Who the heck is Don Yelton?
After his jaw-dropping racist remarks revealing the GOP embraces new laws to disenfranchise voters during a segment aired on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” Wednesday, the whole country will learn that he represents the dark under belly of Tea Party’s right-wing racism.
A proud and self-described bigot, Yelton is the North Carolina Republican Party precinct chair and belongs to the Republican Party Executive Committee.
Matt Gravatt pointed out in The Hill that after the segment aired earlier this week, “his racist remarks and indefensible commentary on well-intentioned voters throughout North Carolina have gone viral and a storm of negative press has risen over his role in the NC Republican Party.”
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” correspondent, Aasif Mandvi, sat down with Yelton in North Carolina to discuss the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn vital provisions in the Voting Rights Act. Yelton made it clear that he supports the state’s new ID requirement that many complain disproportionately targets minority black and women voters.
“The [voter ID] law is going to kick the Democrats in the butt,” Yelton said in his interview with Mandvi, blatantly admitting the political motivation behind the law.
“One of my best friends is black,” continued Yelton — unabashed — while throwing in the N-word at every turn. He explained that he supported North Carolina new voter laws because “if it hurts the whites, so be it. If it hurts a bunch of lazy blacks that wants the government to give them everything, so be it.”
What did he say that was so racist? That voter Id might prevent some black people from voting? He also said it would prevent some white people from voting. I’ll grant that he wasn’t trying to be diplomatic, in fact he was probably trying to shock, but i didn’t hear anything actually racist. Since the GOP are so “offended” by these remarks, this may be the death of voter ID. It would be embarrassing to be beaten politically by a comedy show.