Rep. Virginia Foxx gives a master class in how to offer condolences with no class whatsoever

[babylonsister]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/8/6/2044149/-Rep-Virginia-Foxx-offers-a-reminder-that-the-Republican-Party-s-rot-doesn-t-just-come-from-Trump

Rep. Virginia Foxx gives a master class in how to offer condolences with no class whatsoever
Laura Clawson for Daily Kos Labor
Daily Kos Staff
Friday August 06, 2021 · 10:11 AM EDT


Rep. Virginia Foxx wants the world to know exactly how committed she is to keeping workers down, and what better opportunity to broadcast it than the sudden death of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka? Foxx saw that opportunity, and she took it:

Link to tweet

For two, maybe even three sentences, Foxx’s statement is a reasonable example of honoring the memory of someone with whom you disagree deeply even as you think they’re a decent person. That said, it takes a turn right there at the end.

She’s sad to hear about Trumka’s death. Her heart goes out to his family. They disagreed but he fought for what he believed was right … and then she gets going on the crudest Republican anti-worker talking points as she proclaims her intent to crush everything he fought for. “Jobs-killing mandated wages,” or, as we usually call it, the minimum wage. “Forced unionization,” also known as not allowing free riders. “Other socialist policies,” an umbrella term for anything that gives workers any power of any kind.

If you believe someone was a terrible human being, there’s no need to say nice things about them. Making clear you think someone was basically decent and then flagrantly crapping on everything they fought for is a special move.

But Foxx’s commitment to being a terrible human in her own right is not in doubt. We’re talking about a politician who has compared regulation of for-profit colleges to the Holocaust. She’s tried to end the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for student debt. She’s tried to weaken consumer protection by slashing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding. She’s said that laws protecting workers mean that organized labor has “sort of lost its reason for being”—even as she aims to repeal those laws. Virginia Foxx wants to crush working people and people with student debt and consumers who’ve been harmed by corporations. She’s a warrior for these causes, so much so that she cannot even pass up the opportunity she finds in the death of a champion for working people.

When we say that Donald Trump isn’t the only problem with the Republican Party, it’s not just Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert and Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar we’re talking about. It goes so much deeper. Thanks to Virginia Foxx for that reminder.

[Rorey]

1. Wow

Why do I say "Wow"? I don't know, because nothing that comes out of a repuke should shock me anymore.

[babylonsister]

3. She's always been particularly heinous.

Hurricane Katrina
In September 2005, Foxx was one of 11 members of Congress to vote against[17] the $51 billion aid package to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

snip//

Opposition to LGBT rights

In April 2009, Foxx expressed opposition to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, claiming that Matthew Shepard's murder was not a hate crime. While debating the act in the House, she called the murder a "very unfortunate incident" but claimed "we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay." She ultimately called that allegation "a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing hate crimes bills."[22] Some media outlets, including the New York Times,[23] Washington Post,[24] and Huffington Post,[25] criticized her statements, as did Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz.[26] Democratic sources claimed that Matthew Shepard's mother was present during Foxx's statements.[26]

Foxx later retracted her comments, suggesting her use of the word "hoax" was in bad taste.[27] She suggested that Shepard's murder was a tragedy and that his killers had received appropriate justice.[27]

In 2010, Foxx voted against the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act.[28]

In 2019, Foxx strongly opposed the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and urged Congress members to vote against it.[29]

snip//

Health care debate

When commenting on the House version of the reform bill that funds counseling for end-of-life issues, Foxx said, "Republicans have a better solution that won't put the government in charge of people's health care" and "[The plan] is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."[30] She later said, "we have more to fear from the potential of the Affordable Health Care for America Act passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country."[31][32]

snip//

Opposition to birthright citizenship

In January 2013, Foxx co-sponsored legislation that would stop children born in the United States to undocumented parents from gaining citizenship.[35]

...and on and on...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Foxx

[paleotn]

2. Foxx was MTG long before MTG.

[Rustyeye77]

4. She is slime..

[BeyondGeography]

5. Seems all broken up about it

What an ass.

[Boomerproud]

16. Did someone on her staff tell her how to spell his name?

Overused...tots and pears.

[marble falls]

6. The difference being, of course, Foxx has lived a priviliged life. She never needed an AFL/CIO ...

... or a good leader like Richard Trumka. I always felt the AFL/CIO had my interests at heart. Most Americans feel better about herpes than they do about Congress as a whole. People like Foxx, Gaetz, Greene, Gohmert, Boebert ..... are the cause of that.


"Here are some of the things that are more popular than Congress: hemorrhoids, Nickelback, traffic jams, cockroaches, root canals, colonoscopies, herpes. Even herpes, they couldn’t beat herpes in the polls."

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/apr/14/arnold-schwarzenegger/congress-really-less-popular-hemorrhoids-and-herpe/

He pointed to results from surveys conducted by Public Policy Polling in January 2013 and October 2013. The polling company is known for conducting some tongue-in-cheek surveys and works with liberal clients. In the polls on Congress’ popularity, it asked hundreds of registered voters if they have a higher opinion of either Congress or a series of unpleasant or disliked things.

Before we tackle those results, let’s look at Congress’ overall approval ratings in these recent PPP polls:

-- January 2013: Congress’s overall favorability rating among voters was just 9 percent favorable and 85 percent unfavorable.

-- October 2013: Congress’ overall favorability rating dipped slightly to 8 percent favorable with the same 85 percent unfavorable.

[JPPaverage]

7. Dear Ms. Foxx

If the following statement makes me a bad human being then so be it: fuck you.
There is no doubt that your alleged condolences to Mr. Trumka and his Union brothers and sisters( including me) are classless. And let me assure you, the Union movement in this country is slowly and surely making a comeback. We will crush the likes of you so you'd better just shut up and get out of the way.

[TheBlackAdder]

8. The Modern Republican Party -- They think they are classy just like those Toddlers in Tiaras mothers

.




.

[Kid Berwyn]

9. Plantation Mentality.

Owners get to rule.

Their chosen few get paid to enforce their privileges and do their bidding.

The majority are lucky to exist and slave for free.

[Dustlawyer]

15. True! To think that management should be unopposed by organized labor means that they should

be able to treat workers however they choose. No opposition! Unions have been dying, mainly due to RW propaganda which brainwashes even union members to vote against their own interests. Add to that the full court press by anti-union forces and we have the economic inequality of today.

[PatSeg]

10. What the hell?!?!

Sometimes it is better to just say nothing at all. She took a tragic loss and hijacked it just to espouse her political agenda. One family's loss is Foxx's publicity opportunity. What a monster.

[JohnnyRingo]

11. That first part about differing on issues is standard in such a release.....

...but the old harpy didn't have to add the last part. That's like saying "I'm sorry for his passing, but now I have to get to work undoing everything he worked for".

I hold particular disgust for Foxx.

[NCjack]

12. Trumka will be fondly remembered for a century. Foxx -- for sure, not more past her replacement.

It is my hope that there is no slippage in advancement of union memberships, wages, and political influence.

[marmar]

13. She's still around?

[babylonsister]

14. Ha!! Yes, sadly. nt

[alphafemale]

17. The "We disagreed on many things" bit is perfectly acceptable

that other diatribe not at all.