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On Wednesday, shameless Republicans pretended to be horrified by the testimony of superstar gymnasts Simone Biles, Mckayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman in a Senate Judiciary hearing regarding the sexual abuse they endured at the hands of now disgraced Olympic doctor Larry Nasser–and the apathetic response they received from the FBI.
Hypocritically, many Republicans feigned outrage at the grotesque charges of child abuse and excoriated not only Nasser but the FBI’s mishandling of the case. But as in so many other things, the words of the Republicans ring hollow.
Republicans have always, and continue too, advocated a perverse ideology where white men have final say over the bodies of women–and all other people in America, especially non-whites. For example, think of the mass incarceration of African-Americans for drug usage.
As far as Republicans see it only white men have the right to sovereignty over their bodies.
And given the recent history of the Republicans, in protecting and aiding and abetting some of their political friends, who have been accused of sex crimes, why should we believe their speeches and pledges of concern to these accomplished female gymnasts?
Let’s revisit some recent history here that exposes these GOP phonies.
It wasn’t so long ago that many of these same Republicans voted on a party line basis to send Brett Kavanaugh to the highest court in the land: the U.S. Supreme Court–after he was credibly accused of sex abuse by several women. Wednesday, Republicans joined in on the chorus of condemnations regarding the inaction of the FBI. However, these same people agreed to a limited FBI investigation of the accusations against now Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh.
By their behavior, Republicans told us loud and clear that getting another judge on the U.S. Supreme Court was more important than whether Kavanaugh was a serial sex offender. That way he could rule, like he just did, to allow Texas Republicans to outlaw Roe v. Wade and legal abortion.
And what about their silence regarding the sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama Judge Roy Moore when he was running for a U.S. Senate seat?
Much evidence emerged to suggest that Moore was guilty of using his position as a prosecutor–and judge–to take sexual advantage of young girls and women. Yet these Republicans stood behind the Moore campaign for the U.S. Senate, which was also supported by Donald Trump–who, at last count, was accused by over two dozen women of sexual assault.
Republicans have protected all these men because of base political calculations. They have put party over common decency time and again.
They wanted Trump in the White House so they overlooked the accusations against him. And because Moore would’ve helped them in the U.S. Senate they remained silent when the charges were emerging against him.
And with Brett Kavanaugh, Republicans currently have the kind of conservative U.S. Supreme Court they always wanted–one which will rule on cases, like in the Texas abortion “law,” where women now have far less control over their own bodies.
