Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville Unsure if White Nationalists Are Racist
By: William Vaillancourt (The Daily Beast)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville made a confusing case to CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) passed up the chance Monday to condemn white nationalism, instead claiming that it is merely one's "opinion" that white nationalists are racist.
Appearing on CNN's The Source, Tuberville was asked about a May NPR radio interview in which he called white nationalists "Americans."
Tuberville insisted that he is "totally against any type of racism," offering up his career as a football coach—at one point at Auburn University—as proof.
Tuberville then took issue with how the term 'white nationalist' is used.
"The thing about being a 'white nationalist'—it's just a cover word for the Democrats now where they can use it to try to make people mad across the country. Identity politics: I'm totally against that," Tuberville complained.
Anchor Kaitlan Collins then sought clarification, asking him if he believes that white nationalists should be kept out of the armed forces.
But Tuberville couldn't give a clear answer.
"If people think a white nationalist is a racist, I would agree," he said.
When Collins responded by describing such a person as one "who believes that the white race is superior to other races," Tuberville blurted out: "Well, that's some people's opinion."
"My opinion of a white nationalist—if somebody wants to call them a white nationalist—to me, it is an American," Tuberville reiterated. "Now, if that white nationalist is a racist, I'm totally against anything that they want to do. Because I am 110 percent against racism."
Later in the interview, Tuberville seemed to suggest that he believes that white nationalists are simply white people.
"So, if you're going to do away with most white people in this country out of the military, we got huge problems," the senator said.
"It's not people who are white," Collins corrected. "It's white nationalists. You see the distinction, right?"
Tuberville went on to repeat his opposition to racism.
On Monday, Tuberville blocked a Senate vote on a replacement for Gen. David Berger, who retired as commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps—leaving the post empty for the first time since before the Civil War. For months, Tuberville has slow-rolled military post nominations because he doesn't like how the Pentagon last October committed to paying the travel costs for service members and their dependents obtaining abortions in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Yet Tuberville told Collins that he's still firmly supportive of the military.
"There is nobody more military than me," he declared.
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One of the dumbest people in the Senate.
Really? i don't remember Tuberville asking a General if he was afraid Guam would tip over.
Damn good football coach though.
That he was............I lived in Auburn during his tenure.
He beat Alabama 6 times in a row.
Were you at Benning, now Ft Moore at the time?
No, just lived and worked in Auburn
When all he would have to do is look in a mirror.
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He should have looked at the Merriam -Websters dictionary first
This is a "conservative" who is willfully damaging America's military by blocking the promotions of general officers.
Tell us why he is doing that.
Because he's an asshole.
They git rid of a decent person for this piece of crap. Way to go Alabama...
OK, I have no opinion on the old coach, but I don’t think this is confusing. Nuanced, perhaps, but not confusing. He seems (to me) to have an incomplete understanding of what “white nationalism” is. So I’m guessing that he’s just hearing the words without understanding that it’s a political term with a definition.
Nationalism, by itself, has nothing to with race. It’s purely political. The nationalist favors the interests of his country over the interests of others. “Others,” in this context can be other nations, but it can also be local or regional interests within the country. It’s nation first, everything else second.
For his part, he seems to be making the observation that nationalism is not inherently racist. That’s true. There are people of every color who might tend toward nationalism. Further, you can be a white person who is a nationalist, but that doesn’t make you a “white nationalist,” i.e. a white supremacist.
But “white nationalism,” as a political term, is about race. White nationalists seeks to build a nation based on (in their minds) the superior white race. Their primary concern is not the nation, per se, but rather the survival of - and domination by - the white race. I’m thinking the old man just doesn’t get that. Another ignorant person elected because he’s well liked, and competency be damned.
He is either incredibly stupid or blowing a racist dog whistle, or both. Most probably both.
Dog whistles are overrated. People are not that clever - especially racist people.
Tuberville is unsure of many things. But I bet he knows what kind of polish to use on Trump's and Putin's shoes.