Apr. 9 , 2014, CBS Atlanta/AP
Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron
compared Republicans that oppose President Barack Obama to the Ku Klux Klan.
Speaking to USA Today Tuesday on the 40th anniversary of his
then record-breaking 715th home run, the 80-year-old Aaron said that
Republicans are hindering Obama’s job performance. “Sure, this country has a black president, but when you look
at a black president, President Obama is left with his foot stuck in the mud
from all of the Republicans with the way he’s treated,” Aaron told USA Today
Sports.
Aaron continued: “The bigger difference is that back then
they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts.” Aaron stated that there is still room for improvement for
race relations in the U.S. “We have moved in the right direction, and there have been
improvements, but we still have a long ways to go in the country,” Aaron told
USA Today Sports.
Aaron goes on to describe the racist letters he has kept for
decades as he was chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record. “To remind myself that we are not that far removed from when
I was chasing the record,” Aaron explained to USA Today Sports. “If you think
that, you are fooling yourself. A lot of things have happened in this country,
but we have so far to go. There’s not a whole lot that has changed.”
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