Media top headlines May 12
White House reporters allowing the Biden administration to edit their quotes and more round out today's top media headlines
Far-left MSNBC host Joy Reid said Tuesday that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex, was betraying his own race by opposing the For the People Act, the proposed Democratic overhaul of state and federal election laws, and compared him to a traitorous house slave.
Reid made the suggestion while discussing the bill with Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and the NAACP's Janai Nelson, who both agreed with the liberal host in describing Cruz's opposition to the radical changes to the country's voting laws as "beyond offensive."
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Reid also referred to Cruz, who is Hispanic, as the character "Stephen," from the 2012 film "Django Unchained." Stephen is a house slave in pre-Civil War Mississippi that joins his sadistic master in terrorizing his fellow slaves.
"Ted Cruz says a lot of stupid things. He does a lot of stupid things. But I personally, as a person of color, as a Black person, am beyond offended that he would dare use the word 'Jim Crow' when his party is literally a 'Jim Crow' party at this point trying to suppress the votes of people, including in his home state," Reid began, referring to Cruz calling the For the People Act as "Jim Crow 2.0."
Many Democrats, including President Biden, also referred to Georgia's new elections law passed by Republicans as "Jim Crow 2.0."
Padilla and Nelson agreed with Reid, who continued to rail against Cruz, claiming he "could give a damn about Jim Crow," and that he's "never raised once concern ever in his entire life ... about Jim Crow or racism or discrimination." Reid didn't provide any evidence for her claim.
CRUZ ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF USING FOR THE PEOPLE ACT TO 'STEAL AND MANIPULATE' ELECTION RESULTS
Reid later suggested if the bill didn't pass, then people "may never get another free and fair election again," and that because Republicans control a majority of state legislatures, Black, brown, young and working-class voters could be written "out of existence."
"I think what you see here on your screen is what Republicans fear in the voting booth," Reid continued, pointing to the screen at herself, Padilla and Nelson, referencing all three being people of color.
"And they're going to do everything they can to make sure it doesn't happen, including Stephen from Django Unchained, AKA Ted Cruz, who is working to stop fellow people of color from voting, which is amazing," she said.
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Reid is no stranger to referring to Republicans and conservatives with racist language, having previously called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas "Uncle Clarence," and suggested Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, who is Black, was only present at a Republican press conference to create a "patina of diversity."