As you know, the Sept. 16 award for “Absolute Worst” goes to all those Republican lawmakers who have called Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, treasonous for assuring China last year that then-President Donald Trump wouldn’t bomb them in the last days of his presidency.
Presenting “The Absolute Worst: Dishonorable Mentions.” Here are a few deplorable people worthy of your attention.
Derek Chauvin
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer serving prison time for the brutal killing of George Floyd, is yet another name that might as well be enshrined in the Absolute Worst Hall of Shame. The “Absolute Worst” segment was made precisely for people like Chauvin, whose minutes-long murder of the unarmed Black man was broadcast on television for months on end.
The “Absolute Worst” segment was made precisely for people like Chauvin.
On Tuesday, Chauvin pleaded not guilty to federal charges stemming from a separate incident, which prosecutors say occurred in 2017. An indictment issued by a federal grand jury in February accused Chauvin of using unreasonable force, alleging he held a 14-year-old “by the throat and struck the teenager multiple times in the head with a flashlight.”
The indictment also alleges Chauvin “held his knee on the neck and the upper back of the teenager even after the teenager was lying prone, handcuffed and unresisting.”
The Mercers
The Mercers, a wealthy family headed by GOP megadors Robert and Rebkah Mercer, are perhaps known best for funding the right-wing website Breitbart — preferred reading for white nationalists and their cronies — and funding the Trump campaign in 2016.
The Mercer family seems to throw money at things and people that have the potential to keep Black and brown people at the margins of society. So it is no surprise that they are now being tied groups that sought to undermine the 2020 election.
Last year, the Mercers were reportedly rethinking their supporting Trump. However, a CNBC report published Wednesday found the Mercers pumped at least $20 million into a fund that has sent donations to right-wing extremists and their operations, as well as organizations that sought to overturn the 2020 election.
When you consider the basis of conservatives’ election fraud allegations is the premise that Black and brown people cast fraudulent votes, it is no wonder why the Mercer family saw their $20 million as a sound investment.
It’s best not to give air to obscure right-wing TV hosts, but I’m making an exception because this outburst was so hilariously pitiful. Greg Stinchfield Some conservatives still have a large, Trump-shaped hole in their heart that needs filling. Without a clear remedy, that longing causes many of these people to act out. Enter: Newsmax host Greg Stinchfield. It’s best not to give air to obscure right-wing TV hosts, but I’m making an exception because this outburst was so hilariously pitiful. Stinchfield, who hosts a show on the conservative network Newsmax, invited an Iraq War veteran on his show to discuss the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Stinchfield is a Trump sycophant who expected the veteran — Joe Saboe — to lambaste the Biden plan on camera. When Saboe criticized Trump instead, Stinchfield began hollering and had his producers cut the segment short. “Cut him off, please! Cut him off now! You’re not gonna blame this on President Trump on my show! That’s not happening!” he yelled. He then took a deep breath to cool down and told viewers he would have a “real hero” on his show in the following segment. Watch his anger slowly build into an all-out tantrum here. Head over to The ReidOut Blog for more. Related:
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog. Recommended
