that speaking out is tantamount to fixing things."

James, who is black, made the comments after he was conspicuously silent during Trump's racist attacks on Democrats of color. Just weeks after the April call, James lit into Biden for telling a black radio host that being unsure about backing his candidacy means "you ain't black."

"Vice President Biden, with all due respect, your latest comments are both pathetic and hurtful," James said in a video posted to Twitter. "You challenging me and millions of other people out there on their blackness, descendants of slaves, from you, is some seriously condescending, out of touch bull-crap. You're embarrassing yourself, Mr. Vice President."

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https://www.salon.com/2020/05/29/leaked-video-gop-senate-candidate-told-black-leaders-its-pointless-to-call-out-trump-racism/
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How dare John James criticize a man who has fought for human rights and human dignity his entire career yet stay silent about a despicable little man who uses bigotry to further his political career. There's no way in hell we will elect this spineless, partisan hack to represent our state in the US Senate. He will be as successful in 2020 as he was in 2018.

[yardwork]

1. All Republicans are hypocrites.

[Walleye]

2. Hypocrisy thy name is republican.

[Siwsan]

3. He seems to have stopped running his ads in the Flint area

At least I haven't seen one, in months. Admittedly, this is a very Blue district, so maybe he is just concentrating on areas he thinks he might be able to win.

[demmiblue]

4. This too, also:

"Where are the men? Where are the Christian men? Where is that foundation of leadership that we are charged from the very beginning to lead with? The very foundation of our country has been God, and up on that, family — to make sure that we are able to propagate more success economically and in terms of strength ... and continually to pass the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, but we have overwhelmingly retreated. Christian men have shirked from our responsibility both here and abroad to lead effectively according to certain core values.

"And the men in this room — we have to make sure we are just as vocal and just as passionate as the people who would seek to tear down families and tear down our country.

"We have an obligation to future generations to make sure that we are operating within the role that we have to lead and yes that is not politically correct, but men," [slaps table between next words for emphasis] "we have a charge to lead! And we are failing in that because we are afraid to hurt someone's feelings.

"The fact of the matter is women want men who've been tested and boys need to be tested and we are those examples and so this falls solidly on our shoulders to ensure that we are the Christian business leaders and the men that we must have in order to make sure that subsequent generations have the blessings that we have today."

He is polling closer to Peters than he did to Stabenow, but I think he is going to lose. Thank dog.

[Wounded Bear]

5. Republicans have their irony detector circuits disabled...

if they don't, they self implode.

[Alacritous Crier]

6. Keep steppin' John...

[SamKnause]

7. Fuck your prosperity agenda.

Code for the prosperity gospel.

Fuck the prosperity gospel.

[safeinOhio]

8. Ayn Rand follower

Screw the poor.