Lies, Damned Lies, And Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Greetings from Arkansas, the Natural Bullshit State, where dishonesty is the soup du jour
My grandmother used to say, “Into everyone's life a little rain must fall---rain, assholes, and assorted bullshit. “
Jenny Lawson
"Wonderful things can happen", Vincent said, "when you plant seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes."
Elmore Leonard
It doesn’t strain the bounds of credulity to refer to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as an asshole. In a previous iteration, she plied her trade as an asshole and professional liar nonpareil as The Former Guy’s press secretary. She excelled at her job- in the sense that she could lie shamelessly and had no issue with piling lies upon half-truths upon cheap propaganda upon cheap shots and character assassination.
She had no conscience or sense of humor, making her perfect for the job.
The problem with liars, which eventually bites all of them in the ass, is that it’s impossible to track where one’s dishonesty leads them. After a while, there are so many lies that the person telling them can’t keep up. Sanders didn’t even bother trying, and the White House press corps was soon (and easily) overwhelmed by the deluge of pure, unadulterated bullshit.
Sanders knew she was lying, the White House press corps knew she was lying, and Sanders knew that they knew she was lying to them. It was a vicious circle that continued until Sanders left her post, returned to Arkansas, and became a ridiculously well-compensated talking head for Fox News. She was a ridiculously well-compensated liar at a “news” network chock full of the same.
The White House press corps was a captive audience. Even though they knew they were being lied to, they couldn’t call out Sanders for her bullshit. They knew she and the rest of the Trump Administration were vicious enough to pull their (and their network’s) access to press briefings. Indeed, they could lose access to the White House altogether…and so they swallowed their professional pride and the bullshit shoveled in their direction and carried on.
After she departed official Washington, other liars took her place. None were as “gifted” at the “art” of prevarication as Sanders. Indeed, Kayleigh McEnany’s first utterance before the White House press corps- “I will never lie to you”- was itself a lie. But, then again, the lies that came out of the White House press shop were never about artfulness as much as brute force.
But the White House Press Office hardly needed a professional prevaricator like Sarah Huckabee Sanders for a role requiring only brute force dishonesty.
No, Sanders had her eye on a much different direction she wanted to take her political career. Her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Christian minister (and also a professional liar), had set quite an example for young Sarah. She wanted to follow in his footsteps as Governor.
Unsurprisingly, she won, promising to save The Natural State from the heavy hand of Big Government and creeping socialism. Arkansas, she promised, would chart its own course and show America what independent thinking could do.
That was all well and good until a series of severe tornadoes hit the state at the end of March.
Not surprisingly, her tone changed. After all, her state needed help, and she was responsible for obtaining it where she could- even from the federal government.
‘Course, that put her in a bit of an awkward position, vis-a-vis her position on “SOCIALISM!!!!”
As might be imagined, her pleas to the federal government for help have been met with some justified skepticism and accusations of hypocrisy:
During her gubernatorial campaign, she said she was running to defend the "right to be free of socialism and tyranny." She was all about that…until she wasn’t.
A spokesperson for the governor hit back at her critics, telling Newsweek they were using "a time of tragedy to score political points."
On Saturday, Sanders' office said the governor had spoken with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell to discuss the state and federal response to the tornadoes. FEMA has since confirmed that Criswell will be traveling to Arkansas on Sunday to survey the tornado damage.
Sanders has also spoken with Joe Biden, with the president telling the governor that the federal government "stands ready to assist" the people of Arkansas following the severe weather which has left at least five people dead and dozens more injured.
Social media users have also pointed to a tweet Sanders sent in January after entering office stating that as governor of Arkansas, the "meddling hand of big government creeping down from Washington D.C. will be stopped cold at the Mississippi River."
While sharing a screengrab of Sanders' January post, Mark Jacob, author and former editor of The Chicago Tribune, tweeted: "The federal government will help Arkansas recover from today's devastating tornadoes, as well it should. But I couldn't help recalling Sarah Huckabee Sanders' divisive tweet from January in which she refused to see Americans as one people."
Comedian and actor Gabe Sachez wrote: "So, does this mean that Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be accepting help from 'the meddling hand of big government'?"
It’s surprising how Republicans- Gov. Sanders included- will vilify “Big Government” until something like a natural disaster too big for them to handle alone comes along. Then they demand help yesterday.
So, Gov. Sanders is asking for help from the “meddling hand of big government creeping down from Washington DC.” And President Biden has made it clear that the federal government will do exactly what it should- lend assistance to American citizens laid low by a natural disaster.
That’s what “Big Government” does, eh?
In the case of the tornadoes in Arkansas, the federal government will not condition aid on who a citizen voted for. It won’t deny support to Arkansas because it’s a red state. Instead, it will go to Arkansas with the full force of the resources it has at its disposal BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO. And does.
This isn’t about politics. It’s not about partisanship. It’s about human beings in dire need of assistance. Gov. Sanders can go back to disingenuously bashing President Biden and the federal government (and you know she will) after the need for aid and assistance in Arkansas has been satisfied. Then, she can return to her hypocritical pronouncements…until the next time Arkansas needs a helping hand, which President Biden will quickly and happily provide.
Because the dividing line in America isn’t between right and left. Or even normal and crazy.
No, the dividing line in America today is too often between hypocrites and liars and those who understand that politics is and shouldn’t be about posturing and posing. Instead, it’s about people and meeting their needs when things get tough.
That’s what a leader does.
It’s too bad that Sarah Huckabee Sanders understands nothing about real leadership.
