Truly Ramasmarmy

It's your post-Republican Debate Sunday show rundown.

The first Republican vice-presidential debate is over. But, alas, the Sunday shows were filled with appearances from Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s running for president according to “Price Is Right” rules and trying to get closest to the nomination without going over (RIP Bob Barker).

What Ramaswamy wasn’t prepared for was that a racist murderer would commit a hate crime in Jacksonville, Florida, and propel all of his previous idiotic statements on race to the forefront.

On CNN’s “State Of The Union,” when host Dana Bash asked Ramaswamy about the shooting, he tried to shift the blame to the other Republican-approved excuses for mass shootings.

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RAMASWAMY: […] The reality is, we have a mental health epidemic in this country. There are reports that this particular individual, the perpetrator, was indeed evaluated for mental health deficiencies as well. […]

But even as Ramaswamy was blaming mental health while ignoring the obvious racist bigotry that motivated the shooter and his many manifestos or the access to guns, Ramaswamy was also setting up a false equivalence he would shift to later.

See if you catch it:

RAMASWAMY: I think just a shame that we even have mass shootings like this, be it the one that happened in Florida, be it the recent one, the Nashville shooter in a Christian school, killing six in a school. We have to address that mental health epidemic, and we need leaders with the courage to do it. […]

Did you catch it? If not, it’s OK. It just means you’re a normal human being who doesn’t look to see how you can target another group to excuse gun violence or white supremacy. (We’ll get back to this one in a bit.)

Ramaswamy then went one further by finding another culprit in the rise of racist hatred. You’ll never believe what it is!

RAMASWAMY: […] The reality is, we have created such a racialized culture in this country in the last several years that, right as the last few burning embers of racism were burning out, we have a culture in this country largely created by media and establishment and universities and politicians that throw kerosene on that racism.
And I can think of no better way to fuel racism in this country than to take something away from other people on the basis of their skin color. I have been saying that for years. And I think that is driving, sadly, a new wave of anti-Black and anti-Hispanic racism in this country. […]

According to Ramaswamy, it’s activists trying to fight AGAINST racism/discrimination.

It’s the Taylor Swift Doctrine

According to Ramaswamy, racism is also caused when minorities “take something away from other people on the basis of their skin color.” This racist dogwhistle would be a feat of unmitigated shamelessness even before you realize it’s from a guy who benefitted from “Soros-funded” affirmative action.

Bash played a clip in which Ramaswamy refers to racism as a fictional “boogeyman” and compares it to “unicorns.” Bash followed this clip by asking him about his statement last Friday comparing Rep. Ayanna Pressley — a Black woman — to the “modern grand wizards of the modern KKK” because Pressley said, “We don't need any more brown faces that don't want to be a brown voice.”

Ramaswamy intentionally pretended to be obtuse about what Pressley said.

RAMASWAMY: For Ayanna Pressley to tell me that, because of my skin color, I can't express my views, that is wrong. It is divisive. It is driving hatred in this country.

That’s not what she said, Vivek. What Pressley was referring to is not needing more people of color who use their voice to advocate AGAINST people of color and FOR white supremacy. It is counter-productive and allows bigots to use them as their token to excuse their racism — kinda like Vivek “pick me, tech bro douche” Ramaswamy!

Ramaswamy continued his attention-seeking tour over on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” where it was obvious his time with Dana Bash had shaken him a little.

RAMASWAMY: It's good to talk to you, Chud.

Hey! That’s OUR insulting of Chuck Todd schtick!

After this initial flub, the next 18-plus minutes were grueling for Ramaswamy as Chuck Todd, marching toward his impending end on this show, decided to journalism.

TODD: Why do you think there are more race-based violent crimes on the Right than on the Left? Why is this a little more pervasive — a lot more pervasive on the Right?

Ramaswamy tried, however, to blame MORE things he feels are responsible for the racism (other than racists):

RAMASWAMY: Well, the fact of the matter is I think that there's a lot more violence that’s also pervasive in parts of the country that supposedly are left-wing voter bases. So, I don’t think this is a Left versus Right issue, and I don’t think we should try to politicize this through partisan goggles […] especially in the wake of a tragedy like this one. The fact is there are more Black men […] dying on the South Side of Chicago. […]

Referring to racism inspiring a mass shooting as “partisan” or “political” is kind of a self-report that racism is a part of your party.

But if you still haven’t gotten BINGO in your Republican Whataboutism Card yet, remember when we said Ramaswamy was setting up another minority to blame earlier?

RAMASWAMY: Well, the fact of the matter is I do think we have two standards that we're even applying, if we're having a conversation about manifestos. We still have not yet even seen the manifesto of that transgender shooter in Nashville of a Christian school, and yet here, we’re focusing on the motive. […]

Yep! For absolutely no reason at all, Ramaswamy brings up trans people and uses that to minimize the Jacksonville shooting. Let me explain the difference, Vivek: The shooter in Nashville being trans was an outlier; the shooter in Jacksonville being a white supremacist is sadly common. (We also don’t know that the Nashville shooter’s attack was specifically based on their own or their victims’ identity.)

Have a week.