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Members of the media and Democrats were quick to berate Republicans who hailed the legacy of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday, attacking them as cynics and hypocrites.
It is traditional for public figures to honor King on the Federal Day holiday marking his Jan. 15, but it has also become traditional for liberals to castigate conservatives for doing so on a day that is adopted by many Americans as a call to unity.
Democratic candidate for the US Senate from Iowa Theresa Greenfield mocked her 2020 opponent Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, for sharing a tribute to King on Twitter. Greenfield wrote: “Is that you girl?” and included a gif of Ernst saying during a debate that she didn’t believe systemic racism existed in the state.
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After White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted a tribute to King as a “hero,” CNN’s Jake Tapper quickly passed on a quote from a “former senior administration official” criticizing her anonymously for “lack of self-awareness”.
Other media figures joined her, including outspoken journalist Brian Karem, who called her a “traitor”.
Rolling Stone’s Jamil Smitth re-shared a New Republic article he wrote in 2016, berating politicians on the left and right for claiming King’s mantle, tweeting that he supported him.
All the while, Republicans are tweeting flowery statements on MLK Day and even insisting that King was one of them, unaware that the GOP is a different party today than it is. ‘was then and that King would likely oppose their policies fervently, “Smith wrote at the time. “It’s almost as boring to see white [sic] left-wing politicians proclaim their allegiance to King – and sometimes their presence at one of his marches – as a substitute for substantial platforms of racial justice. “
An editorial in the Daily Beast was less subtle, with the headline “Republicans, keep Dr. King’s name out of your mouth”. Writer Ernest Owens lambasted GOP members who invoked King’s calls for peace and reconciliation during the impeachment proceedings against President Trump last week. Trump was ultimately impeached over an article inciting insurgency after a crowd of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a deadly melee and disrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
“While shocking every time, Republicans militarily citing King’s words and ideals to defend their problematic ways are nothing new,” he wrote.
Molly Jong-Fast, left-wing editor of The Daily Beast and Twitter expert, was quick to respond to Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., after calling on the country to live King’s vision.
Liberal media Recount tweeted a video accusing Republicans of being hypocritical for criticizing the Black Lives Matter protests while invoking King’s message of peace. Others said all Republicans involved in President Trump’s effort to undo his 2020 election defeat to President-elect Joe Biden were trying to strip black voters of their rights and would oppose King’s plea if he was still alive.
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Ricochet editor Jon Grabiel summed it up: “Every day of MLK on Twitter: asking who’s allowed to share their quotes and which quotes they’re allowed to share.”
Although almost universally admired now for his civil rights heritage, King was a controversial figure throughout his life before he was assassinated in 1968.
He preached civil disobedience to fight segregation and institutionalized discrimination, and he organized famous public protests and movements like the 1963 March on Washington and the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. Some of his most popular speeches famous include his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech and his 1967 call to tackle the three “evils” of racism, poverty and war.
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Tim Graham of the Media Research Center told Fox News that the left has called any praise of King hypocritical by his political opposition.
“Maybe MLK Day is a day when they should let everyone honor historic accomplishments and save anger for all the other days,” Graham said.
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