Hillary Clinton spoke out against the right-wing promotion of the so-called “great replacement” conspiracy theory after the delusional, white supremacist theory was among the inspirations for a mass shooter who killed 10 people in Buffalo. Prominent conservatives like Fox’s Tucker Carlson and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) have spread some version of the “replacement” theory, which alleges white Americans are being intentionally crowded out by people of other backgrounds.
“It should not be hard for elected officials and candidates to disavow paranoid white supremacist fantasy like “great replacement” theory. It should be a bare-minimum requirement for engagement in politics,” Clinton said. But instead of distancing herself from and condemning “replacement” falsehoods, Stefanik promoted the dangerous lie again in the aftermath of the Buffalo tragedy. “Democrats desperately want wide open borders and mass amnesty for illegals allowing them to vote. Like the vast majority of Americans, Republicans want to secure our borders and protect election integrity,” Stefanik claimed. There is no real-world evidence of a widespread Democratic conspiracy to replace current members of the electorate with immigrants. And besides, if someone from outside the country becomes a citizen and can therefore legally vote — why does their origin matter? It shouldn’t, but racist paranoia permeates what Stefanik is spreading.
It should not be hard for elected officials and candidates to disavow paranoid white supremacist fantasy like "great replacement" theory. It should be a bare-minimum requirement for engagement in politics.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 17, 2022
Obviously, people newly become U.S. citizens all the time, without any imaginary conspiracy to intentionally change the U.S. electorate in some way. Through the course of that process unfolding, one constant, of course, is wherever a given individual happens to hail from — meaning opposition to the prospect of undocumented immigrants ever voting, even if they become U.S. citizens, would seemingly have to rest on racism, since the fact that someone used to be an undocumented immigrant but now isn’t wouldn’t make any sense as an argument against them voting when considered on its own. There’s no independent, real-world foundation for the paranoia — a lack of connection with basic reality so often accompanies racism. It’s clear these liars are targeting immigrants in connection to their places of origin — and when conservatives rant against immigrants, it’s no secret they’re largely referring to those from generally non-white areas.
Elise Stefanik has still not apologized for pushing the racist great replacement conspiracy.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 17, 2022
