Joy Reid was answering the questions instead of asking them last night, as she appeared as a guest on Lawrence O'Donnell's show to give her analysis on the events roiling the nation. She had some words in particular, though, for Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. Sen. Murkowski has seen these "brave" people like General Mattis speaking out against Trump's metastasizing authoritarianism in the wake of the protests surrounding the police killing of George Floyd, and decided she'd like to give "bravery" a little test run herself. You know, in her own special Murkowski way.
MURKOWSKI: When I saw General Mattis' comments yesterday I felt like perhaps we are getting to a point where we can be more honest with the concerns that we might hold internally and have the courage of our own convictions to speak up.
Oh, NOW she decides to be "honest" and try on that "courage" tiara she's been keeping in her closet?
Reid was thoroughly unimpressed, and had a little advice for her.
On what we are looking at today, the hyper-militarization of our police force is not new, but we have never had a president who has so openly wanted to luxuriate in changing himself from an American president into Kim Jong-un. And here we are. He wants to use that power, not just against Black people, not just against brown people and Indigenous people, but good morning, white America, he's willing to use military against YOUR kids. He's willing to use it against your sons and daughters because all he cares about is clinging to power. And it's pathetic and it would be hilarious if it weren't so terrifying.
If Lisa Murkowski isn't a microcosm for the larger white America Reid is talking to, I don't know who is. Not caring about an issue enough to speak out against it until it gets close enough to home to affect you? That's sounds about white.