Rachel noted on the show last night that several states are pushing the legal boundaries in new ways in efforts to eliminate abortion rights, perhaps most notably in Arkansas.
And helping lead the way in Arkansas is Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert. Who's he? This is.
For those of you who can't watch clips online, in this video, Rapert is seen telling a public crowd in 2011:
"I hear you loud and clear, Barack Obama. You don't represent the country that I grew up with. And your values is not going to save us. We're going to take this country back for the Lord. We're going to try to take this country back for conservatism. And we're not going to allow minorities to run roughshod over what you people believe in!"
The video first appeared at The Nation, published a day after Rapart's bill to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy was approved by the Arkansas Senate.
It's certainly rare to hear anyone, especially elected officials, talk in public about stopping "minorities" in the 21st century, and yet, here we are.
When Republicans get together to ponder why their outreach to African Americans doesn't seem especially effective, I hope they'll take a moment to ponder policymakers like Jason Rapert.