Of Course Lori Saine Misunderstands MLK

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by: Colorado Pols

Just say whatever pops into your head.

The Colorado Times Recorder reports on a story that should surprise absolutely no-one who is at all familiar with Weld County Commissioner and Congressional candidate Lori Saine:

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Jan. 17, Saine – who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives – posted a meme on Facebook featuring a photo of King and an excerpt from his famous “I Have a Dream” speech: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

At the bottom is a caption saying “Time for America to live the dream. End CRT now!”.

Saine is not the first GOP politician to attempt to use King’s words to justify her stance. In July 2021, U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) came under fire for saying that CRT “goes against everything Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us” and cited the same King quote that Saine recently shared to call for an end to CRT. These critics seem to be arguing that CRT implies “judging people by the color of their skin.”

According to reporting from The Hill, King’s own daughter, Bernice King, spoke out after McCarthy’s statement, saying it was “beyond insulting” for GOP officials to “misappropriate” her father’s teachings in such a way. Numerous Black journalists have written about how, if King were still alive today, he would almost certainly support a concept like CRT.

You may recall that Saine made national headlines in January 2019 while serving as a State Representative when she took to the floor of the House of Representatives and told everyone that white people “were lynched in nearly equal numbers” as black people following Reconstruction. Here’s the full quote from Saine’s 2019 MLK-day speech:

Colleagues, we are standing in the moral arc of history today as we celebrate a reverend who changed history for all Americans. We have come a long way on that arc since the reconstruction, when whites and blacks alike were in nearly equal numbers lynched for the crime of being Republican. [Pols emphasis]

Suggesting that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would oppose Critical Race Theory isn’t as bad as Saine claiming that white people were lynched in equal number to black people, but Saine should really just stop talking about MLK altogether.

7 thoughts on “Of Course Lori Saine Misunderstands MLK”

RepealAndReplace says:

February 9, 2022 at 12:44 pm

Didn't this ditz once go up to the podium in the House and delivered a musical tribute to the rabidly homophobic late Bill Armstrong?

She looked like an idiot but not quite as bad as she looked when she was busted at the airport.

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1. unnamed says:
  
  February 9, 2022 at 1:00 pm
  
  Does she ever not look bad?
  
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Diogenesdemar says:

February 9, 2022 at 1:59 pm

If you can believe with all your being that Jesus was against paying taxes, against wearing masks or getting vaccinations to limit the spread of disease, against protecting the environment, and against not arming yourself to the teeth at every waking moment — then I suppose you can certainly believe that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was opposed to any white children ever having to learn about the factual history and horrors of slavery, segregation, and racial discrimination?

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Genghis says:

February 9, 2022 at 5:12 pm

To be fair, there is nothing Lori Saine doesn't misunderstand.

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JohnInDenver says:

February 9, 2022 at 6:32 pm
Well, maybe Ms. Saine is on to something.

Maybe we should have Critical Character Theory, allowing the socio-psychology assessment of individuals and their families and social groups on the basis of character, measured on the basis of how they and their chosen social groups treat everyone on dimensions of
- honesty to all people
- reliability with tasks for all people
- ability to persevere in relationships and tasks
- willingness to develop relationships with others
- willingness to accept blame
- competence of work and recreational activities
- kindness (compassion)
- modesty and humility
- control of anger and choice of what to do when angry
- equal treatment of others in law and custom
If people would prefer to have all of those dimensions studied rather than looking at the social structures revealed by a Critical Race Theory analysis, I suppose we could improve our community in that way.
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Denise Spencer says:

February 11, 2022 at 8:23 am

CRT isn't a policy you can end. It simply states the reality of our racist justice system and racist laws implemented on a racial basis. The sky is still blue, you can't end what is reality. MLK fought against republicans racist voter suppression and would be fighting against it still today. Yes we should teach our population about republicans racist laws and racist voter suppression of the past and of today. Or we will never be able to stop republicans racism. As republicans take the rights of others why would anyone respect a republicans rights in a courtroom or in public ever again.

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1. Voyageur says:
  
  February 11, 2022 at 11:55 am
  
  Actually, Martin Luther King mostly fought against Democrats like George Wallace, Bull Conner, james Eastland, etc. In Congress, more Democrats voted against the Civil Rights Bill than Republicans did. 'Twas Everett McKinley Dirkson who deserves credit for that bill, alongside Hubert Humphrey and LBJ.
  
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