It’s A-OK to ‘bully’ Democratic villainess Sinema in a restroom, feminist website Jezebel declares, puzzling readers

‘Bullying’ a female senator who happens to stand in the way of Joe Biden’s agenda is perfectly fine, argued feminist news outlet Jezebel, once again proving, according to critics, the hypocrisy of the liberal left in the US.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is currently on the receiving end of her party’s ire for refusing to vote for President Biden’s spending plans. Supporters say she is an unconventional Democrat catering to her state’s constituents, while critics believe the constituents she is catering to are actually her wealthy donors and future private employers, who want to torpedo progressive parts of the proposed legislation.

In her role as the current Democratic villainess, Sinema was confronted by a group of activists who followed her into a public restroom and accused her of betraying her Democratic voters. The tactic was seemingly condoned by the president, who called such confrontations “part of the process” for lawmakers.

Among the outlets siding with Joe Biden on whether a public restroom was a proper venue for a protest was Jezebel, a culture news website aimed at a liberal female audience. ‘Absolutely Bully Kyrsten Sinema Outside Of Her Bathroom Stall’, the headline of the column declared, followed by a 950-word explanation of why elected officials shouldn't try to hide in a lavatory from activists “mad enough to pester” them.

“There was no violence, no rude language, nothing. Just a few constituents following their representative into a large bathroom to air their grievances,” the site described the encounter.

“What should they have done instead?” Jezebel writer Ashley Reese wondered. “Call her office and direct their ire through a receptionist like surely countless Americans do each day? Write her a letter she won’t read? Vote her into office again and hope that, this time, she’ll deign them important enough to listen to?”

Irony seemed to be lost on the publication, which accused Republicans of “pearl clutching” over the ambush, while at the same time using the emotionally-loaded term ‘bullying’ to describe the activists’ behavior in the headline.

Readers were quick to bring up several other Jezebel stories that took quite a different attitude to various forms of personal harassment, including those targeting elected officials. Some pointed out that sharing the article promoting bullying on Twitter technically violated its community rules.

Jezebel is no stranger to endorsing the pestering of politicians, as long as it targets the kind of people that its audience generally doesn’t like. When Republican Senator Rand Paul complained about getting heckled last year, the outlets called him “a big ol’ weenie” for doing so.

On the other hand, when Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene pestered fellow lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Republican was branded by the outlet a “nasty, violent little troll,” whose actions were more than “just harassment.”

Like this story? Share it with a friend!