For months now, Terry McAuliffe has been working hard to woo billionaire Dan Snyder and his NFL team to Virginia. God knows what T-Mac’s offering a guy with a net worth of $2.1 billion (e.g, who most certainly does NOT need the money) with an NFL team worth $3.1 billion (T-Mac’s offering taxpayer-funded corporate welfare or other concessions of various sorts, almost no doubt about that — a complete waste of money, as other cities/states have discovered). Also, god knows what flattery, cajoling, and faux-“friendship” T-Mac is showering on Snyder, who I’d remind everyone:
- Donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural festivities
- Was a guest at “one of the glitziest events during Donald Trump’s inaugural week”
- Is beloved by right-wing extremist nutjob Glenn Beck
- Was voted “Most Hated Owner” by Sports Illustrated
- Wrecked a great park ranger’s career over highly questionable tree cutting on his Potomac River home in Maryland.
- Is a “bad guy” with a “dark heart,” according to Hall of Fame running back John Riggins.
- So far, to my knowledge, hasn’t said a word about Donald Trump’s vicious, racist attacks on African-American athletes, including in the NFL.
On the latter point, if you haven’t been following the controversy, the top “trending topic” on Twitter this morning is #TakeTheKnee, which urges NFL players – of all races and ethnicities – to “take a knee” today in solidarity against racism, white supremacy, the bully in the White House, all of our first amendment rights, Trump calling black athletes “son of a bitches” (while he claimed that neo-Confederates and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville contained many “very fine people” among them), etc.
The question is, when is Terry McAuliffe going to take a break from his breathless courting of NFL owner Dan Snyder to join in solidarity with black athletes against the…well, Dan Snyders of the world? Oh, and not to make this all about McAuliffe, but any time the Virginia GOP – including its chair, John “Anti-Semitic ‘Joke’ Dude” Whitbeck; its 2017 gubernatorial nominee, Ed Gillespie; its 2017 Lt. Governor nominee, Jill Vogel; its 2017 Attorney General nominee, John Adams; its 2017 House of Delegates candidates; etc. – wants to weigh in, we’re all ears.
Bottom line: speaking out right now is the right thing to do, and specifically here in Virginia, telling Dan Snyder EXACTLY what we think of his enabling of the Bigot in Chief – and where he can shove his football team if he is NOT willing to take a stand right now – is most certainly the morally right thing to do. Hello, Virginia political “leaders?” We’re all waiting.
P.S. Remember this from Donald Trump about Dan Snyder’s team?
Reminder: There’s literally a tweet for everything. pic.twitter.com/getSmMjjOH
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 23, 2017
P.P.S. The following also seem relevant right about now
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