Chris McDaniel’s hometown newspaper — the Laurel Leader — assures us that the sometimes-keynote speaker for neo-Confederate meetups can’t be racist because he once played basketball.
“It’s been frustrating to see so many people in the black community be convinced that Chris McDaniel was a racist just because someone they trusted told them he was,” the editorial, published on July 2, read. “If they did a little research on their own, they would find out that McDaniel was a basketball standout at South Jones and Jones County Junior College.”
Oh.
Coincidentally, Chris McDaniel addressed a neo-Confederate conference in Laurel, home of the newspaper that tells us he can’t be a racist because he played basketball.
In August [2013], McDaniel addressed a neo-Confederate conference in Laurel, Miss., near his hometown of Ellisville. A local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), the Jones County Rosin Heels, hosted the two-day event, which the group described in invitations as a “Southern Heritage Conference” for “politically incorrect folks.” Attendees were advised to dress in “Confederate uniforms and antebellum ball gowns or wee kilties.” McDaniel’s appearance at the Rosin Heels heritage conference was not a one-off occurrence; weeks earlier he was the keynote speaker at a separate event in Jackson.
Next they’ll us that being a neo-Confederate Lost Causer has nothing to do with racism.
The Mississippi Republican party has certified the election results, declaring Thad Chochran the winner.
Chris McDaniel and his supporters aren’t going away quietly, however. His staff and supporters are still pouring over data in the search for black voters who supposedly don’t belong.
McDaniel has supporters in Washington, too. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is calling for an investigation. The Senate Conservatives Fund also sent $70,000 to the McDaniel campaign to challenge the election results.