“Barack Obama is to blame”: 13 Alabama conservatives on Charlottesville

DECATUR, Alabama — Several Alabama voters blame President Barack Obama for the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville this weekend because, they say, he sowed division in American politics.

Attendees at a rally for Rep. Mo Brooks, a conservative House Republican running for Senate, in Decatur on Monday said they were confident that philanthropist George Soros was bankrolling both sides of this weekend's violent clashes.

And on conservative Alabama talk radio, Black Lives Matter activists quickly emerged as a top culprit in the bloodshed. Callers, citing Facebook posts, claimed that BLM protesters had thrown bricks at the car that then hit and killed Heather Heyer.

“There’s a lot of wrong on both sides, and unfortunately all the liberal media talks about is the wrong on one side,” said Tom Cowles, 61, a retired engineer from a wealthy section of northeast Alabama.

On Tuesday, I talked to a few dozen people at three campaign events for three conservative Senate candidates about Charlottesville. I also listened for three hours to 101.1 FM Yellowhammer News, a conservative talk radio station in Alabama. While nearly all decried the acts of violence and said they rejected white hate groups, the Alabama conservatives also blamed the mainstream media for ignoring the violence of the left, argued that the Ku Klux Klan was originally an organization of the left, and complained about Black Lives Matter.

I recorded our conversations; the transcripts of their answers are below.

"Obama set racial relationships in the nation back 100 years"

Ann Eubank, 68, of Rainy Day Patriots Tea Party:

I think when the radical right and the radical left come together, there will always be violence. I think the radical left decided that the radical right didn't have the right to march in the street. And it doesn't matter who started it; freedom of speech is foundational, and they should have allowed it instead of trying to stop it. They had the right to do that. We don't stop them.

Obama set racial relationships in the nation back 100 years with his divisional rhetoric. Being a Southerner, the KKK was always Democrat. So to blame it on Republicans is ridiculous. Did they have the right to march? Absolutely. Did the antifa have the right to stop them? No. That's how violence begins — the two polar opposites don't want the other to be heard.

Ann Eubank (Vox/Jeff Stein)

George Soros has paid from the beginning to cause racial division in this country, and he supported Obama and the radical left to disrupt our country. Because he's a socialist and wants the entire world to be socialist and controlled by a global government.

You have to destroy society to build a new one — and that's the goal. Both sides, far left and far right, want to destroy society as we know it in order to build a new one the way they want it.

“Leftist groups bused in a bunch of thugs”

Tom Cowles, 61, retired engineer

There were two bad groups of people. I don’t understand it — I’m on the board for the preservation of historical monuments, and I’m sad that it got picked as an issue because I don’t feel any affinity for these white trash groups.

But again, the media is so primed to — well, it’s all about the evil on one side. It’s a totally unbalanced presentation of what I suspect the facts were. I suspect that leftist groups bused in a bunch of thugs so the leftist media could beat this narrative about evil. I’m not saying the white groups weren’t evil, but it’s a media construct, and it’s unfortunate we can’t talk about real things and real issues.

Jeff Stein

But it was pretty scary if you’re black, right?

Tom Cowles

Well, it’s pretty scary if you’re white to see these Black Lives Matter — they assassinated five police officers a year ago in Dallas. There’s a lot of wrong on both sides, and unfortunately all the liberal media talks about is the wrong on one side.

You talked about these antifascists guys — these antifa are as fascist as you can be. Anyone who beats other people on the streets? That’s like the Nazi brown shirts in Germany. The antifa have been horrible, and yet our mainstream media doesn’t say anything about those guys.

"The climate that's created, in part by the last presidential administration ... encouraged conflict"

Dawn Ray, homemaker

It's very sad and counter to how I think — to be racist. And to create conflict is counter to my worldview and the worldview of those I associate with. We, as a rule, look at people as individuals and don't judge people by the color of their skin.

The climate that's created, in part by the last presidential administration, encouraged dissent and encouraged conflict by not denouncing it.

Jeff Stein

Which kinds of conflicts?

Dawn Ray

Physical conflicts between conservatives; conflicts that were drummed up against conservatives. Law enforcement. Other races. Those kinds of things.

Berkley was one. The school administration could have done something there. The police stood by and let them destroy because they were instructed by the mayor or somebody — the college administration is part of the problem. I'm not as well versed on the Charlottesville thing.

“I think Barack Obama is to blame”

Kerrick Whisenant, 41, construction executive

I think Barack Obama is to blame. I think this country is more divided than it ever has been. I think almost all racism in world history can be tied back to liberalism, socialism, the idea everyone's supposed to have an equal outcome as opposed to equal opportunity — those are liberal ideas that have been propagated over the past eight years through the administration, with just terrible things going on and the rhetoric we had coming out of the White House during that time.

And I think President Trump's leadership is spot-on — we have to reject all kinds of racism, and eventually we have to reject it and refuse to acknowledge it, other than criminal proceedings, and get rid of it.

I think with a lot of things in life we have to ask, "Who is to gain from this?" I don't think you have crowds show up to that sort of thing without somebody to gain. Somebody having something to gain. I think that news media, Hollywood, and Democratic politicians are the top three entities that can gain from something like that.

Unfortunately, you have to follow the money a lot of times. I don't know about the exact scenario about how it got that way; I do know there was another incident a few weeks ago where the police were there to protect the protesters on both sides, and this time they just disappeared. That's kind of fishy to me.

Jeff Stein

What do you think of the perspective of black people having to watch this happen?

Kerrick Whisenant

It’s got to be horrifying. It sends chills up and down me even thinking about it; it’s sickening. It’s just so despicable. At the heart of that issue is just hate — pure hate. There’s no room for it in this country, and I despise that more than I despise Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand during the national anthem. I dislike that as well, but someone saying they’re better than someone else because of how they were born a certain way is the most repugnant, ignorant thing that can be said. I hope they would look to love and our creator.

"We know antifa was there, and they have a history of violence"

Cindy Skarda, 61, “dog whisperess”

Of course, any violence is unconscionable, but we've seen a lot of violence coming out of the left. There's a lot more information coming out, but it seems like antifa was there everywhere, agitating. So I don't know enough information about it, but a lot of those people are paid agitators. ...

It's proven a lot of people weren't from those areas. ... It's new, it's still developing, information is still coming out, but we know antifa was there — and they have a history of violence. You saw those people at the Trump rallies.

I think the president's response was very good. He came out and denounced violence on all sides. He denounced it and came out again and reiterated he meant on both sides. Violence is unacceptable — you should be able to come out and have a dialogue and discourse without resorting to mob activity.

I don't think [Trump] incites violence. I think the left incites a lot of violence — they've ratcheted it up.

"It would have been nice if the president had come out a little stronger"

Dave Garvey, 66

It's terrible. I think some good is going to come of it. There will be a crackdown on almost all hate groups — the white supremacists, the KKK, even on the other side and those against freedom of speech trying to shut down peaceful protests.

I don't think they should have even allowed [the neo-Nazis there]. If you're going to allow it, bring in the National Guard preemptively and make sure the area is secured. If you authorize something like that, there's going to be confrontation — I'm surprised there wasn't more destruction of property.

It would have been nice if the president had come out a little stronger against the specific groups, but if you're going to give a rapid off-the-cuff response, it was probably a little bit bland; but if you're going to do that, I didn't have a problem with that. Today he just met with the attorney general and probably got more information today than he did yesterday. It's hard to jump in and start accusing people before you have the facts; and today he named the groups.

“From the scrum it was difficult to determine who was who”

Rep. Mo Brooks, US representative and Republican Senate candidate

I’m not in a position to form a judgment as to who is or who isn’t responsible until I have more factual information. I just have news clips. Certainly, the guy who drove his car into other people — that was dead wrong, and he ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and if the death penalty permits, he ought to be executed.

But I also saw other film clips of different groups of people assaulting each other, but from the scrum it was difficult to determine who was who.

Jeff Stein

Did the president do enough to condemn white nationalist groups?

Rep. Mo Brooks

I have not analyzed the president’s comments to form an opinion as to whether what he did was sufficient. I can only speak for myself. And that is — that problem who are racists, people who are sexists and discriminate against others ... are dead wrong, and if they violate the law, they ought to be prosecuted to the full extent possible.

“I understand that the guy who drove the car was a Democrat”

Don Beach, 68

I think they’re misled — I understand why they’re doing it; you can’t rewrite history, and so forth. I don’t think Gen. Lee would be disappointed in them moving the statue because I think he would want to preserve the union.

I understand that the guy who drove the car was a Democrat. ... You obviously have to be a little crazy to drive a car [like] that. [He says he heard this on Facebook.] Americans need to learn how to resolve issues without violence.

Dispatches from Alabama radio

Wild unverified claims that Black Lives Matter attacked car that killed protester

Caller Tony

This was a terrible, terrible tragedy that this happened. I heard on the television and they said the guy driving the car that before he ran over people in the protest that Black Lives Matter were throwing bricks — red bricks — at his car.

I don’t know if the bricks being thrown at his car led him to try to do that, or if he wanted to do that on his own over whatever. I just heard he’s had a mental problem also and ... myself, I think people ought to try to mind their own business. ...

I just wanted to call and tell you about the bricks? Is there any truth to it?

Host Andrew McLain

Yeah, we’ll keep an eye on it. And I’ve heard that theory as well. And it’s very possible that he was getting hit — that his car was getting hit with bricks.

But it doesn’t change the result we get with a young woman dying — the outcome doesn’t change. But it is clear that, though this may have been after the crash, that people were hitting the car with baseball bats or whatever else. But the decision was made to run the car into the crowd.

More attacks on Black Lives Matter

Host Andrew McLain

There weren’t any race wars going on in Virginia over the weekend; it was a hate group war. Hate groups versus hate groups. Antifa is a hate group. Black Lives Matter is a hate group.

Maybe Black Lives Matter was started innocently looking to raise awareness for police shootings where they feel like a very small percentage of black men being shot by police is a rampant problem by police — but it’s been hijacked as well. Now it’s been hijacked by a group that hates white people and looks to burn down cities and towns. ...

Anytime the mainstream media is guilty of doing something, they’ll look to the other side and accuse them of doing it. The mainstream media and the left have allowed their silence to condone the groups of Black Lives Matter, antifa, and the violence they commit. So what do they do? They accuse Trump of being silent on the hate group that is committing violence, a.k.a. the white supremacists.

“Whether you think the Klan was founded on something honorable ... what matters is what they are today”

Caller Jim

Everyone knows the Nazi symbol, but it was originally — I can’t remember if it’s Anasazi or the Navajos. And Hitler just took it over. And that’s what it’s forever going to be remembered as. But, just a historical fact.

Host Andrew McLain

You’re absolutely correct. That’s sort of what we were saying, that the Nazi symbol wasn’t the Nazi symbol before Hitler took it over. But ever since he has, guess what? The most evil man in the history of this world — whatever symbol he was going to use for his movement would forever be labeled that. That’s the first thing you’ll think of; nobody’s going to be able to retake that symbol, nobody’s going to be able to rebrand that symbol, even if they’re trying to take it back to its origins. It’s forever owned by Hitler and the Nazis.

Same thing on whether you think the Klan was founded on something honorable, or whether you think Black Lives Matter was founded on something honorable, what matters is what they are today. And that is a hate group.

A front for the Russia story

Caller Bill

That whole deal in Charlottesville is kind of like a false flag. ... Where does [Virginia Gov. Terry] McAuliffe, sitting wherever he’s at, decide this is an illegal assembly? After a federal judge grants them their First Amendment right to have their protest in Emancipation Park?

Host Jim Moore

There’s no doubt these two groups clashing would advance the ideology of McAuliffe.

Caller Bill

And also it was going to call attention away from the failing Russia story because it was in the Washington Examiner that you guys talked about — about the DNC hack being an inside job. So now we know there was no DNC hack at all; it was an inside job.

Seth Rich, I’m sure. But they don’t want to talk about all that — so they create this other scenario to swing back to the left crying out, “Racism! racism! racism!”