'Outnumbered' panel bashes Washington Post report glorifying Texas Dems' 'riveting exodus'
'It was hardly a Hollywood thriller,' said co-host Kayleigh McEnany
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The panel of "Outnumbered" reacted with disgust Wednesday to a Washington Post report that referred to the flight of Texas Democratic lawmakers to block voting bills as a "riveting exodus."
"It was hardly a Hollywood thriller," said "Outnumbered" co-host Kayleigh McEnany.
Texas Democrats have fled the state and held up a special session of the legislature to temporarily prevent passage of Republican-backed election reform bills that they argue are voter suppression laws. GOP lawmakers have defended them and other state election laws across the country as making it easy to vote and harder to cheat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A story with four bylines in the Washington Post recounted "a riveting exodus from Texas as dozens of Democratic lawmakers said goodbye to young children and aging parents, made arrangements to leave their homes and their jobs, potentially for weeks — and drew sharp rebukes for walking away from their responsibilities in the Texas legislature."
"They chose Washington, a hideout in full view, for a reason: to garner national attention and escalate the stakes in a long-running effort to pressure Congress and President Biden to approve federal voting-rights protections that would outlaw the kinds of restrictions Texas Republicans — and dozens of other legislatures across the country — are trying to enact," the Post reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After playing a clip of the lawmakers singing the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" in front of the U.S. Capitol, McEnany remarked to guest John James that the Post had hyped up the participants as seemingly "going into battle."
"This incenses me," James said, who served in the Iraq War before mounting longshot runs for the U.S. Senate in Michigan. "We actually said goodbye to our loved ones and our family members and went to deploy into harm's way, to protect our rights and to protect our freedoms.
MSNBC HOST CLAIMS ‘THERE’S A LOT' NATIONAL DEMOCRATS CAN LEARN FROM FLEEING TEXAS DEMOCRATS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It upsets me when I hear that instead of actually getting things done … they're using this and calling this courage. It's cowardice when you run."
The Texas Democrats have gained some notoriety on social media as they document their exploits, with one tweeting about their "sacrifice" and another garnering mockery for posting his first meal as a "fugitive." Photos of them with a case of beer and smiling, maskless, on a charter plane have also drawn derision.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"These idiots want to play fugitive, having no idea what actual incarceration and what the actual criminal system is like," said "Outnumbered" co-host Emily Compagno. "They want to make light of actual criminals and actual arrests? Tell that to the families of the convicted. Tell that to the families of the victims."