![washington, dc june 17 senate minority leader mitch mcconnell r ky and senator james lankford r ok listen to senator john barrasso r wy speak about his opposition to s 1, the "for the people act" on june 17, 2021 in washington, dc republican are calling the proposed legislation, which is intended to expand voting rights and reform campaign finance, a federal take over of elections and unconstitutional photo by joshua robertsgetty images](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/lank-1626899661.jpeg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=1200:* "Republican Senators Discuss Opposition To "For The People Act"")
What would a Wednesday be if it didn’t have a spasm of phony, performative conservative outrage to help Republicans avoid the hard work of helping govern the nation? Remember back when Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma was reckoned to be one of The Reasonable Ones because he was willing to apologise to Black voters in his state for his support of the former president*’s Big Fcking Lie regarding the 2020 election? Well, that brief burst of sanity has brought him a primary opponent who’s already picked up the endorsement of the Oklahoma state party chairman. Now, Ben and Jerry’s, the tie-dyed ice cream makers from Vermont, have announced that they’re not going to be selling their product anymore in the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Lankford heard the klaxon. Sound the alarm! Regress to the mean, stat!
From Lankford’s Facebook account:
#Benandjerrys has now decided they know more about Jerusalem than the Israelis. If Ben & Jerry’s wants to have a meltdown & boycott Israel, Oklahoma is ready to respond. Oklahoma has an anti-boycott of Israel law in place—we should immediately block the sale of all #Benandjerrys in the state and in any state-operated facility to align with our law.
(Alas, there are Democratic politicians playing on this field, too.)
These state laws against the BDS movement are an abomination. They are actual offenses against the First Amendment, because they use the power of government to prohibit a specific method of non-violent protest. For all the bleating about free expression being stifled by private companies like Twitter, this is the real thing the First Amendment was designed to prevent. In fact, these laws are damned close to being Bills of Attainder, which Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution was designed to prevent.
However, that’s an argument for another day. Our immediate focus is on Senator Lankford and the rapid jerking motion now common to both his knees. (There’s another one common to the people reading about his latest crusade, that one involving the wrist, but never mind.) To hell with Dr. Johnson’s hangman—for a Republican, it’s a primary opponent that concentrates the mind wonderfully. Sooner or later, a Republican is a Republican is a Republican. Late on Wednesday afternoon, they voted to tank the “bipartisan” infrastructure deal. Whee! Let’s all go to Dairy Queen!
Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.
