Daniel Cameron, the black Republican attorney general of Kentucky, appears to be a popular new target of celebrity opprobrium. Having spoken at the Republican National Convention and defended the grand jury’s decision in the case of Breonna Taylor, Cameron’s time in the spotlight is drawing Hollywood’s attention.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, Kerry Washington accused Cameron of announcing the “news” that “there is no value to a Black woman’s life” when he announced the decision in Taylor’s case. Over the weekend, the words “Daniel Cameron Is No Different” were illuminated during Megan Thee Stallion’s “Saturday Night Live” performance, as audio played of Tamika Mallory (a noted fan of the bigoted Louis Farrakhan) saying, “Daniel Cameron is no different than the sellout Negroes that sold our people into slavery.”
In September, when Cameron announced the grand jury’s decision, Washington and other celebrities aimed their fire at the politician. “30 pieces of silver is the price for which #JudasIscariot betrayed #Jesus!,” D.L. Hughley tweeted. “#DanielCameron betrayed #BreonnaTaylor for 12 million!” A search among verified Twitter users for “Daniel Cameron” since late September turns up a flurry of celebrity critiques.
Of course, the celebrity focus on Cameron reflects the broader left’s interest in him as well. Interestingly, as he announced the decision in Taylor’s case, Cameron explicitly predicted Hollywood blowback. “There will be celebrities, influencers and activists who have never lived in Kentucky who try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case, and that they know our community and the commonwealth better than we do,” he contended. “But they do not.”
That, of course, proved correct. Pundits and journalists called Cameron everything from an “Uncle Tom” to “skinfolk not kinfolk” in the hours after he announced the grand jury decision. He was smart to expect sharp backlash and even smarter for saying so. Historically, this is exactly how non-white, non-male conservatives are treated by the left and its celebrity mouthpieces.
If it’s any consolation to Cameron, it’s also exactly how their profiles are elevated. The more celebrities circulate his name, the more people will know it, and the more opportunities he’ll have to stand up for himself and his values, and the more opportunities the rest of us will have to consider the bigoted logic behind the nasty attacks. In other words, their opposition could easily backfire.
