Republicans flattened for calling for 'civility' from Dems when they’ve ignored it for decades
Ten months after supporters of President Donald Trump staged an attack on the U.S. Capitol, Republicans have decided that more civility is needed in politics.
Washington Post analyst Aaron Blake, however, is calling them out.
A video surfaced over the weekend of activists following Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who had been speaking publicly at Arizona State University. When students began asking questions and demanding answers from her, she bolted.
Republicans were quick to stand up and proclaim the need for civility. Consultant Patrick Ruffini claimed that "people who are politically right of center don't do this." That seems to conflict with Jan. 6, the litany of death threats that Democrats get and actual videos of Republicans "right of center" chasing a Parkland teen down the Washington, D.C. streets.
Writer Glenn Greenwald tweeted that "If this were done to [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], CNN would demand FBI impose martial law & a national mourning period."
Blake, however, set the record straight, and pointed to past incidents in which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, in separate instances, harassed Ocasio-Cortez and a teen mass shooting survivor.
"There were, in fact, no cable news calls for a national mourning period or a declaration of martial law. There was criticism, to be sure, but it was far from the 'biggest news of the year' or even the day, for that matter," wrote Blake.
It isn't just Democrats being chased by conservatives. Far-right supporters of Trump's have also attacked members of the GOP.
He recalled when Trump supporters chanted "traitor" while on an airplane with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). Then there was the time Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was heckled at the airport just days following the Romney incident.
"It's at this point where some will say, 'Well, these weren't in the bathroom," wrote Blake. "And that's true. But that also seems to be a pretty arbitrary line to draw when it comes to saying 'the left does this and Republicans don't really.'"
Indeed, Sinema wasn't racing to get to the bathroom because she had the stomach flu. When activists asked questions, she refused to answer and ran instead.
Republicans similarly never held themselves accountable when some of their members on January 6th told the Trump audience to go "take names and kick ass." Then there are questions about the entire four years of the Trump term, littered with petty fights and Twitter score-settling, while Republicans swore that they "didn't see that Tweet."
"Maybe the point is that this kind of thing happens from time to time — often thanks to random people (but sometimes not) — and having a debate over what's appropriate is a valid exercise. That doesn't mean the media always gets that debate right. But to pretend this would be the apocalypse if the roles were ever reversed — or that the roles haven't been reversed, period — is to disregard plenty of recent history," Blake closed.
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