My newest hero is Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA.) He graciously yielded the floor to Matt Gaetz, when discussing the topic of police reform. Gaetz then proceeded to pick a fight and then Richmond took back the floor and let Gaetz have it. Thank God this is on tape. This is elegant. Richmond never lost his cool for a moment and he totally undercut Gaetz’ usual childish antics, which one can only presume was aimed at becoming a Fox News soundbite. Generally speaking, when the likes of Gaetz, Jim Jordan, or Devin Mad Cow Nunes open their traps, an appearance on the ten o’clock news is the goal and the procedure is:
1.Disrespect the office they were elected to,
2. disrespect the topic on the floor,
3. provide something cringe worthy enough to excite the base.
I don’t think this will end up on Fox, but you be the judge.
This is only a little over two minutes. It starts with Richmond talking about “unconscious bias” which could “at worst” be “conscious bias.” That drew Gaetz to ask for the floor and say, “I appreciate your passion. Are you suggesting that you’re certain none of us have non-white children? Because you reflected on your black son…” said Gaetz. And then it went off the rails until Gaetz pounded the table and cried out, “Who the hell do you think you are?”
What on earth made Matt Gaetz think he could take on The Gentleman From Louisiana lmao?!? pic.twitter.com/cOe3ci1nSI
— Maya Harris (@mayaharris_) June 17, 2020
Richmond is a gentleman and Gaetz is a contentious cracker. That’s the size of it.
This is no big deal by today’s standards. because in the era of Trump, the bottom has fallen out of civil discourse, even in Congress. In early spring of 2017, John McCain made headlines when he confronted Rand Paul openly and said, “The Senator from Kentucky is working for Vladimir Putin,” over a dispute whether Montenegro should be admitted to NATO. If you look at the clip today, it’s nothing, compared to what we have seen in Congress since that time. The erosion of our norms is tragic, and it is a product of the age of Trump.
Matt looked like he could use a drink. I am a white man with a black child & have been in two different black families, and I can say I don’t know what it’s like to walk out the door and have the world on my neck.
Gaetz is totally out of his league now. He got the nasty style when the issue was the Mueller report and Ukraine, all of that. This is a totally different kettle of fish and he’s too stupid to see it. I think he may shoot himself in the foot. I hope he does.
My brother has a black son-in-law, and he’s aware of how cops treat black men.
Matty Gaetz just keeps on jumping head-long into these battle of wits completely unarmed. Someone should do the guy a favor and clue the dumbass in.
*smirk*
He loves being a mainstay on Fox News. He doesn’t get that since the George Floyd protests, the American conversation has changed and his belligerence is not playing out like it used to. The faux outrage that Doug Collins and Lindsey Graham and Gaetz and all of them used doesn’t play when the topic is systemic racism. They don’t get it.
I feel like now is the time for white people to listen. You can’t listen when you are arguing and being belligerent. The current class of repubs aren’t trying to listen or hear anything. In the end, they may try to make a few superficial concessions to try and smooth this thing over. I don’t think that will work this time either.
Cheryl, I agree. I am gobsmacked by how these Republicans can continue down this road of outrage over issues involving racism. They are so clueless, you can smell them a mile away. They can’t stop being angry long enough to listen to anybody. tRump has created this culture and I wonder too (as Bareshark said) how they will even function in a post- tRump world.
Wonder how clowns like Gaetz are going to adapt–or fail to adapt–to a post-Trump world?
Another DUI.
Matt Gaetz is an Idiot , he’s a joke . He and Gym Jordan and his other two buddies are a joke ….they don’t know what they’re doing half the time . They all need to go !