AMERICAN IDIOT
Trump Mocked for Misunderstanding ‘Cancel Culture’ – and How Bills Become Law
President Donald Trump is being ridiculed after posting a tweet claiming the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee will block a provision in the $741 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that strips the names of Confederate soldiers who fought against the United States in the Civil War from U.S. military bases. Trump, who is waging a racist battle to win re-election vehemently opposes removing their names.
The president is also getting some well-deserved ribbing for trying to jump on the bandwagon of conservative attacks on what they call “cancel culture,” without understanding what it actually means.
I spoke to highly respected (Chairman) Senator @JimInhofe, who has informed me that he WILL NOT be changing the names of our great Military Bases and Forts, places from which we won two World Wars (and more!). Like me, Jim is not a believer in “Cancel Culture”.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2020
The Senate version of the NDAA passed by an overwhelming 86-14. The House version passed by a similarly huge margin, 295-125.
Both the House and Senate margins are veto-proof, leading many to ask what Trump is talking about.
There’s little to no chance the provision to strip away the names of traitors to the union will be stripped out.
Noting that Chairman Inhofe “doesn’t have some special veto in the process,” CNN’s Jake Tapper responded to Trump’s tweet explaining how the process actually works:
Not sure what this means. The bill heads to conference committee where a bipartisan group from House/Senate negotiate it, then gets voted on again, then heads to Resolute Desk. But that provision is anticipated to survive. Inhofe doesn’t have some special veto in the process. https://t.co/avfhlCI6WQ
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 24, 2020
U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, put it more succinctly: Inhofe “doesn’t have magic powers to get rid of it.”
The Defense Budget passed with Veto proof majorities in both House and Senate. Senator Inhofe is one of many conferees to the Conference Committee he doesn’t have magic powers to get rid of it. The Confederate Generals lose….again. https://t.co/L1DjPI8iIs
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) July 24, 2020
Politico Congressional reporter Andrew Desiderio makes clear some are questioning if Trump understands how bills become law:
Does the president think that Jim Inhofe can single-handedly, retroactively amend a bill after passage?
The Senate passed the NDAA yesterday with a veto-proof supermajority.
The bill mandates that the Confederate names be removed within three years.https://t.co/EbjXyaFpFm
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) July 24, 2020
And it doesn’t look like Inhofe is disappointed with the bill:
Great news! The #FY21NDAA just passed the Senate with an overwhelming vote of 86-14! pic.twitter.com/cvTaLFGd2C
— Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) July 23, 2020
Others, meanwhile, focused on Trump wrongly invoking the “cancel culture” slur.
In short, cancel culture doesn’t apply to the dead. Cancel culture is how those respond to being held accountable for offensive opinions or beliefs – like supporting slave owners, white supremacists, and traitors to the republic.
Senator Snowball and you don’t think the Confederacy should be canceled? Well, of course not, because they owned other human beings, but the people they owned were Black human beings, so that wouldn’t bother you one bit.
— JRehling (@JRehling) July 24, 2020
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE someone ask Trump what “Cancel Culture” is— I need to see this!
— LE Mae (@WhoDatLisa) July 24, 2020
imagine being this proud of being on the side of traitors who fought against the united states and for the right to own people
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) July 24, 2020
Confederates were literally traitors who renounced their American citizenship and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in a brutal war against my country, fought because Confederates wanted to keep enslaving humans. (Sound familiar?)
— Michael Okuda (@MikeOkuda) July 24, 2020
1. You haven’t fought in ANY wars.
2. You insulted the POW’s who actually DID.
3. You don’t even give a damn about the soldiers who had bounties placed on their heads by Putin.We are CANCELING you in November, Spanky.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant Rep John Lewis! (@mmpadellan) July 24, 2020
Well Don, cancel “culture” is a fantasy made up by your GOP sycophants. Telling the truth is not erasure, it’s correction. What WILL happen is a mass cancellation of many GOP seats come Nov 3rd.
— Lee-Marie Bartow (@LeeLee2k) July 24, 2020
can’t believe that this is what trump thinks “cancel culture” is but ok.
— 🌵 (@tweetsbyteak) July 24, 2020
On the other hand, maybe Trump actually loves “cancel culture.”
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.