Missouri Senator Josh Hawley can’t grasp the fact there are consequences for inciting a deadly rebellion against the U.S. government. So he’s positioning himself as the next conservative victim of “cancel” culture.
On January 6, Hawley was photographed fist-pumping protesters before they raided the Capitol, in an obvious sign of support for an insurrection that led to the deaths of five people. Countless Congresspeople could have also been killed if not for officer Eugene Goodman’s quick-thinking.
On the day of the insurrection, Hawley’s website read: “JOIN ME AND PRESIDENT TRUMP, Stand Up for American Election Integrity NOW!”
Hawley was one of the loudest backers of former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump’s campaign was a cynical attempt to undermine the basic foundations of our society, all for personal political gain.
Hawley critics see his efforts as an attempt to inherit Trump’s base should the senator run for president in 2024.
In the aftermath of Hawley’s failed coup, he has fallen out of favor with some big-name allies. Hawley’s political patron, former Republican Senator John Danforth, turned on him, calling his support the “biggest mistake I’ve ever made” and his top donor, David Humphreys, has called for his censure.
Seven Democratic senators have filed a complaint urging the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Hawley and fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s attempts to overturn the election.
Hawley’s upcoming book, “The Tyranny of Big Tech” was dropped by its publisher Simon & Schuster. The publisher blamed his efforts to overturn the election as the reason for their decision.
“After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Simon & Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book, THE TYRANNY OF BIG TECH,” the publishing house said in a statement.
“We did not come to this decision lightly,” the publisher added.
The book was later picked up by a smaller publishing house.
In an op-ed for The New York Post published Sunday, called “It’s time to stand up against the muzzling of America,” Hawley argues the backlash isn’t because of the insurrection, but that he’s another conservative victim of “cancel” culture.
Hawley says that “corporate monopolies” and “the left” have teamed up to “shut down speech they don’t like and force their political agenda on America. For those who still believe in free speech and the First Amendment, this is the time to take a stand.”
Sorry, Hawley, the First Amendment doesn’t entitle you to have your book published or your words promoted on social media. The First Amendment means Simon & Schuster has the right to publish or not publish your book.
It also means that the nebulous cabal of tech companies you allude to also has the right to choose who uses their platform.
Remember when you supported the right of a cake business to deny service to gay customers? It’s just like that, but instead of cakes, these businesses can deny the use of their platform to those who wish to undermine the basic building blocks of society that make their businesses possible.
In the op-ed Hawley tries to distance himself from his support of Trump’s attempt to overthrow the election by stating that he was “representing his constituents” which is a great way to place the blame on his supporters, not himself.
“On behalf of the voters of my state, I raised a challenge to the presidential electors from Pennsylvania after that state conducted the election in violation of the state constitution. Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you don’t,” Hawley writes. “But whatever your view, corporate America’s rush to cancel those it dislikes should trouble you.”
He also tries to cast himself as a hero because the Pennsylvania election was “in violation of the state constitution.” Which it wasn’t.
According to PolitiFact: “The courts have not backed up his argument, and he omits the full story about the new law. The state constitution doesn’t have an explicit ban on mail-in voting, and the law permitting mail-in voting passed with strong Republican support.”
So to sum up Hawley’s article, conservatives need to be worried that if they too decide to overthrow the U.S. government, they may lose some political support and have their book deal canceled by one publisher and picked up by another.
They can also cry “cancel culture” from the pages of one of the country’s most prominent newspapers.
Hawley should take solace in the fact that if big tech and media outlets are conspiring to silence conservatives, they’re doing a really poor job.
One only has to look as far as Facebook’s Top Ten posts on a daily basis to see that not only are conservatives doing well on social media, but they’re thriving.
