Sarah Huckabee Sanders, GOP nominee for the governor of Arkansas, was trending on Sunday for continuing a tradition of hypocrisy that I would’ve hoped peaked when she was White House Press Secretary for former President Donald Trump. It didn’t. Footage of promises the Arkansas Republican made just one month ago began to circulate on social media in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court reversing Roe v. Wade, in essence delivering the kind of blow to reproductive rights that will likely criminalize healthcare and devastate those seeking to terminate their pregnancies for years to come.
”We will make sure that when a kid is in the womb, they’re as safe as they are in a classroom (...),” Sanders said.
RELATED STORY: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending abortion rights for millions
Majid Padellan, a blogger and influencer who goes by "Brooklyn Dad" responded to the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with a list of cities that experienced mass shootings in schools. “Uvalde, Parkland, Sandy Hook, and Columbine families would like a word,” Padellan tweeted.
And he was hardly the only social media user to point out how out-of-touch the gubernatorial hopeful seemed.
Social media response underscores what Democrats have been urging for years and especially since leaked and now confirmed news of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. That is to counter GOP efforts to rip apart our democracy by showing up at the polls and electing representatives who will defend this country.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the Supreme Court's decision is not just "a crisis of Roe." "This is a crisis of our democracy," she said. "The Supreme Court has dramatically overreached its authority.”
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted on Friday: "We are not powerless. Here’s what I’m fighting for: Expanding our Senate majority so we can eliminate the filibuster & codify Roe. Expanding the Supreme Court to rebalance this institution. Defending abortion rights in states through ballot measures and downballot elections."
Rep. Maxine Waters tweeted:
“This is only the beginning of an extreme Republican agenda to take away our personal freedoms, from abortion to contraception, to marriage equality to personal safety. #WeWontGoBack!
As a Member of Congress, I'm proud to have voted to protect abortion access. Today's SCOTUS decision makes it even more clear: we need federal protections for reproductive health.I am committed to continuing this FIGHT: in Congress, in the streets, and at the Ballot Box!”
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director counsel emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, made a passionate plea to restructure "for an improved system." She tweeted:
"The reason you can’t think of a way out of this democratic free fall is b/c we need radical structural reform to the functioning of all 3 branches of govt in this country. Extremists have found the keys to gaming & hijacking the system - in Congress, the White House, & SCOTUS.
We have witnessed the vulnerability of the rules that govern each branch of govt. which have been weaponized to herd us toward minority rule. Do we have the boldness & courage to reset the rules of govt so that they serve democracy? Cause that’s the project. It begins w/power.”
