Touré no longer has a steady TV gig (RIP, MSNBC’s “The Cycle”), but that doesn’t mean he’s been slacking off on the “Here’s What’s Racist” beat.
Let’s set the scene first. Conservative gun rights advocate Antonia Okafor Cover — who happens to be a black woman — tweeted earlier today about a Pew Research study conducted earlier this year that found that most black Democrats did not identify as “liberal”:
Pew Research shows that up to 70% of black people identify as conservative. Debunking the myth that black people “just don’t get it” They get it, they just don’t want to join our side. So how do we change that?
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
Clarification: Sorry guys. In the case of being transparent the specifics are that black Democrats alone identify as either moderate or conservative. Only 29% of them consider themselves "liberal" Here's the full study. https://t.co/T4fh0PEaVy
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
The study found that 43% of black Democrats identify as “moderate,” while 25% identify as “conservative.”
Anyway, Touré took issue with the notion that black Democrats could identify as conservative while voting for Democrats:
Well, ideology (values/belief system) & party affiliation aren't necessarily the same. "In 2019, about four-in-ten black Democratic voters called themselves moderate, while smaller shares described their views as liberal (29%) or conservative (25%)." Pew: https://t.co/Z1C1VMo1Ek
— Shermichael Singleton (@Shermichael_) May 11, 2020
That’s fair but that’s nowhere near "70% of Black people define themselves as politically conservative" which we both know is not true. What we also both know is true is that the few Black conservatives there are sometimes lie about how many there are in an attempt to woo others. https://t.co/9khsyrsABM
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
Okafor Cover later clarified her tweet, as we showed above. But the debate between Okafor Cover and Touré continued for some time:
And then the numbers do show that politically black people very rarely say that are liberal. Which is the ideology that usually correlates with the democrat party. That still doesn’t explain why 90% of black people vote Dem. I’ve been conservative in values.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
First of all, it baffles me at a true attempt to criticize the right about failure in outreach you choose to get mad because you don’t like the fact that I said black people are conservatives. Second, never said they are politically conservative. But culturally we obviously are.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
@antonia_okafor The first problem with the right is not “outreach.” It’s “racism.” The overt racism in many of its policies and some of it's people is a total dealbreaker. This is not branding problem, it’s an identity problem. https://t.co/HcPHTrRpgd
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
No it’s not. As many people believe in socially conservative values. Which the democrat party does not support. You are telling me there are policies inherently & specifically “ black” in identity? Please tell me. I have an idea but I won’t put words in your mouth.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
Christian, traditional marriage, pro life. Voted for Obama twice. But voted Republican the last time. Two very different things.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
@antonia_okafor Wait, you’re Black and you voted for Trump? Wow. https://t.co/G50gubi8PN
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
How dare she.
The Democratic party is clearly much more moderate than liberal which we see in polling and in Bernie losing twice to moderates. https://t.co/V5Ecdv5H5A
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
There are policies that are specifically racist in intent that the Republican party is behind. Voter suppression, anti-immigration, anti-DREAMer, pro-regressive taxation, anti-affirmative action, anti-universalizing health care, pro War on Marijuana… I could go on. https://t.co/PObGgs4AVh
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
So you are calling me out &didn’t even bother to know something about me? It’s simple, I voted for the Republican nominee after fully supporting Rand Paul because I have very devout conservative values. That after becoming a Christian, couldn’t reconcile w/ the current Dem party.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
How did you reconcile being Christian and voting for Trump? Both personally and politically he should be offensive to your Christian values. https://t.co/fBxb7ib4hD
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
I couldn’t vote for a party that is pro abortion (not moderate) Degrades people for having Christian values and doesn’t believe I have a right to defend myself (Second Amendment) Also, I don’t believe big govt polices help our people.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
The Democratic party does not believe you don’t have a right to defend yourself. That’s just fiction. The Democratic party is not against the 2nd amendment. It’s against the NRA and in favor of some checks on the 2nd that the fanatical NRA fearmongers against. https://t.co/WVqOXe84pz
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
And yet here I am… Anti drug war, pro school choice, pro criminal justice reform, and pro gun and pro life because I believe those policies help our community. I believe low taxes allows greater opportunity for black entrepreneurship and business. If one is consistent w/ their
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
If you’re truly anti-drug war the GOP is not the place for you. If you’re truly pro criminal justice reform, you can’t seriously say you expect that from the GOP. Are you in favor of Black people actually voting? Because the GOP is not. https://t.co/TbmeMF0Vld
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
Every time you vote for the GOP you're voting for the drug war and against criminal justice reform. EVERY. TIME.
— HillRat (@hillrat) May 11, 2020
So Rand Paul doesn’t exist? And the Clintons are the not the reason why mandatory minimums in the 90s is the reason why my dad served 20 years for a drug crime? Don’t do that. Be honest about the failings of your party and I’ll be honest about mine.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
You name one outlier Republican politician (who’s father is a virulent racist) and that’s supposed to absolve the party? You voted for Trump three years ago and you seem like you’re lining up to do so again. How do you reconcile his overt racism with voting for him? https://t.co/0oCZN7wGNh
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
Sorry who passed the first step act? Give credit where it’s due. @VanJones68 will even tell you that. But you are right. I probably would have voted Libertarian last time if it weren’t for their anti gun VP pick. I am saying that there’s diversity within every party.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
Touré didn’t want to hear about that. He’d made up his mind that Okafor Cover is some kind of race traitor and he was gonna run with it.
First Step? Are you serious? The entire direction of criminal justice over the past 35 years has been set by Republicans pushing America to get tougher and tougher on crime by demonizing Black and brown people. You’re talking about one tiny recent first step? https://t.co/O7wzIkugo0
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
I call out racism when I see it.I made the best choice for myself at the time. I don’t blindly support anyone.There was a lot of dissatisfaction w/ ppl who voted for Obama when his promises never came to fruition & my values changed. So I voted for the party/values not the person
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
You cannot say I call out racism when I see AND I made the best choice for myself [and voted for Trump]. That makes no sense. The core of Trump’s appeal is racism, white supremacy, white victimhood, white privilege. Do you not notice Trump’s racism? Or do you just accept it? https://t.co/sCyCv9j0uk
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
@antonia_okafor The core of Trump’s message is "white supremacy today, white supremacy tomorrow, white supremacy forever." He stands on Black and brown necks to look taller to white people. He's a neo-Boss Hogg. How you could vote for that and publicly stand by that is insane.
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
Touré thinks Holocaust survivors had white privilege, so he’s not really in any position to talk. But whatever.
How about we do this.. agree to disagree. You are adamant that I am not for my people because I voted based on my conservative values. More than likely you see me as just another Candace Owens. That’s unfortunate. Because I’m very different than that.
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
How do you reconcile voting for Trump and claiming to care about Black people? You can’t. I can agree to disagree about conservatism helping Black people but Trump is not ideological. He’s pro white supremacy and you voted for him and still stand beside him. https://t.co/ZaXpeQgrxU
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
Trump is an existential threat to Black lives. He is all about white supremacy. I cannot agree to disagree about Trump. I amd offended by Black Trump voters and I have yet to hear a Black Trump voter who can explain why in any logical or honest way which makes it worse.
— Touré (@Toure) May 11, 2020
If you can’t see that me voting based on my personal values is not logic based then yes we will never agree to disagree. I’m sorry that I offended you so much. I’m pro life and pro gun so im not going to vote for someone who is adamantly against those values. Pretty clear to me..
— Antonia Okafor Cover (@antonia_okafor) May 11, 2020
For what it’s worth, though, Joyce Carol Oates agrees with Touré:
whenever we think it can't get worse, become more blatant & transparent, it does. there is a genocide of inaction, indirection. https://t.co/cHXBGaAsaO
— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) May 11, 2020
And trust her: When it comes to racism, she knows what she’s talking about. She’s an experienced racist herself.
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