Bill Clinton is no redneck

By Judson Cox

In an interview with New York Magazine, Rep. Charles Rangel said, "I don't have the slightest clue who Hillary really is. All I see is a gal who knew she was as good as anyone else, and she saw this guy she could make something of, so she forfeited Illinois and went to Arkansas. That's a hell of a move to make for a redneck, which is all he was." When asked if he really thought Bill Clinton was a redneck, Rangel told WWRL Radio's Steve Malzberg and Karen Hunter: "Of course he is. He's from Arkansas."

Many southerners were offended by Rangel's implication that all southerners are rednecks. I am a native southerner, and an actual hillbilly from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. I wasn't offended by being referred to as a redneck by implication though; I was offended by another aspect of Rangel's statement that hasn't gotten much attention. No, it wasn't that he described Hillary as an opportunist who only married Bill for power — that seems pretty accurate. What offended me was Rangel's implication that rednecks are on par with Bill Clinton.

A redneck is a rural, low land southerner — in other parts of the country, we are called hillbillies, cowboys, bumpkins, hicks or just country. Rednecks are traditional Americans, who work hard to support their families, and go to church on Sunday. Rednecks volunteer as Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, firemen and anything else their community needs. Rednecks usually drive pickup trucks, and they spend a lot more time than they would like using those trucks to haul things for neighbors, but they never complain, decline or accept payment. Rednecks pay their own way and spend their hard earned money on clothes, insurance, food and education for their kids — rednecks won't take charity or welfare. Rednecks mow their own lawns and work on their own vehicles and they have every manner of tool imaginable (which they keep in a shed that they built themselves). Rednecks don't spend their leisure time protesting, or at fancy cocktail parties, criticizing President Bush's grammar — they hunt, fish and enjoy sports with their friends and families. Rednecks usually wear work boots or cowboy boots, but at some point in their lives most rednecks owned a pair of combat boots, when they risked their lives to give the "pampered" the privilege of criticizing our "cowboy" president. Rednecks show respect for veterans, say the Pledge of Allegiance with the words, "Under God," and stand when the national anthem is played. Rednecks may not have the best education, but they know what matters: faith, family, patriotism, self sacrifice, and a strong work ethic. A redneck may not have much money, but he knows what is truly valuable. If you threaten a redneck, his family, his friends or his country, he will not back down, surrender or appease.

In the words of Hank Williams Jr., "you can't starve us out and you can't make us run / Cause we're them ole boys raised on shotguns / We say grace and we say ma'am / If you ain't into that we don't give a damn / We're from North California and South Alabam / And little towns all around this land / And we can skin a buck and run a trot line / And a country boy can survive." ("Country Boy Can Survive")

In spite of all of our faults, flaws and country ways, rednecks have a strength of character that is a sign of integrity. Bill Clinton is no redneck! Bill Clinton is WHITE TRASH!. Many rednecks are registered Democrat because our daddies and granddaddies were Democrats, but we don't vote that way any more — and, we wouldn't cross the street to spit on Bill Clinton.

© Judson Cox