Back in 2016 I mounted a futile campaign urging Americans to reject NYC-based Russian-mafia guy Donald Trump. Robin Biro took the reigns of CrankyYank during that period to, in his own words, memorialize violent, homophobic threats he received from Trump’s cult followers as TV pundit.
Four years on, America barely survived fatal-sedition attempt (from which participating republicans are actively trying to “move on”) organized from within halls of our own government. And even though Senator Tom Cotton declined to participate in sedition he gets zero credit given past inflammatory, divisive statements. Cotton owns Trump’s violent mob as much as Ted Cruz or Ron Johnson. I’ll leave receipts at the close of this post.
‘He knows the difference’
Coincidentally Tom Cotton should *also* receive no credit for being an Army Ranger because, ya know, he wasn’t. Fibbing about résumé credentials might not even blip on the radar if it hadn’t been Cotton—racist-Arkansas man given a megaphone by New York Times for some reason.
“Tom Cotton graduated from US Army Ranger school, which means he is ‘Ranger qualified,’” Biro says. “Big difference from serving in a 75th ranger unit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is misleading for him to say that he was a Ranger. It would be more accurate to say that he was ‘Ranger qualified.’ Anyone who has served more than a week in the military knows the difference and he does too.’
If Tom Cotton wanted to flout ‘Ranger’ credentials he should have volunteered to go through selection in an actual ranger unit
Biro adds that Cotton’s claiming a title he didn’t earn is a slap in the face to those who did.
“It might seem like splitting hairs to call out the difference, but it is important to members and veterans of the 75th Ranger Regiment, who have volunteered every minute, hour, day, week, month, and year of their lives to be a ranger. If he wanted to flout his credentials as a ‘Ranger’ he should have volunteered to have gone through selection in an actual ranger unit, in my humble opinion.”
Toothpaste don’t go back in tubes
United States Senate used to be known as “world’s most deliberative body” but over the past 4 years GOP committee chairs would fling poo during hearings and nobody would bat an eyelash. Given their actions how could anyone take Senate GOP seriously, like at all? As Jennifer Rubin reported at the time Tom Cotton tried to position himself as the adult in the room during violent sedition when he’s just as guilty for whipping up the mob.
As GOP-MAGA folk try to rewrite recent history, we are correcting Tom Cotton’s “I’m a Ranger!” claim, too. Receipts are forever. 🔴
Will Pollock
is a perpetually crabby New York City escapee based in Midtown Atlanta. He’s a freelance multimedia journalist, media analyst and author of two books (award-winning Pizza for Good & Leaving Triscuit), with more on the way.
In 2001, Will earned his Masters from The Medill School of Journalism, graduating with highest honors from the magazine sequence. As permanent member of Journalism’s National Honors Society, he’s been active in monitoring, writing and blogging about media and journalism ever since he graduated.
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