Republican leaders are super upset about what happened in Orlando and "radical Islamist" terrorism, but as for the victims of the violence? Meh.
Oh, absolutely. Let's not harp on the targeting of a group of individuals that Republicans have routinely targeted to their political advantage for decades. That just seems incidental, no?
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, who each chair their chambers’ homeland security committees, were among the first to release statements Sunday. Both Republicans expressed sympathy for the victims and resolve in the battle against terrorism, with McCaul calling it “a sobering reminder that radical Islamists are targeting our country and our way of life.” But neither noted the LGBT factor.
(A Johnson aide told POLITICO, “The senator is monitoring developments and will update his statement as more information becomes available.”)
Right. They weren't sure who exactly was targeted at the gay nightclub, but they were sure Omar Mateen should remind us all of radical Islam.
On Sunday, Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted, "Today, all of America stands in solidarity with the gay people of Orlando." (Oops, sorry about that slip of the finger there—he never wrote “gay.”) Monday, Cruz called on "every American — Dem & GOP — to come together and unite around the freedoms of LGBT Americans to defeat Islamic terrorism. (Oops, sorry about that slip of the finger there—he never wrote “around the freedoms of LGBT Americans.”)
But if there's a silver lining to be had here, it's definitely that the tragedy has caused Sen. Marco Rubio to re-evaluate his future, writes Brian Beutler:
“I’ve been deeply impacted by it,” Rubio said. “When it visits your home state and it impacts a community you know well, it really gives you pause to think about your service to your country and where you can be most useful to your country.”
Rubio’s presidential platform included relentless opposition to new gun safety laws and appointing the kind of Supreme Court justices that would overturn the constitutional right to same-sex marriage, so this is a particularly heartwarming development.
Don’t do us any favors, Rubio.