In a recent segment on MSNBC’s The ReidOut, host Joy Reid explored the supposed “distress” of conservatives and attempted to explain their actions as nothing more than irrational attempts to further a supposed dictatorship led by former President Trump. She took aim at various individuals, including John McEntee, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, NFL kicker Harrison Butker, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, accusing them of being complicit in this alleged conspiracy.
Reid went on to attack McEntee’s involvement in Project 2025, claiming that it was all part of a grand plan for a Trump dictatorship. She then lumped all conservatives together, branding them as “the Alitos and McEntees of the world.” In her view, conservatives are apparently distressed by “out-of-control liberated women who won’t marry conservative men, the Black Lives Matter movement, immigrants, and accurate history that doesn’t always paint white men in a positive light.”
But McEntee wasn’t the only target of Reid’s ire. She also criticized Governor Youngkin’s recent veto of two bills in Virginia that would have protected access to contraception. However, she failed to mention that Youngkin vetoed these bills because they did not include provisions for parental rights in making medical decisions for their children.
In a classic example of cherry-picking and spin, Reid also used the recent decisions of two Virginia school boards to keep the names of Confederate generals on schools as evidence of the supposed distress of conservatives. In reality, only one of the school boards actually made this decision, and it was not influenced by Youngkin. In fact, when asked about the issue in a press conference, Youngkin stated that he was not even aware of the situation.
Reid also falsely characterized NFL kicker Harrison Butker’s recent commencement speech, reducing it to the absurd statement that he told female graduates to “embrace their true vocation of making their husbands a sandwich.” In reality, Butker congratulated the female graduates on their accomplishments and predicted that many of them would go on to lead successful careers, but also acknowledged that some of them may be excited about starting families. Reid’s portrayal of his speech as sexist and regressive is baseless and disrespectful.
Reid capped off her tirade by criticizing Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s recent pardon of Daniel Perry, a man who was convicted of shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter activist. She failed to mention that Perry’s actions were determined to be self-defense under Texas’ “Stand Your Ground” law, which protects the use of deadly force. Reid also falsely stated that Perry “drove his car into a group of pedestrian marchers,” when in reality, he stopped his car and allowed some protestors to cross before the situation escalated into violence. Her characterization of the incident as an example of racism and voter suppression is not only inaccurate, but also divisive and harmful.
As she tied all of these stories together, Reid mockingly asked the question, “Who do MAGA believe is in distress?” This kind of dismissive and condescending attitude towards conservatives is indicative of the toxic and polarizing rhetoric that has become all too common in modern political discourse.
Instead of actually trying to understand and address the concerns of those with different ideologies, Reid and others like her choose to demonize and mock them, further fueling the already deep divisions in our country. By ignoring important facts and exploiting divisive issues for political gain, Reid and her fellow liberals are doing a disservice to our nation and perpetuating the very love-hate dynamic that they claim to oppose.
These divisive tactics only serve to further polarize our country and hinder any real progress towards unity and understanding. Instead of resorting to wild conspiracies and baseless accusations, it’s time for honest and respectful dialogue if we truly want to make any positive change.