Politics

‘But I’m Black:’ Democratic Congressman Stands By ‘Uncle Tom’ Comment

Scott Greer Contributor
Font Size:

Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson doubled down in a Wednesday interview with CNN on racial comments he made last weekend that accused Supreme Court Justice of being an “Uncle Tom” and that claimed that opposition toward President Obama is driven by the fact that he is black.

Thompson made the remarks on the New Nation of Islam radio program on Sunday. When explaining why he thinks Justice Thomas is an “Uncle Tom,” Thompson told the host “The Son of Man” that “it’s almost to the point saying this man doesn’t like black people, he doesn’t like being black.”

BuzzFeed also reported that he claimed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to be a “racist” and that opposition to Obama is “all about race.”

He even went as far as to claim the sole reason behind conservative opposition to big government is because the president happens to be a black man.

But he offered no apologies for his comments to CNN and reaffirmed the views he expressed in the Sunday interview, especially his view that Thomas does not adequately represent black interests.

“Well if you look at his decisions on the court, they have been adverse to the minority community, and the people I represent have a real issue with an African American not being sensible to those issues,” Thompson told CNN’s Dana Bash.

When questioned whether that term was racially-charged, Thompson said it reflected the “truth.”

When Bash further questioned Thompson on what the reaction would’ve been if he had been white, Thompson simply shot back, “But I’m black.”

Thompson also did not back down from his comments about the hidden racial animus behind GOP criticism of Obama and the party’s agenda.

“I’ve seen a lot of issues come before Congress. I’ve never seen the venom put forth on another candidate or a president like I’ve seen with this president and that’s my opinion,” he stated. “It’s hard to demonstrate that you care about people when the programs that they hold closest to their survival are being put on the chopping block.”

Follow Scott on Twitter