Horrified By Trump's Cabinet Members? Pick Up A Phone, ASAFP Please
As if it didn’t already feel like Doomsday with Trump winning the presidential election, we now have to face his incredibly offensive, reckless and (not so?) shocking cabinet choices. Trump had the audacity to look America in the eye and claim to want unity, and yet he is packing his cabinet with known alt-right extremists who openly spread xenophobic, Islamophobic, sexist, racist, and ableist hate. If you’re not terrified and furious, you’re not listening. These men are as dangerous as they come. Don’t believe me? Just look at this disgusting tweet by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke showing his delight in this horror show line-up of appointees:
Here is what you need to know:
Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon was named chief strategist, which is to say that he is the guy who Trump will listen to. Bannon is a known anti-Semite and has rallied the support of the alt-right movement — the core of white supremacists — in order to help bolster Trump’s power. Bannon was the executive chairman of Breitbart News, the alt-right website that scares the living shit out of its readers with some of the worst racist and bigoted media coverage online. This man is widely known as vindictive and cruel. Those women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault and who lined up during the second debate? That was Bannon’s brainchild.
Here is a petition you can sign to demand that Bannon’s appointment be rescinded.
Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn
General Flynn has been tapped by Trump to be national security advisor, a high-level position that demands an intimate knowledge of military and foreign policy, two things he has very little experience in. General Flynn is also so well-known for making shit up that during his tenure at the Defense Intelligence Agency his own subordinates referred to his claims, particularly his Islamophobic assertions about Muslims in the United States, as “Flynn facts.”
Senator Jeff Sessions
Trump’s selection of Alabama Republican Senator, Jeff Sessions, for attorney general has sparked much controversy in recent days. In this role, Senator Sessions would have significant influence on immigration among other issues. Why is this a problem? Because Sessions is a widely accused racist who allegedly referred to a black prosecutor as “boy,” and according to another prosecutor, referred to several civil rights groups including the N.A.A.C.P as “un-American.”
As if that weren’t bad enough, he was quoted as saying that he doesn’t think grabbing a woman by the pussy is sexual assault, which triggered a petition in his home state to have him removed from his Senate seat.
I’ll step back and let that sink in for a moment.
If you thought your voice counted with your vote, you were not wrong; a large majority of voters chose the right side of history. But now, more than ever, this country needs you to speak up — literally. In less than a minute, you can make your opinion known by calling your representatives on both state and national levels to let them know that you do not support Trump’s cabinet appointments.
Our country, which once felt like it held promise and hope, is beginning to feel like a horrifying nightmare as Trump’s army of racist despots cozy up to positions of power in the White House. Please, do your part now.
Click here to find out who your state representative is and how to call him or her.
Click here to call Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Click here to call your senator.
Click here to call the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.
If you are like me and you get nervous just ordering a pizza, then fear not, we even have a script for you:
“Hello, I am calling to oppose the appointments of Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, and Jeff Sessions who all have a documented history of racism, xenophobia, bigotry, misogyny, and hate speech. Please act against this now. Thank you.”
We are the voice of the people, and we need to use that voice right this minute. It doesn’t matter if your kid is screaming in the background and your mouth is full of cold bagel because you only have three minutes to eat. Call, call, call.
Even if we can’t agree on anything else, I think we can agree that we do not want these people as the mouthpiece and decision-makers for our nation.
