Dear Ted Cruz,
You're a racist.
Don't believe me? I didn't think you would. You're the kind of racist that doesn't want to be a racist (that's the worst kind, by the way) and you've probably already tuned me out. You and the people around you (let me guess— mostly white men) are sitting around in your suits, laughing, dismissing this before you even read it, and actively trying not to think about racism in America.
You don't want it to be true, so you don't think it is true. But its time to call a spade a spade, Senator. It's time to be honest with yourself.
Senator Cruz, let me explain some things to you.
Last week a white sheriff's deputy was shot. A black man has been arrested for his murder. This is a tragedy and the shooting was disgusting.
This is where you come in, Senator Cruz. Because you— unbelievably, incredulously, outrageously—blamed the shooting on Obama.
“I do think we’re seeing the manifestation of the rhetoric and vilification of law enforcement, of police, that is coming from the president of the United States and it’s coming from senior officials."
This statement is genuinely disgusting.
Obama has repeatedly condemned violence against law enforcement. Repeatedly. After the murder he called the wife of Sheriff Darren Goforth (have you done that yet, by the way?) and promised her that he would "continue to highlight the uncommon bravery that police officers show in our communities every single day. They put their lives on the line for our safety. Targeting police officers is completely unacceptable— an affront to civilized society."
Is this the vilification you're talking about? (See more below the fold.)
In May, Obama told officers that while:
“[W]e cannot erase every darkness or danger from the duty that you’ve chosen, we can offer you the support you need to be safer. We can make the communities you care about and protect safer as well. We can make sure you have the resources you need to do your job," He said. "We can say thank you. We can say we appreciate you, we’re grateful for the work that you do each and every day."
Is this the rhetoric that you find so awful?
"The officers who serve and protect our communities risk their own safety for ours every single day— and they deserve our respect and gratitude every single day,"
Was it that? The examples go on and on and on.
Obama has stood up for law enforcement, praised them, offered support, and been steadfast in his condemnation of violence. Look, I wish I could say that you've misinterpreted or misunderstood Obama's position. But I can't.
Senator Cruz, You're just a liar.
And then, Senator Cruz, after you lied and blamed this random murder on the president, your statement somehow got worse.
"… We need a president who doesn’t attack and vilify [law enforcement], and who doesn’t seek to tear us apart along racial lines, to inflame racial divisions."
What you're referencing is Obama's fairly tepid statements on police brutality. What you're saying is that because the president decided to acknowledge that police brutality exists and is disproportionately exercised in poor communities and communities of color, he is in some way responsible for that man's murder.
The truth is that Obama has been careful and honest in his statements, which are far outweighed by his effusive praise of law enforcement. He's said this and statements like it: "We have seen too many instances of what appears to be police officers interacting with individuals, primarily African-American, often poor, in ways that raise troubling questions."
You have the nerve to say that words like that could drive someone to kill.
You think that we should just not talk about police violence, we should not talk about racial injustice. We should just watch people die— severed spines, shot in the back, dead in a jail cell, starved to death in prison— and not acknowledge the patterns, the inequality, the horror. You don't want to look at the numbers.
You want to run the country, but you're not willing to stand up against an epidemic of police violence.
But it kind of makes sense, I guess, for you to stay quiet. You're not willing to take a stand on racist policing, because at the end of the day, you don't care. It does not keep you up at night, does it, Senator Cruz? That dead guy wasn't going to vote for you anyway.
What I'm saying, Senator Cruz, is that your statement was infuriating and terrifying and sad. You think it's acceptable to tie Obama to the cold-hearted murder of a sheriff, and you think that because he is black.
Let's be clear on one thing. There is absolutely no— and I mean NO— connection between the man who murdered the deputy and Obama. None. That is like Obama blaming you for Dylann Roof's actions. That's how irresponsible it is.
I want you to understand that saying things like that is racist. You don't have to say nigger to be a racist. You don't have to want to reinstate slavery. You may even have a black friend.
But when you draw shallow conclusions based on nothing but race, when you refuse to acknowledge clear patterns of abuse and destruction among one demographic, when you fail to condemn a police officer for severing a young man's spine but shake your finger at the kids who stole from the CVS - that is all racist. When you believe that talking about race is improper, even when data shows that people of certain demographics suffer from an overall lower quality of life in almost every measurable metric, you are racist. You do not have the luxury of refusing to acknowledge the problem.
That is the racism we talk about. That is the racist you are.
You are the kind of racist that is also a coward. You're the kind of racist that is scared to engage and talk about race, that thinks all the tension will disappear if it hasn't already. You only bring up race when you know it will fuel the fire of your racist supporters.
You are blaming the president for murder and the ONLY evidence you currently have to draw that conclusion is the fact that the president and the murderer are both black.
I am horrified by your statements and believe you need deep soul searching. I truly think your moral compass needs reorientation. Perhaps bravery and integrity is more critical than campaign money. Think about it.
Sincerely,
Josie