The domestic terrorist who killed 10 people in Buffalo cited a racist theory called “replacement theory” as his rationale. This racist theory was proclaimed by neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, at a Unite-the-Right rally in 2017. It was also the rationale for the racist killing of Jews at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the killing of Muslims in New Zealand, and the killing of Latinos in Texas. This vile theory is racist, but beyond that, it is deeply anti-American as it asserts that some people (white, Christian) are superior to other people. This racist, hateful theory is promulgated almost nightly on Tucker Carlson’s show and by Republican leaders like Elise Stefanik. This vile, repugnant concept has no place in the idea of America. Tucker Carlson and Republican leaders like Elise Stefanik try to give this vile, despicable, racist idea an air of respectability, but all it does is show the racism of those who proclaim it. Indeed, after the Buffalo killings, Ms. Stefanik doubled down on this hateful idea by tweeting the vile lie that Democrats want open borders to replace white voters with immigrants. The frequent promulgation of this hateful theory by right-wing media and political leaders increases the possibility of the next violent attack. Ms. Stefanik and Mr. Carlson may claim plausible deniability of this or the next racist mass killing because their accountability is unactionable, but they bear responsibility for their hate and the racism they promulgate.
