If there’s one thing we know about the Republican Party, it’s the fact that they have absolutely no shame when it comes to who they’re willing to attack. Quite frankly, pretty much no one is safe from their ire; even the beloved Ruth Bader Ginsburg was attacked by the Right not only in her final days on earth but after her heartbreaking death as well. The same goes for John Lewis and Elijah Cummings. Hell, even John McCain, who was on their side was no stranger to attacks from the GOP, both in life and posthumously. These people quite literally couldn’t give a fig less about basic human decency and respect, no matter who you are.
The Right made my point for me once again as they’ve recently set their sights on Democratic Representative Maxine Waters after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused Waters of condoning political violence when she said that supporters of racial justice and Black Lives Matter should be “more confrontational.”
Waters responded to the GOP’s criticism of her during an interview with The Grio today, in which she said the Right is attempting to “send a message” to white supremacists through their attacks against her.
“I am nonviolent,” the Democratic Rep. said in the interview. “Republicans will jump on any word, any line and try to make it fit their message and their cause for denouncing us and denying us, basically calling us violent… any time they see an opportunity to seize on a word, so they do it and they send a message to all of the white supremacists, the KKK, the Oath Keepers, the [Proud] Boys and all of that, how this is a time for [Republicans] to raise money on [Democrats’] backs.”
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Waters went on to tell the publication that she is “not worried that they’re going to continue to distort what I say.”
“This is who they are and this is how they act,” she explained before asserting, “And I’m not going to be bullied by them.”
“This is a time for [Republicans] to keep telling our constituents that [Democrats] are the enemy and they do that time and time again,” Rep. Waters went on. “But that does not deter me from speaking truth to power. I am not intimidated. I am not afraid, and I do what needs to be done.”
Waters was in Minnesota over the weekend, where reporters asked her about the ongoing trial for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is facing murder charges for the killing of George Floyd last May that ignited powerful protests across the nation.
“We’ve got to get more confrontational,” Waters told reporters, according to Fox News. “We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”
Should Chauvin be found not guilty, Waters said that she and others are “going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” before going on to add “We’ve got to get justice in this country, and we cannot allow these killings to continue.”
It was these remarks from Waters that McCarthy labeled as an endorsement of political violence.
“Maxine Waters is inciting violence in Minneapolis — just as she has incited it in the past,” McCarthy said in a tweet. “If Speaker Pelosi doesn’t act against this dangerous rhetoric, I will bring action this week.”
While I’m thoroughly disgusted by McCarthy and his fellow GOPers for this tone-deaf, gross statement, I’m far from surprised. And I don’t think Ms. Waters is either. However, she’s made it crystal clear that she will not back down. McCarthy needs to take note.
Featured image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore, under Creative Commons license 2.0
