Citing King’s rhetoric, Paul added that “the uneasy coexistence of the two Americas is brought to bear by the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.”
Paul said that his trips last year to urban areas like Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago, as well as to Ferguson, Missouri, have highlighted what he often calls “an undercurrent of unease,” referring to racial tension that saw renewed attention last year after Brown and Garner were killed by white police officers.
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When he met with local NAACP leaders in Ferguson in October, he said the GOP’s “biggest mistake” in the past few decades has been not competing for African Americans’ votes. And he sat down with Rev. Al Sharpton shortly after the midterm elections.
Though he’s received some praise, he’s faced skepticism over the authenticity of his outreach, especially when he’s said there’s been no “bigger defender of minority rights in the Congress” than himself. Rep. Barbara Lee said in a recent op-ed that he needs “to do a much better job if he actually expects to win” votes from African Americans.
