Republicans are now angry at some of the biggest corporations in America because they've expressed their opposition to voter suppression laws like the one in Georgia, and some GOP leaders are making veiled threats about consequences to come.
When I saw this story in The Washington Post this morning, I did a double take. What? Mitch McConnell is making threats against big business because they're siding with Democrats?
What is this world coming to?!!!
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All of this hubbub happened because Major League Baseball took a stand and moved the July All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver because of Georgia's new law, which President Biden called "Jim Crow in the 21st century."
That move, of course, set off a rash of nasty and threatening comments from Donald Trump, who's Georgia loss prompted that state's new law, and Senate Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY), who accused corporations like Georgia-based Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines of siding with Democrats by criticizing the law as racist and an effort to suppress African American votes.
“From election law to environmentalism to radical social agendas to the Second Amendment, parts of the private sector keep dabbling in behaving like a woke parallel government,” McConnell said in his statement. “Corporations will invite serious consequences if they become a vehicle for far-left mobs to hijack our country from outside the constitutional order.”
What serious consequences could McConnell possibly have in mind? Wonder if that means he'll support Biden's proposal to increase the corporate income tax from 21 percent to 28 percent to help pay for his sweeping infrastructure plan. That'll show those nasty corporations.
Nah, I doubt that. He's already blasted that program, complaining about its cost and claiming that some of the provisions don't really qualify as infrastructure.
What the hell is a "woke parallel government," and what kind of "serious consequences" does McConnell have in mind?
Maybe Congressional Republicans will stop buying Cokes for their cloakrooms or stop flying Delta. That'll show 'em.
Then Comes Trump
Trump jumped into the fray, too, releasing a statement over the weekend saying:
“For years the Radical Left Democrats have played dirty by boycotting products when anything from that company is done or stated in any way that offends them. Now they are going big time with WOKE CANCEL CULTURE and our sacred elections. It is finally time for Republicans and Conservatives to fight back,” Trump said on Saturday. “Don’t go back to their products until they relent. We can play the game better than them.”
Now let's take a look at that statement.
Let's start with "woke cancel culture."
Why is it that Republicans are suddenly using the term "woke" in their complaints about "Radical Left Democrats?" Are they trying to sound hip, or what?
“Woke” was originally a term used largely by Black people in activist circles, particularly after the rise of Black Lives Matter, to signify a consciousness around racial issues in America. The term is still sometimes used in that context, writes Perry Bacon Jr., of Fivethirtyeight.com.
But as they often do, Repubs are turning that term around to be a pejorative, attacking Democrats, claiming they are being “canceled” or a victim of “cancel culture.”
Republicans need to stop using "woke." Wake up, GOP, it's uncool. You just sound stupid.
And then, there is the part of Trump's statement that talks about "our sacred elections."
Excuse me while I run to the bathroom to barf.
Donald Trump is the last person on the universe, except for maybe his pal Vlady, who should use the words "sacred" and "elections" in the same sentence. He's the man who made every effort to scam the American people and rig the elections, and then when he failed at that, he tried to stack the courts with his lackeys so they would help him rig the outcome. He failed at that, too, because even the judges he appointed had some semblance of integrity and told him to get lost.
So then, he sent his mob to the Capitol where they unleashed their murderous plot to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election.
Trump should be struck dead for using the term "sacred elections." The only thing "sacred" about the 2020 election is that Trump got kicked to the curb and very well could end up in jail.
Now, the Republicans are having withdrawal pains. They simply can't figure out what to do. They are still afraid of Trump, or at least the crazies who continue to support him, and so they've decided their best bet is to try to stack state voting laws in their favor. That will be a losing longterm strategy, too. That's my bet.
Finally, Trump says "we can play the game better than them."
What game?
Does he consider African American voters to be pawns in some sort of sinister political "game?" Otherwise, what game is he talking about?
So far it is true that Republicans have done a better job than Democrats in playing the political game, of using emotional, misleading but concise messaging to appeal to the voters they need to attract. But, ultimately, if they can't deliver, what will that gain them?
Was it a smart move for the GOP to oppose the American Rescue Plan, which is helping millions of Americans who have been badly damaged by the Trump-bungled Covid 19 pandemic? We all know that was brought to the American people by Joe Biden and the Democrats, with not a single Republican vote.
So, when you cash your check, remember where it came from.
Arguing against that plan based on its cost reminds me of the time many years ago when I worked for a Republican Congressman (yes, I did) and was sent to debate his Democratic opponent before a crowd of senior citizens -- and explain why it was a good idea to oppose a Social Security increase because of inflation.
That went over well.
More tests are ahead as Congress considers Biden's infrastructure plan to improve highways, rail, manage flooding, and more, while providing millions of jobs. Will Republicans run and hide on this one, too?
So far, the GOP has no answers except to bluster, threaten, complain and continue to support Trump's Big Lie. It's a new day and Republicans need to forget about "woke" and instead, they need to wake up.
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