Ohio Republican Demands Reparations For White People

Because white people 'died to save Black people in the Civil War.' Cute

Announcing his candidacy for US Senate this week, Trump-affiliated Ohio businessman Bernie Moreno gave a great big speech about how white people should get reparations because they died in a war to "save Black people."

This is probably a good move for the luxury car dealership owner and aspiring politician, given that his fellow Ohio Republicans might be a little wigged out by his last name and the fact that he's an immigrant. Showing fealty by claiming white people deserve reparations is certainly one way to put them at ease. Unless, of course, they take offense to saying the Civil War was about slavery in the first place instead of state's rights — specifically a state's rights to allow people to own slaves.

“Ohio GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno proposes reparations for white people: "You know, they talk about reparations. Where are the reparations for the people in the North who died to save the lives of Black people?"”

— Heartland Signal (@Heartland Signal) 1682098230 

 Moreno said:  

We stand on the shoulders of giants, don’t we? We stand on the shoulders of people like John Adams and James Madison and Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. This group of people that took on the largest empire in history. That said “No! We will not stand for this!” And won.

That same group of people, later — white people — died for Black people.

It’s never happened in human history before, but it happened here in America. That’s not talked about in schools very much, is it? They make it sound like America is a racist, broken country. Name another country that did that, that freed slaves, that died to do that. You know, they talk about reparations, where are the reparations for the people in the North who died to save the lives of Black people? I know it’s not politically correct to say that, but we gotta stop being politically correct. We gotta call it how it is.

The rule if you are a Republican is that you can say any stupid thing and then just say "I know it's not politically correct to say that" and people will agree with you.

Actually, white people have been given reparations before. In 1892, year after a bunch of xenophobic lunatics lynched 11 Italian immigrants who were acquitted of the murder of New Orleans Police Chief David Hennessy (who were largely chosen at random after Hennessey whispered with his dying breath that "dagos" killed him), President Benjamin Harrison gave the families of those victims were given $2,211. That would be about $73,336 today.

It wasn't because anyone felt badly about it, mind you. The city outright refused to arrest those responsible, and Teddy Roosevelt famously called it "a rather good thing" in a letter to his sister. It's more that Italy was pissed to the point that they were considering declaring war on the United States over it and Harrison didn't want to deal with it anymore. But whatever the intentions were behind it, surely if the US had to dole out the equivalent of $73K to the family of every Black person who was lynched, things might be a lot different for a lot of people today.

Reparations are meant to be given to correct an injustice, not as a "thank you for your service." The people who fought in the Civil War were paid for their service. It was also an almost all volunteer army — only two percent were conscripted. Slaves, on the other hand, were not paid and were forced to serve against their will. This would be why it makes sense to pay reparations to the descendents of slaves but not to the descendents of Union soldiers. Duh.

Alas, it does not seem as though his argument set the room on fire. It probably would have been more effective if he got up there and whipped himself and apologized for moving here from Columbia at five but not officially becoming an American citizen until he was 18 like some kind of Dreamer.

Moreno will be fighting Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan in the GOP primary for the privilege of losing to Sen. Sherrod Brown in the 2024 Ohio Senate election.

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