Sunday on MSNBC’s “Up,” while discussing the appeal of Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson, Democratic strategist L. Joy Williams declared Carson to be a “safe negro” for who people who don’t feel comfortable criticizing the president “because of the race factor.”

Williams said, “So one you’re right, Dr. Carson’s story is one in which those who knew him before hand, which I am among them, knew of his inspirational story. It was something he communicated all the time. But you mentioned something really important. The really important thing of people supporting him because it’s, ‘Oh, there’s another black man commenting or — negatively against the president and I don’t feel comfortable in doing so, um because of the race factor.’ So here’s someone who can do it.”

After some pushback from the other panelist, she added, “One in which, in terms of having the safe negro comment on someone that your against.”

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