A caller identifying as Rick, an Indiana Republican, called into C-Span Sunday to remind viewers what people in power sounded like 70 years ago.
Or maybe it was all a joke. Or a dare. Or the product of one too many shots of moonshine.
Or perhaps he serves as a reminder that Donald Trump’s re-election has empowered racists to say the quiet part out loud.
Rick, from Crawfordville, Indiana, was obviously desperate to get noticed, telling the show’s Black female host, Kimberly Adams, that, according to the Bible, “man is supposed to rule the house” while women should “just do the cleaning.”
“But anyway, on the sidebar, you know, ever since Abraham Lincoln got shot and killed, boy, chaos went to heck, went right along with the Democrats,” Rick said. “And what gets me is, Kimberly, is these colored people is always saying that Trump’s so bad.”
Rick’s use of the word “colored,” a derogatory term utilized by more polite racists as an alternative to the N-word, tells you all you need to know about his point of view.
But in case there was any doubt, Rick didn’t stray from his Bull Connor-inspired talking points (Connor was Birmingham, Alabama’s police commissioner for 24 years, famous for using fire hoses and police attack dogs against civil rights demonstrators).
“Can’t they think back in their ancestors’ times when British and stuff was coming over to them?” he asked. “What I don’t understand is why the colored people, the Republicans, heck, they were the ones that set them free. Democrats had them in there for slavery. I just don’t understand it.”
For those who wonder why Adams didn’t interject, well, that’s not how a C-Span host rolls. Company policy requires them to keep their opinions to themselves.
But Adams had to be quietly celebrating when Rick’s line started crackling.
“Rick, your line is breaking up a bit,” she said hopefully.
Alas, Rick’s line recovered in time for him to lecture Black people on why they should be more grateful.
“If it wasn’t for Abraham Lincoln, them guys wouldn’t have a basketball game and football game,” he said before ending with a warning from the Bible, Revenge Edition.
“And seriously, on the weather, it’s going to get bad in the South,” Rick said. “So all the people, Democrats in the South, better repent now because the storm’s coming your way.”
Whether Rick is a real person or a real parody remains to be seen, but commenters on Raw Story, which published the story earlier Monday, mostly took him at face value.
“This is just some mouth breather who most likely is still living in his mother’s basement (basements are a thing in rural Indiana),” said one viewer. “Don’t sh-t yourself here. Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania are full of people who have no idea of anything outside of their local inbred bubble.”
Another said Rick’s not just a blast from the past but a peek into America’s Trumpian future:
“The MAGA rats are getting one step closer to using the ‘n’ word in the national media. Good luck with civility America if they pull that one off. Where does the GOP find these lowbrows?”
Another commenter, borrowing a page from Trump, questioned Rick’s roots:
“I’ll bet he’s a graduate of a Florida school.”
