For a while many of us have been watching the racist and sexist antics of the GOP and asking ourselves if it can get any worse. Sadly—the answer seems to be yes. During the last decade we’ve watched them work themselves into a frenzy over the changing demographics of the country, a black president and his family and have watched as their out of control fear of an imaginary world in which straight white men suddenly lose all their power takes root in strange and deeply destructive ways. It was bad enough when their fear and hatred of the other was limited to fake Fox News stories and Obama memes but now they’ve “taken back” their government for all the world to see. And it ain’t pretty.
On Tuesday, Fox News provocateur and serial sexual harasser, Bill O’Reilly offered an incredibly lame, non-apology (or fauxpology) after insulting the brilliant and incomparable Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), not on the basis of her arguments or on her opinions, not about her astute political analysis, but instead about her hair. Then again, because we know that misogyny and sexual assault are not job disqualifiers among this crowd, the fact that O’Reilly couldn’t be bothered to remark on substance isn’t all that surprising. Waters, who remains completely undeterred and focused on the big picture (which is keeping laser focused on the Trump administration), responded as only she could in epic brilliance on All In with Chris Hayes.
"I'm a strong black woman. And I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined. I cannot be thought to be afraid of Bill O'Reilly or anybody." [...]
“I’d like to say to women out there everywhere, don’t allow these right-wing talking heads, these dishonorable people, to intimidate you or scare you. Be who you are! Do what you do! And let us get on with discussing the real issues of this country!”
Check out the entirety of Maxine’s full glory.
The behavior of the right is pretty embarrassing. Their president’s approval ratings are already in the toilet after that disastrous Trumpcare fiasco and they have virtually no credibility with anyone outside of their base. You’d think that Bill, the GOP, and Fox & Friends might want to at least try to build some good faith at this point and do something positive. But … nah. Why do anything positive? And hell, why stop with denigrating one black woman when there’s a country full of them to abuse—in full range of the public?
Which brings us to veteran White House reporter April Ryan. Of course, you already know her name since Donald Trump asked her last month if she was friends with the Congressional Black Caucus and if she could set up a meeting with them on his behalf. Why this administration seems to especially have it out for April, who knows? But hostile is the only possible word that can come to mind when Sean Spicer addresses her in the press briefings. On Tuesday, Spicer went in on Ryan when she asked a question about the administration attempting to revamp its image.
"You've got the Yates story today, you've got other things going on, you've got Russia, you've got wiretapping," Ryan said.
"No, we don't have that," Spicer replied.
"You have investigations on Capitol Hill," Ryan began.
"No, no, I get it. But you keep — I've said it from the day that I got here until whatever, that there is no connection. You've got Russia," Spicer interrupted. "If the President puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight somehow that's a Russian connection."
He accused Ryan of having an "agenda."
"Oh, hold on. At some point report the facts," Spicer said. "The facts are that every single person who has been briefed on this subject has come away with the same conclusion, Republican, Democrat, so I'm sorry that that disgusts you. You're shaking your head."
It case it’s not clear—Sean Spicer is incredibly abusive as is his buddy Bill O’Reilly. Women of all colors are used to men putting them down in the workplace but this is especially true of professional black women. Notice that we can’t even do our jobs in a public forum without being told by white men that out hair is ugly or that we are angry. Never mind that we have offered legitimate critiques of this administration. Never mind that these nasty white men are actually the ones who are angry. They are angry, bitter, evil men who are sending our country right to hell with their antiquated views and desire to take us back to the Stone Age. And of course, conservatives say that the above incidents have nothing to do with race, or gender for that matter. And they love to call us progressives “snowflakes” who are overly sensitive and can’t take a joke. But these remarks are a part of a larger, more disturbing racist pattern which shows us exactly how scared of change and progress they are. As Maxine Waters reminds us, we need to get on with discussing the issues of importance of this country. But while we are doing that, let’s also not forget that the right’s fear and loathing of the other are part of what brought us to this place and that can’t be ignored, either.