Jasmine Crockett Isn’t A Hardboiled, Film Noir Detective
It’s OK to ask that she not mock the disabled.
Democratic House Rep. Jasmine Crockett from Texas received some pushback last week when she called Gov. Greg Abbott “Governor Hot Wheels” at a Human Rights Campaign dinner. Abbott has used a wheelchair since 1984 when an oak tree fell on him when he was jogging after a storm.
“Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there!” she said. “Come on! And the only thing hot about him is that he’s a hot-ass mess!”
The crowd seemingly enjoyed the zinger, even though the joke didn’t exactly promote human rights. (Watch below.)
Greg Abbott is not a bad model for how someone can thrive in the world with a disability. Unfortunately, he’s also a loathsome human being, which is more relevant politically than his wheelchair use.
Crockett could’ve blamed her remarks on the poor choice to combine alcohol with a non-Lumon medication, but instead, she borrowed from the MAGA playbook and insisted that she wasn’t actually talking about Abbott’s disability. “What disability?” you might ask if you were especially gullible.
“I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable,” she posted on social media.
This explanation strains credulity. “Hot Wheels” doesn’t track with Abbott’s callous actions, which aren’t, you know, funny. Crockett should’ve gone with “Governor Human Trafficking.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has done the same thing, and if Crockett called him “Governor Hot Wheels,” it’s doubtful anyone would know what she’s talking about. Maybe it’s a dated Miami Vice reference? Her name is Crockett. Regardless, it’s confusing.
Besides, it’s probably not ideal to give someone a jokey nickname when discussing their blatant human rights violations. “Have you guys heard the latest about Chancellor Mustache? Man, what will he do next? Seriously, we should probably think about stopping him. Tip your waitresses!”
Predictably, Crockett’s remarks generated some “at long last have you no decency”” proclamations from Republicans who consider “decency” a DEI initiative. House Rep. Randy Weber has filed a censure resolution against Crockett. (Weber is from Friendswood, Texas, one of those ironically named towns where minorities worry about their car breaking down.)
“When we start calling each other names or other elected officials’ names, God help us!” Weber said, unconcerned about stray lightning bolts. “We’ve got to put a stop to this, and that’s the other reason I filed this. It doesn't matter whether it's Republicans or whether it's Democrats — if they're calling each other names like that calling out in public, there’s no place for it.”
This also strains credulity, which will need an ice pack at this rate. I get why Crockett’s defenders have protested over the backlash. Republicans like Weber support convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump, who regularly hurls personal insults at his political opponents, but if Democrats respond in kind, Republicans gasp in horror while appealing to one-sided rules of decorum.
However, this doesn’t mean that Democrats should resort to personal attacks that disparage people based on physical differences — even if the target is odious like Abbott. During a House committee hearing last year, Crockett referred to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “bleach-blond, bad-built butch body,” a term I can recite from memory thanks to all the fundraising emails centered around it. “Butch” is a slang term for a “lesbian who exhibits a masculine identity or gender presentation.” Although the queer community has reclaimed the term, it’s a longstanding homophobic slur for any lesbian or woman who doesn’t fit heterocentric standards of appearance. Crockett clearly was using “butch” in the latter sense.
Many liberals have argued online that it’s unfair that Republicans can mock queer people, ethnic minorities, women, fat people, and the disabled, but Democrats can’t. I guess I’m wondering why Democrats would want to do this. Acting like Donald Trump or some other gross bigot is not a personal ambition for me.
I do think that mainstream Democrats are too obsessed with norms and institutions that have mostly failed us, but I don’t place the filibuster or the blue slip in the same category as basic human decency. I also don’t think “more fat jokes” is the secret to Democrats flipping Texas.
Liberals who defend these cheap shots don’t really want Democrats to become hardboiled detectives from film noir, like Ralph Meeker’s Mickey Spillane in the classic Kiss Me Deadly, who’s only slightly better than the villains in the movie. These stories depicted a world where everyone’s corrupt, and often, the only true difference between the “good” guys and “bad” guys is whoever’s left standing. (Watch below.)
Republicans have a clear message: We’re better than liberals, who are a bunch of weak, soft hypocrites who don’t actually believe most of what they say. Democrats don’t effectively counter that message when they try to behave like Republicans. This doesn’t mean they should follow the path most often traveled by chumps like Chuck Schumer.
There’s an episode of Superman: The Animated Series where Lex Luthor’s latest murder attempt has backfired, and Superman has to save him from his own mess. When he does, he just drops him off on the docks and then flies off. (Watch below.)
Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, or really anyone who hadn’t just tried to kill him would get a ride home, but Luthor can take a cab. That’s the line I draw. We don’t need to adopt our opponent’s worst behaviors to defeat them. That’s not a purity test. It’s a humanity check. You don’t want to win elections and realize you’ve abandoned everything you were fighting for.
Unfortunately I think in the age of Trump everyone is adopting his rules—get provocative for attention (we wouldn’t have even heard about this if she’d just called him “Governor Clown”), never apologize (that’s Romney-level weakness!) and defend it with a ridiculous explanation that satisfies no one while also blaming the other side for similar offenses.
Meanwhile, who is hurt here? Probably not Abbott, he’s loving the sight of Republicans coming to his defense. But disabled people in wheelchairs likely aren’t loving this.
We can hit these people without collateral damage to unintended targets—I recommend just calling him “Governor Asshole” which goes just as viral and only bothers the Asshole Community.
I really appreciated this. Unfortunately, we’re living in an uncivil era, and that’s one of the deeper tragedies of what Trumpism, and the forces that enabled it, have inflicted on our nation. It’s heartening to see writers like you urging a return to shared humanity, though I know it will be difficult for many who’ve internalized the personal slights, bigotry, and grievances this era has rewarded. Sadly, because this is America, marginalized groups who engage in this behavior often face far harsher consequences than the minimal—or nonexistent—punishments given to those from dominant communities. The true strength of the leaders who have fought for these communities lies in their ability to navigate that double standard, even when it’s personally demeaning and leaves them carrying emotional burdens that require a lifetime of therapy. But that’s the country—and the world—we live in.