Politico slam dunks Josh Hawley

| 11:00 pm EDT March 16, 2022
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One of the worst Republicans in the Senate is Josh Hawley. Mr. Hawley (I refuse to call him “Senator”) is in a bit of a pickle. And this pickle does, of course, have to do with the infamous “raised fist,” a picture that is frozen in time.

The Hawley fist — showing Hawley raising his fish in solidarity with insurrectionists — has made waves from the very start. I personally am glad we have this image. Why? Because images tell a story and this particular image tells us all we need to know about Hawley and where his loyalties are.

But there are other reasons to be pissed about the picture. And for news organization, Politico, they have a big one. You see, Hawley has been using the photo to sell mugs as campaign merchandise. The mug features the picture in all its disgusting glory.

You might wonder who on earth would be sleazy enough, disgusting enough, awful enough to try to profit from the January 6 insurrection. The answer, of course, is — Josh Hawley. This ceramic mug featuring Hawley snarling for the camera starts at the modest price of $20. It’s despicable and vulgar.

There is, however, a bit of a glitch. Hawley reportedly never got permission to use the photo. After all — someone had to take the picture, right? And it turns out that someone is Politico. And they’re none too happy about Hawley’s use of their picture. This is presumably why Politico says they sent Hawley a to cease and desist letter. They “respectfully” ask Hawley to stop using their photo in said letter.

But Hawley hasn’t. In fact, his spokesperson claims never to have received this letter. They also say they comply with the law. In actual, Republican fashion, the spokesperson then asks if Politico will send them any letters sent to liberal groups, which they claim also used the photo.

This response is stupid. Nobody in liberal media, to MY knowledge, ever PROFITED from the photo. Hawley is insisting the mug is not pro-insurrectionist. Right Politico, meanwhile, has said Hawley has been put on “legal notice.” So, how will this all end? One can’t be sure, but if I were Hawley (and thank goodness I’m not) I’d stop using the photo.