Well, that didn’t take long. After President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, there were some media figures who held their tongue for at least a few hours. But the hot takes were bound to come and now they are flowing.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes decided to get in on the act by suggesting that Amy Coney Barrett attending a Rose Garden ceremony is somehow proof that she lacks the judgement to be a Supreme Court judge.
Call me crazy, but it seems to me that to be a good judge, you need to have good judgment? Participating in a super spreader event that contravenes local DC law and CDC guidance doesn’t strike me as good judgment.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) October 3, 2020
To start, what exactly is the insinuation here as far as this being a “super spreader event?” Was that on the invitations? How was anyone supposed to know that there would be an outbreak? Has Chris decried other outdoor events, such as protests? You know the answer to that.
Calling this a super spreader event is simply hind-sight. It’s not valuable in judging anything about the event at the time it was happening. It’s certainly not valuable in trying to disqualify a judicial nominee you don’t like.
Of course, because this is 2020, there’s a counter to everything. In this case, Chris forgot something very important given his criticism and was reminded of it.
RBG officiated a wedding in August https://t.co/zHJceACVQO
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) October 3, 2020
If you’ll recall at the time, liberals were freaking out over the possibility that RBG had been exposed to something.
exposing an 87 year old woman who is being treated for cancer to possible infections isn’t the flex you think it is https://t.co/I3dvvdTQgr
— felon degeneres (@rosebyrnes) September 1, 2020
Congrats, but also this was incredibly reckless & I’m furious that RBG put her health at risk, JFC.
— Serenity Now! (@Cpo10za) September 1, 2020
Lol thinking about all the rights that are dependent on RBG staying alive and how many lives would be immiserated by her death… Then thinking about risking all that for a photo lmao
— Ted, RN, BSN. 🇭🇹 (@teddylj) September 1, 2020
Instead of blaming RBG, most of the left blamed the guy who put up the wedding photo, as if him merely posting it had put her life at risk. She had made the decision to be there though. Was she not fit for the court for attending a possible “super-spread” event without a mask? According to Chris Hayes’ logic, the answer is yes, she should have resigned immediately.
But he offered no criticism of RBG’s decision at the time because this isn’t really about judgement. It’s just a partisan desperately flailing about to stop a Supreme Court nomination he disapproves of.
(Please follow me on Twitter! @bonchieredstate)
