Republicans Can't Explain Why They're Condemning the Racism of Trump's Supporters But Not Trump's

[babylonsister]

July 19, 2019 9:26AM ET
Republicans Can’t Explain Why They’re Condemning the Racism of Trump’s Supporters But Not Trump’s
The GOP’s discomfort with racism comes with a pretty big caveat
By Ryan Bort


President Trump’s supporters broke into a “send her back!” chant directed at Ilhan Omar during his rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on Wednesday night — and guess what? Republicans are very concerned.

So troubled were some members of the party’s leadership in the House of Representatives, Politico reported on Thursday, that they convened with Vice President Mike Pence over breakfast to express their discomfort, urging him to relay their concerns to the president. He must have gotten the message, as Trump told reporters at the White House that he actually was “not happy” and “disagrees” with the racist chant his racist tweets and comments inspired Wednesday night, and which he did absolutely nothing to stop, instead pausing for nearly 15 seconds to allow the chant to be better heard.

Here’s a sampling of what the distressed House Republicans have said about the chant:

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said the chant has “no place in our party and no place in this country.” On Tuesday, McCarthy defended the president’s no-less-racist tweets, chalking the attacks up to nothing more than an ideological dispute.
Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), a former pastor who attended the rally, said that Republicans need to “make sure we are not defined by that,” referencing the chant. On Wednesday night, Walker tweeted that he “struggled” with it.

Link to tweet

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said that Vice President Pence seemed to be as “appalled” by the chant as everyone else.
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) specifically requested a meeting with Pence to discuss the chant, and told Politico that while he’s fine with a “lock her up!” chant, “send her back!” crosses the line and “is simply not reflective of our constitution.”
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said at an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor that “there’s no place for that kind of talk.” While speaking to reporters the following day, he said there’s “not a racist bone in the president’s body.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) tweeted that though he disagrees with the “extreme left,” he woke up “equally disgusted” at the chant, writing that it would “send chills down the spines of our Founding Fathers.”

Link to tweet

On Tuesday, every one of these moralizing lawmakers had an opportunity to vote for a House resolution to condemn Trump’s racist attacks against Omar and the three other congresswomen of color the president told to “go back” to the “totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” before they criticize his administration.

They all declined to do so.


more...

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-cant-explain-why-theyre-condemning-the-racism-of-trumps-supporters-but-not-trumps-860764/

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. note they all got their barbs in

The hypocrisy burns bright in GOPers. Each attacked before feigning offense.

[trev]

2. Well, let's face it.

At least since Limbaugh took to the airwaves, attacking has been the modus operandi of the Republicans. It's so ingrained now that they simply can't help themselves anymore.

To be honest, the prevalent name-calling here on DU disturbs me. We should be better than that.

[ProudLib72]

3. They are getting torn to shreds in the threads

Not that they actually read their responses because that would mean (gasp) listening to constituents.

[struggle4progress]

4. "We're not racists! It just that most racists support us!"

[Crunchy Frog]

5. Interesting to see Rep Mark Walker implying that Omar

Owes some sort of allegiance to Israel.

Yeah, that's totally not a thing in U.S. politics.

[Wounded Bear]

6. Yeah, yeah, the usual: I hate that but...

Repubs are But-heads.