The Senate GOP has made a vile comment about a woman– surprise, surprise. The National Republican Senatorial Committee posted a nasty tweet about Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Senate candidate who lost both of her legs during the Iraq war. They mocked her for not being able to “stand up” for our veterans. Really classy, Republicans…. This is such a predictable attack considering she is campaigning for the Senate.
Republicans usually support war, but then they vote against programs to help veterans.
This a cruel and ridiculous statement. Duckworth has been working for veterans for a long time. She was the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs from 2006 to 2009. The NRSC has deleted the tweet, but the damage has been done.
Here is the offensive tweet:
NRSC tweet on Duckworth lasted 10 minutes. Here's the screen shot pic.twitter.com/4i3wQnxBqV
— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) March 8, 2016
Her rival in the race, Rep. Joe Walsh, said she is not a true hero. Duckworth lost her legs in 2004 in Iraq when insurgents hit her helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Walsh said that since John McCain was quieter about his time in the service, McCain is a “noble hero.” He complained about Duckworth talking about her experiences all the time. Our “true heroes” are reluctant to talk about their service.
Duckworth became a pilot because it is one of the few combat roles open to women. She served for twenty years and rose to the rank of Lietenant Colonel. A Veterans’ group has condemned Walsh for his comments and called on him to resign.
Walsh refused to apologize for his comments. He said “Duckworth’s service demands our thanks and respect but not our vote.”
This is not the first time Duckworth has been in the news. In 2013, she voted to lower her own pay when other government employees were furloughed.
Featured image by the United States Department of Agriculture, available under Creative Commons 2.0 license.
