WaPo columnist compares Dan Crenshaw to George Wallace for his 'un-American' criticism of Gwen Berry
'Crenshaw insists on tapping into one of the nastiest veins of discourse in American history,' Sally Jenkins wrote
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins wrote a scathing piece slamming Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, for denouncing U.S. competitive hammer thrower Gwen Berry after she turned away from the American flag during the national anthem.
In the column titled, "Dan Crenshaw wants Gwen Berry kicked off the Olympic team. How un-American," Jenkins knocked Crenshaw's "authoritarian urge" in calling for her "banishment."
"Crenshaw has been busy campaigning against ‘wokeism’ and what he calls the ‘anti-racism industry that is incentivizing victimhood.’ He might have had an interesting conversation with Berry about that. But that won’t happen as long as Crenshaw insists on tapping into one of the nastiest veins of discourse in American history, the cyclical suggestion of disloyalty whenever prominent Black figures speak out," Jenkins wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We heard it in 1968, in George Wallace’s mush-mouthed decrying of ‘minority group rebellions’ causing ‘domestic disorders’ with their insistence on what he called ‘innergration.’ We heard it in 1972 in Richard Nixon’s ‘law and order’ campaign to protect suburban housewives from ‘those damn Negro-Puerto Rican groups out there.’ We heard it in Donald Trump’s suggestion that any 'son of a b----' who didn’t stand for the national anthem should be kicked off an NFL roster… That’s the broader context into which Crenshaw’s edict about Berry lands," she explained.
The sports columnist, who also slammed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for tweeting ‘Why does the Left hate America?’ called such "compulsory patriotism" a "form of treachery."
"Maybe one day, the compulsory-patriotism crowd will wake up and peel themselves away from the language and intimidations of George Wallace. If that day ever arrives, Black American athletes would have one less reason to take a knee or turn away from the flag," Jenkins concluded.
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Crenshaw appeared on "Fox & Friends" on Monday and suggested that Berry be "removed from the team" ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
"The entire point of the Olympic team is to represent the United States of America. That's the entire point!" Crenshaw exclaimed. "That should be the bare minimum requirement is that you believe in the country [you're] representing."