In 2020, the voters of the State of Rhode Island formally dropped “Providence Plantations” from the name of the state. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D, RI) still thinks he gets to live like he is on a plantation.
The progressive Democrat is, with his wife, a member of an all white country club in which his wife is a major shareholder. When confronted, Senator Whitehouse declared that these are part of a “long tradition” in Rhode Island and has no interest in walking away.
Were a Republican Senator to maintain an interest in or be part of an all white country club, the national press corps would be shoving microphones in Republicans’ faces demanding to know if they stood by the senator. It is really telling the media is mostly quiet on this matter.
There must be one standard. If there is one for Democrats and another for Republicans (there is currently a double standard) then one side will treat the matter of segregation less seriously while the other will use it only to punish their opponents. They will make the issue political.
In fact, the media seems quite complicit on this issue right now. The Washington Post is running a video series that tries to push white people to embrace their whiteness as a racial definer of their person. The national press is turning a blind eye to the trend among CRT proponents of seeking to segregate races while ridiculing conservatives for pointing it out.
This is a dangerous game that, like with the partisan press ignoring Whitehouse, will force more tribalism in the country not less. But it is not the only double standard that makes us demonstrably more tribal.
In 2016 and thereafter roughly 60% of Democrats claimed President Trump had, with the help of the Russians, stolen the election. Now, after 2020, roughly 60% of Republicans think the Democrats stole the election.
We’ve reached the age of tit for tat. But the history of the media allowing Democrats a loose command of reality goes back to 2000. George W. Bush won the election and Democrats were convinced Halliburton stole the election. They were again convinced of fraud in the election in 2004 with Bush getting over 50% of the vote.
Each time Republicans win, Democrats claim voter suppression or a stolen election. To this day, the media allows Stacey Abrams of Georgia to claim the 2018 election was stolen.
But the media was adamant Republicans must embrace the truth of Trump’s defeat after November of 2020 and after January 6, 2021, dogmatically insists every Republican renounce the events of that day or else.
Or else what?
Part of the double standard is a rage from the left, reflected in the media, that try as they might they just cannot finish off the GOP. Their greatest talking point has been that only once since 1988 has the GOP won the popular vote for the presidency. It is true, but also not how the system works.
In fact, the left via the press tends pretty regularly to discredit the way the system works. The country is now systemically racist. The Electoral College and Senate are racist institutions. The police are racist. Everything and everyone is racist — except Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Providence Planations who is a member of an all white country club. But then he has a “D” next to his name, which operates as a shield from press criticism.
The election was stolen has been a Democrat talking point for years now adopted wholesale and with gusto by the GOP. Only now is the media industrial complex upset. You really think the media and left turning a blind eye to Sheldon Whitehouse’s all white country club while telling Republicans they’re racist is going to end well?
The elections were not stolen.
Racism is bad.
The country is not systemically racist.
The Electoral College and Senate are not racist institutions.
In the 21st century in Rhode Island, the custom of all white country clubs should die and Sheldon Whitehouse should quit them or the Senate.
I can say all those things. A lot of people cannot based on their tribalism. And the last one pretty much everyone will agree with, but one tribe will do their best to be quiet about it. That’s part of the problem.
Truth still matters.
Why is it that those on the Right still think that pointing out the hypocrisy of the Left will have the effect of causing shame and thus reform? You can not shame or embarrass a person, organization, publication or whatever that has no standards (beyond winning) or morals. It has never worked and no argument will ever change this fact.
Ironic that a state that remained with the Union has a discriminatory club like this...