Texas GOP Rebukes Candidate's Racist Comments
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There has been in over the last few years in Texas a really, really intense ramping up of uh anti-Indian and anti-Muslim bigotry. Um, I mean if if you go to Frisco, if you go to some of these Dallas suburb suburbs right now, you know, every single city council meeting seemingly has some internet troll using the the public comment time to say horribly racist things.
It's Tuesday, September 15th. I'm Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, recorded today from Washington, DC. Oh, here we go.
Oh well, first view. Senator McConnell, how you feeling? McConnell McConnell. How are you going to vote today, sir?
Welcome back, Senator McConnell. That's video from independent journalist Desiree Townsend showing Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell looking Alive as he returned to the Senate Monday after a three month absence. Meanwhile, earlier today, FBI Director Cash Patel had to answer the tough questions, like about how the Bureau is loosening standards for hiring so that people who have engaged in bestiality can apply. Yes, I said bestiality. But in news that isn't gross and is actually good. The Supreme Court ruled on Monday against President Donald Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in voting for the midterms. As you might expect, Trump responded by freaking out on True Social, writing, quote, These are not the people I interviewed to serve in the United States Supreme Court.
They are merely a shell of their original selves. One of the biggest elections everyone is watching this year is in Texas, but I want to start with a race you might not be paying too much attention to. It's to be on the Railroad Commission Board, but the Republican who wants the job spent his weekend complaining about non white people going to football games. To learn more, I spoke to Robert Downan. He's a senior writer for Texas Monthly based in Austin. Robert Downen, welcome to Water Day.
Thank you for having me.
Saturday night for most people in Austin, Texas, was a very exciting well, actually it was a very bad like 45 minutes, followed by a really great 15 minutes as uh the Texas Longhords came back from down 23 to 3 to beat the number one Ohio State Buckeyes. But Bo French, the Republican running for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, was not watching the Texas Ohio State game like a normal person. He was very focused on the people in the stands. He posted a picture on Twitter of a group of University of Texas students of South Asian descent celebrating the victory, some wearing cowboy hats, and posted, quote, I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously worse than anyone imagined.
Uh who is he and what is he running for? again and why why was he so focused on the people in the stands of the game, sort of?
Uh Bo French, as you said, he's running for Railroad Commission, which uh regulates the Texas oil and gas industry. And you know, he's kind of been within the context of Texas politics, one of these guys who's, you know, really represented this far right flank of the party. Um, to your question about why he took issue with uh who was in the stands at this game, I would say that it's uh because it's very in keeping with his views on who should and should not be in this state more broadly, as I'm sure we'll get into. So
Yeah, I I want to talk about that because he has a lengthy history of bigotry. Um, so I'm not surprised by this. But what I've been interested in is that it's getting a lot more attention than and I think you pointed this out in the piece saying like it's gotten a lot more attention from Texas Republicans who are condemning it. Um, for instance, uh Texas Senator John Cornyn, who obviously is not running for reelection, has been posting about this a lot on Twitter. So why do you think it has drawn so much more attention that he's a racist when he's been a racist for a long time?
I mean I think the cynical take is the G O P looks at the polling numbers and realizes that they are already uh Things are not looking good for them in November.
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