By Diane Roberts
“America is a nation with a border, and a culture, strengthened by a common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions.” — America First Caucus
You may have heard that some of the most MAGA-ty of the congressional MAGA types — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Duelling Banjos; Paul Gosar, R-Trump Tower; plus our own Matt Gaetz, R-Lolita Shores — recently proposed a new caucus dedicated to promoting the “values” of Donald Trump, by which they mean white supremacy.
Also no immigration, no foreign aid, and none of those weird-shaped modern buildings with all the glass: in their 7-page statement, the AmFirsties pledge fealty to “the architectural, engineering and aesthetic value that befits the progeny of European architecture.”
Perhaps they envisioned us building Anglo-Saxon longhouses, where we could quaff mead and sharpen our battle axes. Or put Doric columns on everything from wastewater treatment plants to federal parking garages, just like the ones in ancient Athens.
But no sooner did their MAGA-festo become public, some of the more powerful Republicans loudly, if implausibly, insisted they wanted nothing to do with white nationalism or the America First Caucus. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy huffed that, what with the Rs being the “party of Lincoln,” they’d never indulge in “nativist dog whistles.”
Perish the thought.
Then again, Rep. McCarthy might not understand. McCarthy is not an Anglo-Saxon name. Sounds suspiciously Celtic to me.
In any case, Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Green now denies all knowledge of any such caucus. She blames the “scum and liars” in the media: “They do this all the time to smear people like me and divide the @GOP.”
She blames “outside groups.” She blames her staff: Somebody wrote that document, but it wasn’t her; she didn’t even read it, knows nothing about it, and besides, she was out of town at her daddy’s funeral.
Meanwhile, two of the most dazzling intellects in the House of Representatives, Louie Gohmert of Texas and Matt Gaetz still want in — even if the caucus doesn’t officially exist.
But who needs a caucus when pretty much the whole Republican Party (with a few honorable exceptions) is all about racism, xenophobia, science denial, and other hot topics of MAGA-tism — no matter what Kevin McCarthy may say?
Kevin McCarthy, you may recall, voted to overturn the presidential election. Still, maybe even he has limits.
Although I’ve yet to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis weigh in on preferred architectural styles (what do you want to bet he’s partial to the kind of ersatz Roman edifices that warmed the dark heart of Il Duce?), he’s certainly all about protecting white people from the unwhite people who constantly threaten the Anglo-Saxon Way of Life so cherished here in the state of Florida.
The governor agrees with Fox News’ whitest white boy Tucker Carlson that the guilty verdicts in Minneapolis were likely due to the jury being “scared of what a mob may do,” as opposed to, say, having watched Derek Chauvin murder George Floyd in front of dozens of witnesses.
As far as I know, DeSantis hasn’t publicly expressed his views on “replacement theory,” Carlson’s favorite slice of racist madness, which holds that George Soros or some other sinister lib is importing brown people to America, where they proceed to have lots more babies than do white chicks — reproductive slackers! — then take over and ban “Merry Christmas.”
But this is now mainstream Republican thinking — and the governor’s never disavowed it.
Funny thing: The Anglo-Saxons running the U.S. government at the time DeSantis’ great-great-grandmother Luigia Colucci immigrated from Italy tried their damnedest to keep folks like her out. She barely made it in before the 1917 Immigration Act barring the illiterate went into effect.
Had she hesitated a few more years, she would have fallen foul of the even more xenophobic 1924 Immigration Act, designed, as its Senate sponsor said, to keep “American stock up to the highest standard” by barring southern Europeans, Asians, and other insufficiently white people.
You might think the governor’s family history would make him more tolerant toward the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free — both the ones trying to get into the United States and the ones already living here.
Instead, he’s on the side of the Anglo-Saxons, losing no chance to attack brown people, at one point even accusing “overwhelmingly Hispanic” farm and construction workers of spreading coronavirus in Florida.
He’s praised white supremacists, hung out at Islamophobic events, and, when it comes to vaccines, shown a marked partiality for old white people. And he’s obsessed with “critical racy theory” demanding it be outlawed in Florida schools, because it teaches “kids to hate their country and to hate each other.”
Obviously, he’s scared the tough truth about this country, the genocide of indigenous people, the enslavement of millions of Africans, and centuries of racist statutes won’t inspire children to strive for a more perfect union but join Antifa (I hear the dues are really affordable) and go burn down a McDonalds.
In his quest for the love of House MAGA, national name recognition, and fat, greasy campaign donations, the governor’s confident that his crackdown on the First Amendment is a winner.
He’s probably right. DeSantis just approved an almost-certainly unconstitutional law that makes rioting — already illegal, in case you didn’t know — even more illegal, invents a new crime called “mob intimidation,” and allows drivers to run over protesters if they get in the way.
Come to think of it, that’s a pretty Anglo-Saxon move: 1,600 years ago, the original Anglo-Saxons were known for their love of state violence, their irascibility, their cruelty to the poor, their hatred of foreigners, and their fetishization of weapons.
The congressional Anglo-Saxon Caucus may be officially dead, but it lives on here in the Sunshine State.
Diane Roberts is an 8th-generation Floridian, born and bred in Tallahassee. Educated at Florida State University and Oxford University in England, she has been writing for newspapers since 1983. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Times of London, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Oxford American, and Flamingo. She has been a member of the Editorial Board of the St. Petersburg Times–back when that was the Tampa Bay Times’s name–and a long-time columnist for the paper in both its iterations. She was a commentator on NPR for 22 years and continues to contribute radio essays and opinion pieces to the BBC. Roberts is also the author of four books, most recently Dream State, an historical memoir of her Florida family, and Tribal: College Football and the Secret Heart of America.
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Mythought says
How foolish I am, in my heart I really believed after Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King discrimination in our country was over and done with. How naive I have been all this time to think that. And then came Donald Trump who brought out hate encouraged discrimination against everyone that isn’t white and his GOP Republican side kicks ran with it and continue to do so.
There are excellent police officers and there are bad ones, there are good white people and there are bad ones, there are good black and brown people and there are bad ones. But now the GOP Trump Republicans now believe that isn’t true that only white people are correct and good and everyone else doesn’t belong in our country.
As long as there are the GOP Trump Republicans doing this discriminating against others rights to live and to vote this country will be going down the drain of violence and crime. Is this they sort of country you want your children and grand children to live in?
I am very proud to say I was raised to treat others as I want to be treated and not to discriminate against anyone. For the Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley, Marjorie Greene, the Trumps, the Ted Cruz’s out there that feel they are privileged to discriminate against others except whites none of you belong in our government. You are bringing are country to the lowest of lowest levels and you all should be ashamed of yourselves but what is sad you have no guilt about it what so ever.
Brandon Cross says
Democrats are in power now…
I have worked and paid into the “System “ are you not at least concerned how current government is considering lowering retirement age to 50?
SS is already overburdened with us “Baby Boomers “ that weren’t expected to live as long as we have.
We paid into the System over a lifetime.
Are you willing to give up some of your benefits to help others that at our restrictions would require another 15 years to qualify??
Someone… Please tell me how this would be good for retirees that in most cases paid into the system minimum 40 years ?
Please..Please … someone show me how I am wrong!!!$
Brandon Cross says
So … just Sayin…
Hate Trump?
Wait a year… higher taxes, really Higher gas prices, which Will increase prices at the grocery store .
Most people in our Country after a year of COVID-19 can’t afford these increases.
None of this is tied to Trump… although some how he will be blamed?
WAKE UP!!!
BDC
Pogo says
@Diane Roberts
You are a gem of great worth, I’d even say you’re Florida’s version of Molly Ivins; I can proffer no higher praise.
“I dearly love the state of Texas, but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part, and discuss it only with consenting adults.”
“Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention.”
“It is possible to read the history of this country as one long struggle to extend the liberties established in our Constitution to everyone in America.”
— Molly Ivins
https://www.google.com/search?d&q=molly+ivins
Steve says
Whats next old school KKK Caucus. These people have lost what marbles they had. Love watching them circle the drain. BUHH Bye
Robjr says
Exactly.
They should stop fooling or be honest with themselves and call it what it is
Ku Klux Kaucus
Brandon cross says
So… this site being %100 totally liberal
In its political commentary. This article bleeds dark red… yet it is hard to blame the author who in my opinion probably hates anything with the word conservative, and would gladly tell you that.
My problem is with YOU editor of this site.
You don’t help your followers by presenting one side of a situation…
How’s this ….present your normal extreme liberal thoughts then… oh forbid give the counter point.
BDC
Pierre Tristam says
Surely you’re not suggesting that the editors who sent reporters to, say, cover the liberation of Auschwitz should’ve asked their reporters to give the Nazis’ perspective a chance at a “counterpoint”? We don’t do “some of them are fine people” journalism here.
Jason B says
“Anglo-Saxon” is the term you use when the term “whites only” is simply too inclusive, because it’s not enough to be white, you need to be the right “kind” of white … This new breed of Republicans have abandoned dog whistles and moved on to bullhorns.
Mike Cocchiola says
First, let me say that there are good Anglo-Saxons and bad ones. The bad ones are pretty solidly trumpistas.
Next, I’m very glad the “Anglo-Saxon Caucus” got shamed out of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since I’m of Italian heritage I would feel excluded as I’m sure would all those whose ancestry does not trace back to the Germanic peoples who conquered England in the fifth century. That’s a pretty large group of Americans.
I’m thinking MTG and Gaetz don’t know much about anything.
Sherry says
Never fear. . . there are many FOX/trump cult members who attempt to make legitimate counterpoints in their comments on Flaglerlive. However, they are often filled with nothing but mindless fear and hate and very, very little in the way of credible facts. The reason for that is the obvious lack of anything beyond FOX “talking points” and conspiracy theories.
If you need that kind of thing, best you stick to the brainwashing propaganda peddling hate on FOX, News max, Breitbart , and OANN.
Sherry says
When it comes to “Anglo Saxon” architecture. . . . obviously those in Congress idiotically pushing such a thing have not been to London in the past 20 years. The new financial district there is filled with beautiful modern glass sky scrapers. Perhaps they should do us all a great favor and climb into their time machines and “get lost”!
Bill C says
DeSantis is demanding that “critical race theory” be outlawed in Florida schools. If he knew what he was talking about he would know that Article 1 Section 2 of the Constitution limits “People” to “free Persons” and excludes “three fifths of all other Persons.”
Of course everyone knows that meant blacks were regarded as three fifths of a person. “But where’s the racism in that?” asks DeSantis. Hey kids, just ignore that part of the Constitution. It has nothing to do with the founding of the United States.