The race card found a permanent home on MSNBC, and a pair of extremist mouthpieces played it to the hilt on Friday. Host Joy Reid and The Nation’s justice correspondent Elie Mystal whipped it out when discussing the utter failure of Colorado attorneys before the U.S. Supreme Court last week.
The state attempted to strip former President Donald Trump from its primary ballots, and now it must defend itself before the high court.
That went poorly, to say the least. But Reid and Mystal quickly reverted to default mode to blame racism for the lackluster reception to the state’s case.
Reid commented that “states’ rights” are en vogue when the issue is abortion or redistricting. But she charged that states apparently are not allowed to declare Trump an insurrectionist.
The host asked Mystal, “Do you find that stuff ironic too, Elie?” She of course ignored that insurrection is a federal crime that does not fall under a state’s jurisdiction — that would deflate the entire argument.
Supreme Court about to flush this Colorado turd down the crapper. DEI hires act as predictably as the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.
Reid, Mystal Accuse SCOTUS of Racism amid Trump Ballot Case https://t.co/U9dfePvND9
— where there’s a WiLL There’s a WaVe (@WhereWave) February 11, 2024
Mystal replied, “It’s almost like the states’ rights argument was invented by White supremacist patriarchs to allow the states to keep Black people and women under control and that’s the only thing the argument is good for.”
Again, the Constitution is clear that eligibility to become president is in the federal domain.
For good measure, Reid dove into the historical records by recalling Florida’s role in the contentious 2020 presidential election.
The pair’s ire was directed at the Supreme Court for its obvious skepticism over Colorado’s claim to be able to determine who may run for president.
On Thursday, justices asked how allowing a single state to determine the candidacy of a presidential contender would not lead to an “unmanageable situation” for the U.S.
Arguments for the first time in the nation’s history were heard by the high court over Article 3 of the 14th Amendment — the insurrection clause.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh seemed to speak for his colleagues when he noted that the court faced “difficult questions.” He asked concerning insurrection, “How do you define it? Who decides? Who decides whether someone engaged in it?”
Chief Justice John Roberts questioned Colorado attorney Jason Murray about the fallout of the state erasing Trump from the ballot. He observed that “a goodly number of states will say whoever the Democrat is, you’re off the ballot.”
That, he noted, would allow a small number of states to determine the presidential election. Roberts added, “That’s a pretty severe consequence.”
