The conversation around Critical Race Theory, misguided from the start, has become increasingly volatile on the Republican side of the fence in recent months.
Many state GOPs are wasting time and money to ban the teaching of CRT in grades K-12—something no school has been shown to teach or use in their curriculum.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri attempted to lend his voice to the growing chorus of politicians condemning the topic to gain support from a White supremacist, White nationalist base. In the speech Hawley gave against CRT, he attempted to invoke Martin Luther King, Jr.
It did not go well.
Critical race theory says America is oppressive and our future will be defined by racial division & strife. I reject that prophecy of America\u2019s future. I take my stand on the goodness of the American people. I take my stand on hopepic.twitter.com/a3TcafG0Ls— Josh Hawley (@Josh Hawley) 1624381630
His speech was against now-head of Biden's Office of Personnel Management, Kiran Ahuja, who was confirmed with a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Hawley invoked a very famous line by Dr. King in his speech:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
But many Twitter users called out the invoked phrase as a bad faith argument.
Sen. Hawley says he's concerned that Kiran Ahuja is "a disciple of radical critical theorists," and that as the federal government's HR director, "she could use her platform to promote radical ideologies that seek to divide, rather than unite the American people."pic.twitter.com/tsVXgGBeOt— The Post Millennial (@The Post Millennial) 1624378125
Josh Hawley said today he was worried that folks might have the belief this was a country founded in racism. Who wants to tell him?— NoelCaslerComedy (@NoelCaslerComedy) 1624402985
This guy let A SITTING PRESIDENT WALK FOR TREASON \u2014 A LITERAL ATTACK ON THE NATION\u2019S CAPITOL TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT\u2014 and he has the gall to lecture America on its history, after his supporters beat cops with America flags while trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power??— Luke Zaleski (@Luke Zaleski) 1624452021
He\u2019s \u201cworried\u201d? \nNo. We\u2019re worried about him.\nNever forget January 6th.pic.twitter.com/3NXSY16MqX— Millie Cassese \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9 (@Millie Cassese \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9) 1624385034
Um....Senator? @HawleyMO ? Is Wiki wrong? "In an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. ..."— mike pod (@mike pod) 1624414799
Of course, teaching honestly about the less pleasant parts of United States history in schools is not teaching Critical Race Theory, which one user noted.
"It never ceases to amaze me how quickly conservatives can whip their base into a frenzy by creating a bogeyman out of an obscure academic theory, mostly taught in graduate and doctoral courses."
Goodness of American people? Here are your \u201cgood\u201d people. You are an insurrectionist and history will remember you as such.pic.twitter.com/blLdgDrexM— Jim Snow (@Jim Snow) 1624381756
What\u2019s really oppressive is folks trying to overthrow the Republic and end American democracy.— AJBell (@AJBell) 1624382408
Critical Race Theory is a graduate school elective course. It is not taught in K-12. I have no problem with teaching children in school the history of slavery, racism and white supremacy in school. Why would you?— TAGOhio (@TAGOhio) 1624382023
Man who rejects \u201cracial division and strife\u201d salutes white supremacist insurrectionists with raised fist of brotherhoodpic.twitter.com/zvPJH3mkc6— Jeff Yang (@Jeff Yang) 1624394383
Senator Hawley, along with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, were both cited as inciting insurrectionists during the January 6 riot at the Capitol in Washington, DC.
Several members of Congress publicly called for the resignation or expulsion of Republican Senators Hawley and Cruz.
pic.twitter.com/f4iLjh3cof— #RIPGOP \u2122 (@#RIPGOP \u2122) 1624393371
Reminder that Josh Hawley tweeted this on 01/05/2021.\n\nYes, he's left it up even though it's basically an admission of guilt.https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1346651779874873344\u00a0\u2026— Jeanne Burch B.A.S., B.S., A.S. (@Jeanne Burch B.A.S., B.S., A.S.) 1624398473
Josh Hawley represents a state that was literally created as a slave state as a result of the Missouri Compromise of 1820https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1407397253371867138\u00a0\u2026— Michael Li \u674e\u4e4b\u6a38 (@Michael Li \u674e\u4e4b\u6a38) 1624451622
Josh Hawley wants everyone to know that he's a racist AND a traitor— Palmer Report (@Palmer Report) 1624398413
Josh Hawley said he puts his hope in the goodness of the American people.\n\nOn Jan. 6th, I saw the type of people he thinks are good.\n\nHard pass from me!— Brian O'Sullivan (@Brian O'Sullivan) 1624397574
As Republican rhetoric continues to dominate time and resources in the country's legislatures, Senator Hawley and his ilk continues to spin threads in bad faith while failing to address real issues facing their constituents.
The Bulwark
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