Nikki Haley is not a racist. She showed formidable leadership as South Carolina governor, in the aftermath of the 2015 mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in her state. But as a former MAGA activist now working to persuade people to leave the MAGA movement, I see Haley's recent comments on the Civil War and slavery in a particular light. They reflect the intense white fright pervasive in MAGA supporters as a result of continuous demographic change, and they affirm that a demythologization of historical nostalgia is necessary.
There is more at work here than just "MAGA voters are racist." Most with whom I once congregated and broke bread were not. I won’t label white racial hysteria on the right as “complicated,” but those suffering from white panic are often unaware that the conclusions they’ve drawn are largely molded by those deliberately sowing racial discord. This sowing has occurred since Day One of our nation.
