Days after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert implied that Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, was a terrorist, and after another Republican lawmaker, Marjorie Taylor Greene, did the same thing, the GOP has chosen to ignore the problem festering within their ranks. Probably because calling out anti-Muslim bigotry would risk alienating their conservative Christian base.
But there was enough outside pressure on Boebert that she issued an “apology”… except it wasn’t even close to being an actual one.
I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) November 26, 2021
There’s no remorse for her bigotry. No explanation of why she said what she said. Just the bare minimum offered to those “I offended” instead of any sincere repentance for stereotyping and smearing an entire religion on the basis of her own ignorance.
Genuine apologies don’t look like this.
It’s also hard to take this not-pology seriously when bigotry has always been a part of Boebert’s brand. It’s the very foundation of her rise to Congress. There’s no reason to believe she’s sorry when it’s clear she doesn’t believe it herself.
The Denver Post issued an (actual) apology on her behalf.
… We apologize to the Congresswoman and to the Muslim community for Boebert’s insensitive remarks. Such remarks, no matter how innocently intended, have no place in American discourse. Boebert should not have fabricated an encounter with the Congresswoman and she most certainly should not have suggested she or any Muslim should be suspected of terrorism based on their religion. It is incumbent on Colorado’s representatives to treat all Americans with respect and dignity regardless of differences of opinion. We know we cannot bridge the deep rifts causing Americans to distrust one another through hateful language. We are embarrassed a Colorado representative is engaged in widening this divide, and we are sorry we didn’t call her out the first time she used a derogatory reference toward you and other members of Congress who are women and minorities.
The fact is if Democrats ever treated Republicans in a similar way — called their members terrorists on the basis of their religion, claimed “real” Americans don’t live in red states, gerrymandered several states to effectively lock Democrats (and people of color) out of power while also rigging the judiciary so that those wrongs can’t be rectified — then maybe all those claims of persecution would be justified. As it stands, the people claiming victimhood are the ones instigating the problems.
Actions speak louder than words. And Boebert shows no signs of changing her behavior. She justifies her bigotry by citing Christianity, and conservative Christians and the Republican Party are all too eager to let her get away with it because none of them are all that troubled by what she did.