Dem suggests Giuliani comments were racist

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) on Friday said former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s comments that President Obama does not love America stem from his race.

“Rudy Giuliani questioned how much, or even if, President Obama loves America,” Cohen posted to his Twitter account. “Maybe he thinks he loves it 3/5 as much as Giuliani & his pals.”

Rudy Giuliani questioned how much,or even if, President Obama loves America.Maybe he thinks he loves it 3/5 as much as Giuliani & his pals

— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) February 20, 2015

The tweet is a reference to the Three-Fifths compromise, when Southern and Northern states agreed to put a clause in the Constitution that said that slaves counted for three-fifths of a person for tax purposes.

Giuliani brushed off criticism that his comments were racist in an interview with The New York Times published Thursday night.

{mosads}“Some people thought it was racist — I thought that was a joke, since he was brought up by a white mother, a white grandfather, went to white schools, and most of this he learned from white people,” Giuliani told the newspaper. “This isn’t racism, this is socialism or possibly anti-colonialism.”

He also said that Obama’s view of history was limited, and criticized remarks the president made citing the Crusades as evidence that religious extremism was not solely a Muslim problem.

“Now we know there’s something wrong with the guy,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani has clarified his original comments about Obama not loving the country, saying that he thinks the president doesn’t express his love of country as much as other presidents.