NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley, says that Tuesday’s Democrat victory in Alabama proves that if Democrats started doing more for Black Americans, they could win more elections.
After Democrat Doug Jones won a shocking victory in deep red Alabama, Barkley, an Alabama native, said how thrilled he was with the victory.
“I’m so proud of my state. I love my state. We got some amazing people here. Yeah, we got a bunch of rednecks and a bunch of ignorant people, but we got some amazing people here and they rose up today,” Barkley said on CNN according to The Hill.
But even as he celebrated the big win, Barkley criticized the flailing Democrat Party for not doing enough for blacks.
“It’s time for them to get off their ass and start making life better for black folks and people who are poor,” Barkley exclaimed. The retired NBA star didn’t go on to explain what that “help” would entail:
Barkley, a graduate of Auburn University, campaigned for Doug Jones in the last days of the election. As the election neared, Barkley even warned his state not to look “like idiots” by voting for Judge Roy Moore.
In a last-minute appearance for Jones, Barkley scoffed at his state saying, “We’ve got to stop looking like idiots to the nation.”
After Jones won, Barkley was still seeking out the cameras and was seen saying, “This is a great night for Alabama… We really needed this.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.