On Jen Psaki’s MSNBC show, Democratic Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota praised Utah Governor Spencer Cox for “using his platform for good.” She even held up George W. Bush as an example of leadership.
Smith said:
“Remember when we had the tragedy of 9/11 and George Bush took the opportunity to say, do not hate your Muslim neighbors. Muslim is a faith of peace. That’s the leadership that we need in this country right now.”
That’s rich. Democrats spent eight years vilifying Bush — calling him illegitimate, a war criminal, even “Hitler.” They never had a good word to say about him while he was in office. Now that Bush is useful as a contrast to Trump, suddenly he’s their model of presidential leadership.
Psaki immediately chimed in:
“I mean, words are not violence, but words matter. And words from leaders matter. It is one of the most powerful things leaders can do in this moment. So I wanted to start the show that way. Let me just ask you, I mean, some of your colleagues in Congress said this week that they’re gonna be canceling upcoming public events out of concerns for their safety, which I find entirely understandable. How do you feel about your own safety? And what do you think members should be doing in this moment?”
Smith responded:
“What’s happening right now is the threat of physical violence and intimidation is causing people to feel like, to ask themselves genuinely, is it safe for me to go out? And of course, we see online the right is spewing, you know, calls for retaliation and a civil war and really, really violent rhetoric. So it’s understandable if people feel that the best thing for them to do is to stay inside. You think again about doing a big outdoor event and that is so corrosive to our democracy. If you aren’t able to see the people and be with the people that you represent, then it’s worse than just being intimidated or being afraid. It tears at the very fabric of our representative democracy.”
After Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a leftist, Tina Smith went on MSNBC and accused “the right” of “spewing calls for retaliation and a civil war and really, really violent rhetoric.” Instead of calming tensions, she used national television to vilify the Right as violent agitators. In doing so, Smith turned the assassination of a conservative leader into an opportunity to shift blame onto his own side, twisting the tragedy to smear the very people who were targeted. Meanwhile, the left is openly celebrating his assassination — exposing just how hollow their lectures about civility and democracy really are.
Psaki wrapped up by saying:
“It’s very much what makes politics and democracy engagement — people’s ability to talk to people who are running for office — so powerful in our country.”
But here’s the reality: the same people she holds up as examples of “democracy engagement” won’t even pick up the phone once they’re elected. The only time they make themselves available is when the cameras are rolling.