Each time an operative of the Republican Party opens their mouth, they say something which reveals their inherent hypocrisy. Case in point: Mr. Foghorn Leghorn in the flesh...Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, our esteemed Attorney General.
Republicans just love to tout their beliefs that "state's rights" are paramount. It is one of their "platforms"--sacrosanct and inviolate. Invariably, it is made clear that this view is only true when it comes to "red" issues and red states, and this is why they are such blatant hypocrites. Sessions is no exception. He is fine with individual states deciding whether transgender people can be discriminated against, but insists that the federal government must legislate marijuana laws. He claims voter fraud is a significant problem and supports Voter ID laws, but supports the DOJ reversing its claim that the Texas Voter ID law was intentionally discriminatory. It is hypocrisy.
Leghorn recently expressed "amazement" that a federal judge "on an island in the Pacific" can block a Presidential edict--the travel ban that, please remember, isn't a ban even though the current occupier of the Office of President specifically called it a ban. Many are rightfully upset over this comment.
Crazy as it sounds, the conventional wisdom is that Hawaii is one of the 50 states. As such, Hawaii has a right, just like the other 49 in the Union, to act when it deems actions by the federal government are unconstitutional. Being "out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean" does not strip Hawaii of that right. Those of us who live in Hawaii know that there is a general feeling that we simply don't matter to the rest of the country in the grand scheme of things. It is part of the reason voter turnout is so low here. National elections are frequently called well before our polls even close. We are some appendage which comes to mind only when people want to get away from the insanity on the mainland during a vacation, and many people come here acting as if we aren't even part of the country. In the wake of District Judge Derrick Watson's actions, people on the mainland have expressed rather arrogant pleas to boycott Hawaii. This is a direct affront to the rights of this state and the people of this state to have a substantive say on matters affecting the country.
To put it bluntly, the State of Hawaii doesn't matter to these people.
Leghorn's comment was most certainly dismissive of Hawaii. Senators Schatz and Hirono were quite correct in calling him out. Consider this: how much do you want to bet that if this had been a judge in the heartland, Leghorn would not have referred to a judge "out in some cornfield?" Or a judge "out in some coal mine?" Such language would have been seen for what it is. Not only would he not dare do such a thing, but others in the Republican Party would be quick to castigate him for such comments, saying that he was disrespecting "the fine people of the heartland of this great nation."
A bunch of people on a island out in he middle of the Pacific, though...who cares? In fact, conservative radio host Mark Levin, who did the interview with Leghorn in which this offensive comment was made, has called Senator Mazie Hirono an "idiot" and a "knucklehead" for having the audacity to complain, and called into question the wisdom of having people like her voting "on every issue that matters to the rest of us." The rest of us? Does he mean actual American citizens?
In a CNN interview, Kate Bolduan gave Leghorn the clear opportunity to apologize and rephrase, after reading Senator Schatz' Twitter reaction. In response, Leghorn assured us that Hawaii is a great state. After all, his grand-daughter was born here, so he wouldn't denigrate Hawaii.
Yes, and I suppose he knows many "colored" people as well, some of whom he may have even deigned to speak to without using the word "boy" and ordering them to shine his shoes or pick cotton for him, all of which makes him not a racist. Who cares if his grand-daughter was born here? Should we ask to see her birth certificate for proof?
Let's be quite clear: if Sessions had an issue with a single judge "out of 600 or 700" issuing a halt, he should have said that from the start. He didn't. Instead, he cast his dismay in terms of the geographic location of the state. The intent of the comment was quite clear...Hawaii does not matter when it comes to issues of "national" importance. Under no circumstances can we accept this kind of view or repeated behavior of this type.
The problem here is that people like Sessions don't think before they speak. Just as is the case with their current standard bearer, they speak off the top of their head, and reveal the ineffable emptiness inside.