Member-only story
Republicans Afraid of Kathy Barnette’s Rise Won’t Beat Her With “Crazy Kathy”
It is hilarious to watch Trump supporters and Fox News personalities pretend to care about bigotry.
I try to tune out Republicans — especially the Black ones — but I have to admit that Kathy Barnette, who is now a co-frontrunner in the Republican Senate primary in Pennsylvania, made a point at an April debate when she said “MAGA does not belong to President Trump.”
“Our values never, never shifted to President Trump’s values,” she explained. “It was President Trump who shifted and aligned with our values.”
She’s not wrong. As much as it makes sense for America to potentially fall under the weight of a celebrity racist autocrat, in addition to being well produced on The Apprentice, much of Trump’s political ascension can be attributed to him hijacking a slogan popularized by Ronald Reagan and an ideology spearheaded by Pat Buchanan. Trump may have taken over the Republican Party, but he couldn’t have done it without wrapping himself in the arms of the beliefs of the GOP base.
That’s why even if Trump endorsed Dr. Oz, not every celebrity con man turned politician has the same shine as Sweet Potato Saddam.