(John Ransom, Headline USA) Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s former labor secretary, is in the dog house with social media users on both sides of the political aisle, after apparently calling on Democrats to attack Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., with the back of their hands because she failed to support breaking the filibuster.
“Tonight, Republican senators lined up to shake Kyrsten Sinema’s hand,” Reich wrote in a since-deleted tweet, according to Fox News. “Democratic senators should have given her the backs of their hands.”
Reich subsequently deleted the tweet, claiming that the Twitter post promoting either real or literary violence against Sinema was used by conservatives to gang up on him.
“Last night I deleted a tweet because it was widely misinterpreted and distorted by conservative media,” said Reich by way of explanation.
Oh this one? pic.twitter.com/sheBtCcZwT
— Nick (@BawseNick) January 20, 2022
But that explanation didn’t square with many who said the threat to Sinema is real in the extra-charged political environment.
“Reich’s inflammatory comment comes amid weeks and months of anger directed at the female Arizona senator,” noted Mediaite, “including her being stalked in public places, called names, and even chased into a bathroom by activists filming and taunting her.”
Twitter users also weren’t forgiving.
“Just admit it…” Beth Baumann said to Reich’s non-apology that blamed conservatives, “you hate women, conservative media, and women IN conservative media.”
Reich himself has been known to chastise violent rhetoric on Twitter, especially when used against women.
Another Twitter user posted a comparison of Reich’s tweets that call on men to not use “violent language’ against women and his screed against Sinema.
Reich previously denounced representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for calling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a “little communist,” claiming, with others in the liberal media, that the phrase was likely to inspire an assault against the socialist congresswoman from New York.
“Leave it to Kevin McCarthy to be more outraged about Liz Cheney telling the truth about a presidential election than Marjorie Taylor Greene inciting violence against her colleagues,” Reich tweeted about the incident.
