Brother Benen today took notice of a 2007 comment by NC Senate candidate Thom Tillis that reassured conservatives a resolution of apology for slavery would not provide a basis for “reparations” because the U.S. had already done penance via “welfare.”
That’s a twisted but hardly atypical conservative take. Steve connects the dots:
[W]hile trying to defend his vote in support of a Democratic resolution, Tillis ended up making a racially charged argument about the social safety net. The Republican effectively said welfare and reparations are the same thing, which is clearly an ugly and ignorant charge for anyone, especially a U.S. Senate candidate, to make.
Yeah, but it’s not that odd an argument if you’re also promoting fiscal policies that would severely reduce the scope and cost of the social safety net. Why not cut that net down as much as possible? After all, it’s already served its purpose, right?
