PART II: When you see me, what do you see ? - Herschel Walker wasn’t the American Tragedy. Rather we are an everyday American Tragedy
44) Historically speaking - Is the Republican Party really “That Much” more racist than the Democratic Party?
THIS IS PART TWO in a FOUR Part Series. Enjoy!
The intersection of celebrity and sports of course does at times manifest itself in areas of leadership too, where we elect leaders to vote and make decisions on the direction of our country and planet. Herschel Walker, the former all-pro running back (most notably) of the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles (1983-1997), had his most recent moment in the sun which was while running for the United States Senate in the State of Georgia.
It’s almost too easy to call his candidacy a train-wreck, which based on the amount of media attention he got for saying stupid stuff, it was. But, when you get almost 49% of the Republican vote in the run off, and in the general election prior to the runoff, I’m not sure how to explain those numbers, as a lot of people did vote for him, not once but twice. I’m sure it’s an interesting deep dive (for you politics stat geeks) to see how the race remained largely unchanged from November to December. But, I honestly look back at Herschel Walker and see his candidacy from a few perspectives.
First and foremost: - I’m happy Walker lost. The reason why he got so many votes in the first place is because of how closely divided the US Senate is. Depending on your party affiliation, that Senate seat was of such great importance to both parties, and people didn’t care who the candidate was just so long as he/she had an R next to their name.
Secondly: In a lot of ways Walker was a really bad candidate. His personal life is filled with controversy. While giving stump speeches, he didn’t know how to stick to his talking points. He also seemed to have very little if any grasp on policy. And to top it all off, he didn’t even have his primary residency in the state of Georgia.
Thirdly: Walker actually wasn’t “that horrible” of a candidate. He had name recognition, which everyone needs in politics. He had an easy smile and had a certain likeability factor about him. Also, Walker was a legend of Georgia back in the day. But honestly, it’s hard to beat an incumbent, especially one as talented as Raphael Warnock. This is especially true in a state like Georgia that has gone from solidly conservative to one that is now classified as an absolute “toss-up”.
Herschel Walker probably outperformed most other people that would have faced up against Warnock. He added a level of intrigue and quite frankly, entertainment in this election that you don’t typically see in politics. Maybe you can call it The Trump Effect. Or maybe Trump just used to get too much credit for identifying the fact that good television is good television, and politics can just be another medium for good television.
My final point (which might be surprising to some of you): Herschel Walker in my mind was a sympathetic figure. I felt bad for him when he got roasted by President Obama (and just about everyone else who roasted him, too).
A Black female friend of mine who is very sensitive to racial politics once shared a very valuable insight with me. She said something along the lines of
“Sometimes White liberals are extra mean to Black conservatives, and are rather racially insensitive, because it’s almost feel as if that given the fact that liberals have been more in favor of pushing Black rights, any time they come across the occasional Black conservative, they can say all the racist stuff other White people say and think without feeling guilty”.
No joke, that comment stopped me in my tracks. When I think of someone like Candace Owens, her ideas and ideology make my skin crawl, but in some ways my friend is correct. Liberal people are sometimes so vicious towards Candace Owens. I saw that same type of viciousness towards Herschel Walker, and it honestly made me cringe.
SIDE NOTE: The best article I read on Herschel Walker from “The Atlantic Monthly” calls the candidacy of Herschel Walker, an American Tragedy. If you find my article interesting, then I highly recommend you read Caroline Randall Williams, article - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/12/herschel-walker-georgia-black-americans/672373/
I have another Black male friend, who is a history teacher like me. And while he was half joking saying this, I realized he was dead serious too. He said something along the lines of “A lot more Black people would be Republicans if the Republican party actually accepted them.”
Having said that, Black America is certainly not a monolith. There are plenty of African Americans much more conservative than plenty of White Americans. Tim Scott, a Black Republican US Senator from South Carolina, for the longest time was the only US Senator to have hired a Black chief of Staff to run his office's affairs. To this day diversity among Senate staffers is still abysmally low. Senator Scott has spoken at length about the challenges he faces as a Black conservative, where (politics aside) he still is a large target as a Black man in America. I’m not saying I agree with everything in Senator Scott’s speech. But, I also think that his voice deserves to be heard, and some of the sentiments he is sharing has been echoed by my friend about how White progressives treat Black conservatives.
Of course, one constant in American politics and life is our checkered racial history. Accusing people of “racism” is just so charged, that it largely prevents anybody from having a real actual grown-up conversation about race in America. One thing that many people have gotten effective at whether you are “Black” “White” “Hispanic” or “Asian” is that people have gotten really good at weaponizing race. This weaponization of race has proven to be effective on an individual and an organizational level.
The Ku Klux Klan is an extremist outgrowth of Southern Democrats. Not that the Democrats founded the KKK, but these Southern Democrats, often called Dixiecrats, were among the KKK’s greatest sympathizers. Most people in politics don’t care to acknowledge or even learn of how the political parties came to be. But, honestly the history of our political parties is a lot more checkered, just as the history and extent of slavery in this country is much more prevalent than what we are often taught.
Although Walker was anointed by Trump, he still had a hard time being a shill for the Republican party. One could argue that this is because he had difficulty following the GOP talking points. But, there is other circumstantial evidence that indicates how Walker’s innermost circle wasn’t exactly always on board with the larger campaign’s vision for him.
The humanity in Walker’s concession speech tells me, maybe he feels lucky to have dodged a bullet, and not continue to be a tool for the Republican Party. I’m sure there are other analysis pieces out there for people that still want to find out more. But, at the end of the day, Herschel Walker’s Senate Campaign is going to be one that is hard to forget, and I’m not exactly sure we are better off because of it.
-JPJ
I think Herschel Walker realized mid-election that he wasn't comfortable with his situation. The Republican party was having difficulty getting him to campaign. The run off was like dragging dead wood for the party. Perhaps the people around him helped him make a moral choice to just go through the motions.
It's tragic that he was being used because he was a famous black person. His heart wasn't in winning.
I think both parties are exploitative to win. It's about power and control not equity.
I too have had black colleagues show that same kind of distaste toward the garden-variety white liberal. The race obsessed, suburban dwelling, no skin in the game White Liberal often lets its guard down out in the wild, and more people than ever are noticing.