‘Seems like maybe you do’: McConnell mocked for saying he doesn’t have a ‘racial quota’ on Black women in his office
Senator Mitch McConnell has been among the most vocal attackers of President Joe Biden’s promise to place the first Black woman on the U. S. Supreme Court.
“There aren’t a lot of things you can count on in life, but one thing on which you definitely can, with the consistency of the most Swiss of Swiss watches, is Mitch McConnell blocking Democratic presidents’ agendas just to be a dick,” wrote Vanity Fair’s Bess Levin last week.
On Tuesday a reporter asked the Senate Republican Minority Leader how many Black women he has on his staff and if they are helping “inform” the decision-making process on his “advice and consent” responsibility.
“I haven’t checked, we don’t have a racial quota in my office,” was what McConnell, who has held office since 1985, thought would be a snappy answer – one he was anxious to deliver as he cut off the reporter asking.
McConnell claimed he’s had “a number” of Black men and women “employees” in “all kinds of different positions” over the years. But he did not answer the actual question.
Many hold a different opinion and were only too happy to point out McConnell’s racism.
Georgetown University political scientist Donald Moynihan posted a 2016 photo of Capitol Hill interns, which then-Speaker Paul Ryan was blasted for, given the lack of diversity.
"we don't have a racial quota in my office" https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1488597116008157186\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/Lk10Xnt3e8— Don Moynihan (@Don Moynihan) 1643750805
“It’s not having a racial quota to *know* if you have people of color in your office,” responded Mother Jones’ D.C. Bureau Chief David Corn.
Here’s The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer:
Hm. Seems like maybe you dohttps://twitter.com/therecount/status/1488597116008157186\u00a0\u2026— Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d (@Adam Serwer \ud83c\udf5d) 1643761917
And more:
"Mitch McConnell Falls Apart When Asked How Many Black Women Are On His DC Staff"\nBlack History Month is limping out of the gate as Mitch reaffirms his commitment to "no racial quota" and doesn't know if a Black woman is on his staff.\n#BLMhttps://www.politicususa.com/2022/02/01/mitch-mcconnell-falls-apart-when-asked-how-many-black-women-are-on-his-dc-staff.html\u00a0\u2026— The Arbiter (@The Arbiter) 1643766737
Seeking out diversity of lived experience on one's staff is a positive hiring practice in any org.\nEsp in democratic policymaking, representation of all American lived experience is our stated value.\nSenator McConnell is trying to smear that value by using term "racial quota"— Susan Bordson (@Susan Bordson) 1643748024
Sen. Mitch McConnell on how many Black women work in his office: 'I haven't checked, we don't have a racial quota' https://a.msn.com/01/en-us/AATnkOQ?ocid=winp-st\u00a0\u2026 McConnell's remark is akin to "Iam not racist, I have a black friend"!— Jeff (@Jeff) 1643766534
On the surface, this seems like a good \u201cgotcha\u201d comeback by McConnell. But if you think about it for a half a sec, he\u2019s basically telling us that he only considers hiring black women when he has to meet a quota. He\u2019s also inadvertently telling us that the answer to this ? is 0.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1488597116008157186\u00a0\u2026— Terence (@Terence) 1643754836