Congressman accuses Miss. governor of racism for refusing to expand Medicaid under Obamacare

Rep. Bennie Thompson

An African-American congressman in Mississippi used a radio interview over the weekend to accuse white Republican political leaders of racism for their treatment of President Obama, specifically for their opposition to Medicaid expansion under federal health reform, Geoff Pender reports for the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. "Second District Rep. Bennie Thompson accused Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of racism and called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas an 'Uncle Tom' on a New Nation of Islam radio program."

"Thompson said he knows of no other president who has been treated like Barack Obama and said Republicans' 'blatant disrespect' of Obama 'is all about race,'" Pender writes. "Thompson said Bryant's opposition to Medicaid expansion per the Affordable Care Act is 'just because a black man created it'. … I've never seen it as bad here in Washington as I've seen it now. They talk about (Obama's) wife, his children … We are going to have to have some dialogue on race." (Read more)