On NewsNation’s “The Hill,” political commentator Shermichael Singleton engaged in a spirited exchange with attorney A. Scott Bolden over the Republicans’ stance on discussing race and slavery. The discussion was prompted by Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s recent remarks attributing the Civil War to concerns about “how the government was going to run,” rather than explicitly acknowledging slavery.
Bolden asserted that the persistence of race as a factor in the U.S. is due to an “uncomfortability” to address the issue. He suggested that Haley’s avoidance of explicitly mentioning slavery might not hurt her in the primary but could pose challenges in the general election. Singleton countered by criticizing Haley as a candidate who lacks consistency on various issues and emphasized that her stance would indeed impact the primary elections negatively.
The debate escalated as Bolden claimed that Republican voters and candidates are generally disinterested in discussing slavery or race. Singleton disagreed, rejecting the broad characterization of all Republican voters and highlighting the diverse perspectives within the party. The conversation evolved into a discussion about the discomfort surrounding race discussions, with Bolden asserting that most white Republicans shy away from such conversations due to discomfort.
Singleton pushed back, emphasizing that discomfort with discussing race is not exclusive to Republican voters and recalling President Joe Biden’s past discomfort with the topic before serving as Vice President to Barack Obama. He urged Bolden not to solely blame Republican voters for the issue.
The exchange underscored the complex dynamics surrounding race discussions in American politics, with both panelists expressing differing views on the motivations behind the avoidance of such conversations. The discussion concluded with reference to Nikki Haley blaming a “plant” from the Democratic Party for a question about the Civil War, alleging interference with her campaign.
