June 06, 2008
On June 1, 2008, after a four-month hiatus, white supremacist James Edwards and his staff, claiming to be the "voice of the movement," resumed hosting the Political Cesspool, a Memphis, Tennessee-based AM and Internet radio show on which anti-Semites, white supremacists, and other right-wing extremists regularly appear to voice their views. Guests on the June 1 show included anti-Semitic professor Kevin MacDonald and white supremacist Virginia Abernethy. Show sponsors include the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens and the Institute for Historical Review, a Holocaust denial organization.
Initially billed as "The South's Foremost Conservative Populist Radio Program," the Political Cesspool's Mission Statement now says that the show "represent[s] a philosophy that is pro-White…[and seeks] to grow the percentage of Whites in the world relative to other races." James Edwards, the Political Cesspool's main host, co-founded the show in October 2004 and has interviewed a variety of anti-Semites, white supremacists, Holocaust deniers, conspiracy theorists and anti-immigrant leaders. A list of former guests includes veteran anti-Semite and Holocaust denier Willis Carto; Prussian Blue, a neo-Nazi singing duo; anti-Semite Ted Pike; Mark Weber, the director of the Institute for Historical Review; and Frank Roman, a founding member of the neo-Nazi European Americans United group.
Edwards does not merely interview extremists. A white supremacist himself, Edwards hosts, attends and speaks at extremist gatherings. In April 2008, the Political Cesspool staff announced that they were "working with the Council of Conservative Citizens [italics in original] in order to start a robust West Tennessee chapter of the CofCC" and extended an open invitation for its "founding organizational meeting." In February 2008, Edwards attended a conference hosted by American Renaissance, a white supremacist organization run by his "good friend" Jared Taylor. Edwards also spoke at the June 2007 National Conference of the Council of Conservative Citizens. He was a listed speaker at a May 2007 gathering in northern New Jersey organized by Stormfront, the largest Internet forum for anti-Semites and white supremacists which makes the Political Cesspool available on its Internet radio network. In 2004 and 2005, he attended conferences organized by anti-Semite David Duke.
In spite of his racist ideology and open affiliations with extremists, Edwards has gained mainstream exposure, appearing on CNN three times in 2007. Describing one appearance, Edwards claimed to have "delivered an unapologetically pro-White viewpoint and captivated a nationwide television audience."
A new Political Cesspool show will air for three hours each Sunday, a change from its previous weeknight broadcasts. With the "lighter workload," the staff plans to "travel more and participate in other activities associated with the movement."