In response to the Waco Trump rally, TPM Reader MD, an Alabaman, wrote in to flag a note he’d sent in 18+ months ago. “I’m so glad to see your ed blog calling for more focus on the right-wing radicalism of the Trump campaign — not being desensitized to it. Last year I sent in the note below on the absolute shock I had — even for Trump — going into a tiny town with an outsized reputation for radical violence and intimidation. “
Here’s the email from August 3rd, 2021 …
This is genuinely shocking. Cullman (population ~15,000) is synonymous in Alabama with overt racism and the Klan. Just read the comments on the fb link below or do some basic googling on Cullman+ kkk. When I was a kid in the 90s people from Cullman would walk the mall in Decatur discreetly approaching young white men like me and handing them business cards with information about Klan meetings and contact info. When we played football there our coach would counsel the black players in advance and ask them if they could endure being called the n-word without reacting (not a great approach I realize now). I’ve seen the sign (“Don’t let the sun set on a n****’s ass”) referenced in the FB comments.
I want to say I can’t believe Trump is going there but of course I can. It’s still shocking, however. Here’s a report on the rally.
