Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is, as we may have said, an elitist who complains about the elites, and an insurrectionist, who even now pretends ignorance of what he was a part of on January 6. He told Axios that he didn't regret the fist-pump to rioters, who would have killed Vice Presidential Mike Pence if they found him. He said that he didn't know the identity of anyone who entered the Capitol. "If they did enter the Capitol and violate the laws, they are criminals and should be prosecuted -- they won't get any support from me."
However, none of the above makes it okay to question his sexuality in response to his recent ridiculous steak tartare speech on the left's supposed War on Men.
The Missouri senator gave the National Conservatism Conference lecture. It was his usual buffet of victimhood. He argued that men are so fragile that one harsh word can make them lazy and addicted to porn.
He said that the left wanted to label traditional masculinity toxic. They want to make traditional masculine virtues, such as courage, independence, and assertiveness, a threat to society. Were we surprised to see that, after being told for years that their manhood was the problem, more men are retreating into the enclaves of idleness, pornography, and video games?
Hawley is courageous, but courage is not something that anyone sees as dangerous. Too many people mocked him, insinuating that he was gay. It's even more frustrating that it comes from conservatives who are not willing to listen to such talk.
Chase Mitchell, a writer and producer tweeted that Josh Hawley kisses wife like his parents are forcing him to eat broccoli for his first time.
Rick Wilson, a former GOP consultant, tweeted "I hope no-one photoshops Josh Hawley wearing drag makeup." "That would be completely wrong for the champion American masculinity. Absolutely. "Wrong."
"Lol," wrote Katie Hill, a former Rep. from California. "Like anyone thinks Josh Hawley masculine."
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Matthew Dowd, the chief strategist of Bush-Cheney's 2004 presidential campaign, is running as a Democrat for lieutenant governor in Texas. He tweeted: "To paraphrase Margaret Thatcher. Being masculine can be a lot like being a woman. If you have to tell people that you are, it probably isn't."
You could go on.
Asking Hawley about his masculinity is an ineffective, ugly and inefficient way to respond to someone who wants to return to the old-fashioned, world-dominating women-subjecting, good ol' days manhood.
These throwback attacks feed into homophobia progressives fight every day.
This is to appear to be a junior senator, praising 1950s-style ideals of what a man should look like. Are we really ready for the retro-sexual return?
