Joy Reid Scorches Sen. Lisa Murkowski: 'The Ignorance Is Willful'

[babylonsister]

https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/joy-reid-scorches-sen-lisa-murkowski


6/05/20 4:24am
Joy Reid Scorches Sen. Lisa Murkowski: 'The Ignorance Is Willful’
Reid suggests the Senator speak to some of her actual own Alaskan constituents if she'd like to learn about police brutality, and calls her out for not removing Trump when she had the chance.
By Aliza Worthington
VIDEO AT LINK~


Joy Reid was answering the questions instead of asking them last night, as she appeared as a guest on Lawrence O'Donnell's show to give her analysis on the events roiling the nation. She had some words in particular, though, for Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. Sen. Murkowski has seen these "brave" people like General Mattis speaking out against Trump's metastasizing authoritarianism in the wake of the protests surrounding the police killing of George Floyd, and decided she'd like to give "bravery" a little test run herself. You know, in her own special Murkowski way.

MURKOWSKI: When I saw General Mattis' comments yesterday I felt like perhaps we are getting to a point where we can be more honest with the concerns that we might hold internally and have the courage of our own convictions to speak up.

Oh, NOW she decides to be "honest" and try on that "courage" tiara she's been keeping in her closet?

Reid was thoroughly unimpressed, and had a little advice for her.

REID: I want to really quickly just address what Senator Lisa Murkowski said. It's wonderful that she's listening to her fellow senators, her fellow Black United States senators, but perhaps if she wanted to understand the challenges of policing of People of Color, maybe she should start listening to some native Alaskans. Her very own state has an Indigenous population that is both under-policed — ProPublica has pieces that are out in just the last couple of months, I'd be happy to send her some links, about the fact that many in the Native population there don't have police force when they need it and when they do have police interact with them, it is in the same negative way, the same violent and unfair and inequitable way that we see happening to Indigenous people and Black people and brown people all over the country. So, she might want to listen to some Alaskans. The ignorance is willful. Sorry. I want to have more empathy for her, but this is a woman who looked at everything Donald Trump did, in selling out his campaign to a foreign adversary and said, "You know what? Nah. I don't see enough there to remove." I only have a little bit of empathy for her. She is making all sorts of sad noises, but just see what you see, ma'am. It would do you a lot better.

On what we are looking at today, the hyper-militarization of our police force is not new, but we have never had a president who has so openly wanted to luxuriate in changing himself from an American president into Kim Jong-un. And here we are. He wants to use that power, not just against Black people, not just against brown people and Indigenous people, but good morning, white America, he's willing to use military against YOUR kids. He's willing to use it against your sons and daughters because all he cares about is clinging to power. And it's pathetic and it would be hilarious if it weren't so terrifying.

If Lisa Murkowski isn't a microcosm for the larger white America Reid is talking to, I don't know who is. Not caring about an issue enough to speak out against it until it gets close enough to home to affect you? That's sounds about white.

[samsingh]

1. shouldn't the repugs who had doubts have asked for more evidence during the impeachment trial?

these traitors have abandoned their own country

[spanone]

2. They didn't have doubts and they didn't want more evidence.

[genxlib]

3. That quote from Murkowski

Is one of the most cowardly things I have ever seen in a leader.

MURKOWSKI: When I saw General Mattis' comments yesterday I felt like perhaps we are getting to a point where we can be more honest with the concerns that we might hold internally and have the courage of our own convictions to speak up.

So it is considered courageous for a US Senator to be honest and express concerns? And she is ...getting to the point.. so she still isn't there yet?

This is why the GOP has gone so far south. They are overwhelmed with zealots and the rest are just flags blowing in the wind

I have never agreed with Jeff Flake on anything but at least he had the decency to reject the groupthink and retire.

[secondwind]

4. Great post. K&R!!

[gratuitous]

5. This tidbit from Reid's transcript

"We have never had a president who has so openly wanted to luxuriate in changing himself from an American president into Kim Jong-un."

I am so using that.