Nationwide ‘No Kings’ rally has Republicans in disarray
The upcoming anti-authoritarian “No Kings” rally, which is scheduled to take place across the country on Saturday, including on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, has set off klaxons for Republican lawmakers, who are scrambling to mount a preemptive defense. While many GOP lawmakers are describing No Kings as an astroturfed political operation meant to benefit Democrats in the continuing government funding fight, some in party leadership are going further by branding it a pro-terrorism demonstration—an unambiguously false allegation meant, clearly, to get ahead of a potentially massive protest against the president.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said in a press conference last week, “This is about one thing and one thing only: To score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold—as Leader [Steve] Scalise just commented on—a ‘hate America’ rally in D.C. next week.”
In a Fox Business interview Tuesday morning, Emmer repeated the claim that the rally is anti-American, telling host Maria Bartiromo, “These guys are playing to the most radical, small, and violent base in the country. You’ll see them on Saturday on the Mall. They just do not love this country.”
But the most egregiously dishonest and inflammatory comments came from the top Republican in the House. “It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and, you know, the Antifa people,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News in an interview. “They’re all coming out. Some of the House Democrats are selling t-shirts for the event, and it’s being told to us that they won’t be able to reopen the government until after that rally because they can’t face their rabid base. I mean this is serious business hurting real people. . . . I’m beyond words.”
Not every Republican has gone to these extremes. Others have resorted to more typical varieties of political cynicism and rhetorical heavy-handedness. “If in fact they are waiting for this ‘No Kings’ protest, No Kings means no paychecks,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business on Monday. “No paychecks and no government.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made similar comments, saying that the rally’s organizers are giving more guidance to Senate Democrats than is Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Democrats want to wait for a big rally of a No Kings protest when the bottom line is: Who is running the show in the Senate?” Duffy said. “Chuck Schumer’s not running the show. The No Kings protesters or organizers are running the show.”
The idea that Democrats are waiting to cave on a deal to reopen the government until after the D.C. rally could perhaps make sense if you adopt a squintingly cynical view of politics. Senate Democrats I’ve heard from said that’s nonsense and reiterated that any deal is contingent on health policy concessions combined with good-faith negotiation. [Continue reading…]