Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and as they do every year, politicians took to social media to honor the civil rights leader. Given that they disagree with almost everything King stood for, numerous Republicans found themselves getting roasted for having the audacity to share MLK quotes or write tributes claiming to have respect for his non-violent protests and the work he did to get equal rights for African Americans.
Vice President Pence was called out for a tweet referring to King as “a great American leader who inspired a movement & transformed a Nation.” Last October, he walked out a football game in response to football players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality against people of color, especially black Americans. If he was too disgusted to tolerate a peaceful demonstration to protest racism, it’s not hard to believe that he probably would’ve been the type of person who thought King’s protests weren’t respectable.
Congressman Steve King of Iowa, who’s got a long track record of saying racist things, shared an MLK quote and was promptly mocked for his hypocrisy. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arizona Sen. John McCain, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, and House Speaker Paul Ryan were also roundly ridiculed for pretending to admire King’s legacy.
Three months ago, you walked out of an event in disgust because of a non-violent protest by black athletes.https://t.co/TtD9C4sgIm
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— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) January 15, 2018
You held up a black woman's nomination until she died of cancer just to stick it to Obama. https://t.co/fxh20WDApc
— zeddy (@Zeddary) January 15, 2018
You defended your boss's racist "Pocahontas" comment.https://t.co/xPrildKwC2
— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) January 15, 2018
Six more minutes for Republicans who believe in literally nothing King stood for (universal healthcare, guaranteed income, voting rights, an end to war, unionization as a human right, confronting racism…) to tweet out MLK quotes and bland platitudes. Tick tock!
— Mkay (@JoyAnnReid) January 16, 2018
John McCain has an amazing knack for discovering his conscience at the precise moment when it could not matter any less https://t.co/WEgwB3wRpf
— Ian Boudreau (@iboudreau) January 16, 2018
1) You would have called for him to be fired. 2) You wouldn't have rented an apartment to him. 3) You call the people who actually keep his dream etched on their hearts ungrateful and disrespectful. 4) You spent today golfing. #ManySides https://t.co/UI5upEFhBc
— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) January 15, 2018
One month ago you tweeted "diversity is not our strength.â€https://t.co/OnBWHpYTeX
— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) January 15, 2018
MLK: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.†(1967)
Paul Ryan: “We must rebuild our military.â€
“[Medicare] is the biggest entitlement. It’s gotta be reformed.†https://t.co/FrcHTsbG9e
— Liam Hogan (@Limerick1914) January 15, 2018
MLK died while organizing the Poor People’s Campaign.
Paul Ryan wants to cut food stamps and Medicare.
DO NOT allow these cynical politicians to whitewash MLK, his message, or his legacy!! https://t.co/YFprIbbLau
— Petty Is Praxis (@rtyson82) January 15, 2018
Ted Cruz has said he wants a Senate with "100 more like Jesse Helms" — a man who filibustered against the Martin Luther King holiday, expressly arguing that King was a negative figure in American public life. https://t.co/xu21VEwz1B
— Eric Kleefeld (becoming a parody of myself) (@EricKleefeld) January 15, 2018
Three of the nine currently active members of Congress who voted against making Martin Luther King Jr. Daya national holiday, including Alaska Sen. Richard Shelby, Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson, and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, offered up disingenuous tributes as well.
Fortunately, the vast majority of the responses they received were of people reminding them of their own racism and of policies they’ve pushed that King would have been completely against.
