An Arkansas campaign ad has managed to outrage right-wing pundits with a single casting choice: a White man as a welfare queen.
In a commercial touting the state’s welfare-to-work requirements, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) recently rolled out “Brad” — an out-of-work gamer eating junk food and living off the government’s dime — as the policy’s poster child. MAGA commentators revolted, accusing the governor of demonizing White men. On social media, defeated Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback chastised Sanders: “I’d recommend you start with the baby-momma with a BMW who just got back from her Carnival Cruise.” Far-right influencer and podcaster Matt Walsh wrote that the real villain is “Shaniqua,” whom he called “an accurate portrayal of the problem at hand.” The subtext is plain: The default face of welfare can only be a Black woman.