"The Democrat 'Black Lives Matter' Party, along with armies of rioters, are at war with our country, our beliefs and western culture," Hagedorn wrote in a Facebook post. "Their radical movement is orchestrated and growing. We must never let them take power. We must stand and defend our country, our nation's identity, our Judeo-Christian values and our American way of life." . . .
Hagedorn's post was in response to a tweet by activist Shaun King, who argued that the depiction of Jesus as a white European is a form of white supremacy and that such statuary should come down.
"In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down," King tweeted. . . .
Hagedorn's post created an eruption on Facebook, with hundreds of comments, with some lauding the congressman for standing up for Christianity, while others railed against him for exploiting racial divisions in the country and being a racist himself.
"This man does not represent BLM," Sara Pohlschneider said in a Facebook reply about King. "That is like saying the KKK represents the GOP. Seriously?"
"This is very much the same as the Cultural Revolution movement in China where they destroyed everything of its history because they deemed them examples of their inequality of the past," Dan Mueller said in another post.
The Black Lives Matter movement has evolved from a mostly African-American protest movement to a mainstream, multiracial force since the killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. His death has ignited protests against racism and police brutality from coast to coast and in big cities and small towns. Marches in Rochester have included a wide range of racial and ethnic groups.
Debate has centered on the statues representing Confederate generals erected in the South during the Jim Crow era. Many argue that Southern generals and politicians during the Civil War were traitors to the country and the U.S. Constitution and their statues should be torn down. Others say they represent history and pulling them down is equivalent to eliminating part of America's heritage.
King's comments added fuel to an already roaring blaze.
Critics argue that Hagedorn's comments characterizing the entire Black Lives Matter movement and the Democratic Party as a threat to "western culture" is extremist language and a dog whistle for white nationalists.
Dan Feehan, the DFL challenger for the 1st District seat, tweeted a condemnation of Hagedorn's comments, calling him a "divider, lacking the courage to listen, lead or unite."
An email asking for comment was sent by the Post Bulletin to Hagedorn's campaign, but there was no response. . ..
We're noticing a theme in Minnesota's First District Congressman Jim Hagedorn's town halls. In June, the Post Bulletin's Matt Stolle reported Hagedorn meets a restive crowd in town hall. That was the event when the first-term legislator said that detainees at the southern border "they can leave. Nobody is holding them."
In August, the Albert Lea Tribune reported in Hagedorn hosts town hall in Albert Lea, "Emotions ran high Friday night during a town hall meeting with U.S. House Rep. Jim Hagedorn that included questions on everything from climate change and gun laws to rural access to medical care and immigration."
In September, City Pages reported Jim Hagedorn: People who commit suicide 'go to hell'. That was a moment in Winona.
In early October, the Winona Daily News reported Hagedorn drew "disapproving groans and approving applause" at a town hall in LaCrescent.
In November, Eric Johnson reported in the Austin Herald, Hagedorn town hall meeting turns contentious.
if our readers haven't gotten a picture yet of the atmosphere in the swing district, perhaps the headline about two Hagedorn town halls in the Mankato Free Press can clear thing up: Hostility common at Hagedorn's Mankato-area town hall meetings.. . .
Comments