Free Republic

A Democratic legislator from Minnesota swiftly apologized Tuesday for a tweet he sent that referred to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as "Uncle Thomas" following a major ruling on the nation's landmark voting rights law. Thomas, who is black, was part of a 5-4 majority that invalidated part of the Voting Rights Act meant to deter racial discrimination in elections. The ruling makes it tougher for federal officials to prevent states and localities, primarily in the South, from adopting policies that add barriers to voting. In response, state Rep. Ryan Winkler tweeted: "#SCOTUS VRA majority is four accomplices to race...

Minnesota state representative Ryan Winkler, a white Democrat, did not have the world's most well-thought-out response to the Supreme Court's 5–4 ruling against a key provision of the Voting Rights Act today. As you can see in the tweet above, he referred to Clarence Thomas, who voted with the majority, as "Uncle Thomas." Uncle Tom is a derogatory term used to describe "a black who is overeager to win the approval of whites (as by obsequious behavior or uncritical acceptance of white values and goals)," which is exactly how it's being used here by Winkler. Winkler deleted the tweet and...