Tennessee MAGA Republican Representative Diana Harshbarger sent a clear message to White supremacists and Christian nationalists during a recent interview with F.A.M.E. Ministries.
Speaking about Texas Democratic Representative Al Green, Harshbarger said:
"Al Green was over here with his cane, and I'm like: 'Gosh dang it, boy!'."
"'Put that...' He does not need that cane. That cane is a prop. I swear it's not real."
Dropping her shovel and getting out the bucket loader, Harshbarger decided to go further.
She told her White "Christian" interviewer:
"And I’m wondering...one of my colleagues said, 'Screw [off] the gold part of that, see if there's a gun in there'. I'm like, I don't know about that man. He's just weird..."
His response to her racist comments was to laugh.
While Harshbarger managed to restrain herself from using the word "thug" in her references to Representative Green, she did hit plenty of other White nationalist dogwhistles, like pointedly calling the 77-year-old Black member of Congress "boy" despite being over a decade his junior and implying he's armed and faking a disability.
You can see a clip from her interview:
The United States Supreme Court acknowledged in 2006 that the word "boy" can function as a racial slur depending on the context. As the amicus brief for the case stated:
"If not a proxy for [the n-word], it is at the very least a close cousin."
Anyone growing up or living south of the Mason-Dixon Line is fully aware of the implication, and many noted the way it rolled off Harshbarger's tongue.
The Communication Workers of America (CWA) union was so disgusted by Harshbarger's behavior, they demanded an apology.
In an official press release, CWA union president Claude Cummings Jr. wrote:
"During a recent podcast interview with FAME Ministries, Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger referred to Texas Congressman Al Green using a racial slur, suggested that the cane he uses to provide stability when he walks is a 'prop' that might contain a weapon, and referred to members of the LGBTQ community as 'fairies.'"
"FAME Ministries claims to be a Christian organization working to bring positive, moral, and ethical change to our media culture. There is absolutely nothing positive, moral, ethical, or Christian about mocking and demeaning anyone based on their race, use of mobility aids, or sexual orientation."
"Representative Green is a distinguished member of Congress who has spent his career fighting for working people, especially our veterans. If Congresswoman Harshbarger truly wants to bring people into the love of Christ, as she said on the podcast, she should apologize for her comments and emulate Al Green’s example of selfless service to his constituents and our country."
CWA wasn't alone in their condemnation of Harshbarger.
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Daily Kos/YouTube
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Daily Kos/YouTube
Harshbarger later attacked the Biden administration's support of equality, especially for their refusal to back Republican efforts to strip the LGBTQ+ community of basic human rights.
She told the cackling Christian podcast host:
"Listen, I never saw so many fairies in the White House! Dancing around—I don't know where they got 'em."
The GOP has yet to officially respond to Harshbarger's racism, ableism and homophobia.
If the past repeats itself, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson will take no action and simply say they've prayed the transgressions away.
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