You probably recall the image of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) raising a fist to pro-Trump protesters on the day of the Capitol insurrection and riots in January. That image has now earned Hawley a truly devastating nickname from the progressive political action committee VoteVets, which debuted their moniker as part of an online ad they posted Thursday.
Josh Hawley, VoteVets insists, should now be referred to as “Hate Crimes Hawley.”
Why? Because Hawley was the only senator who voted against the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, a piece of legislation designed to combat hate crimes against Asian-Americans. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Thursday at the White House.
The VoteVets ad reminds viewers that Hawley kicked off his bid for the Senate in 2018 with a blatantly racist television spot, HuffPost reports:
“The video also notes that Hawley’s first political ad ‘was a xenophobic attack on Asians’ and that his role model is ex-President Donald Trump, whose incendiary rhetoric has been linked to an uptick in anti-Asian hate.”
Hate crimes against the #AAPI community have been rising, including against veterans. Yet, @HawleyMO is the ONLY senator to vote AGAINST the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. He doesn’t even try to hide his white supremacy.
It’s clear HATE is his brand.#HateCrimesHawley #StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/6Fo6RKZ1SV
— VoteVets (@votevets) May 20, 2021
Twitter users also had some thoughts on Hawley’s newly-minted nickname:
Very powerful.
Congrats Hawley – way to carve out a differentiator for yourself. Hope you enjoy the media attention.— Bryan Boyne (@bryanboyne) May 20, 2021
“Hate Crime Hawley” … spot on.
— P Walnutz (@bianchirider702) May 20, 2021
Lying, hate, narcissistic.
— Linda (@kakanicat) May 20, 2021
There are rumors that Hawley plans to seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. That seems likely, but it remains to be seen if someone as blatantly bigoted and self-unaware as the Missouri senator can actually rise to the top of the GOP. Then again, it worked for Donald Trump, so maybe the GOP has finally found its raison d’être: Wholesale hatred for the masses.
Featured Image Via Screenshots