On Tuesday afternoon, the National Republican Senatorial Committee published a tweet they will long regret. Whoever was in control of the page, whether it be an anonymous intern or a member of the leadership, tweeted this criticism of Illinois Representative Tammy Duckworth:
Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq war veteran who lost both her legs to an RPG. Be you, @NRSC. pic.twitter.com/ItbIjAESyu
— shady lady (@goldengateblond) March 8, 2016
For those unfamiliar with Duckworth, you may wonder why this tweet has garnered so much ire. It is possible that whatever clueless person who tweeted this message wasn’t even aware that Rep. Duckworth lost both of her legs during a tour in Iraq, earning Duckworth a purple heart. Duckworth was serving in Iraq in 2004, co-piloting a Blackhawk helicopter when it was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade, resulting in her extensive injuries.
That sound you just heard is air rushing in to fill the space that had been occupied by an @NRSC intern.
— Jesse Berney (@jesseberney) March 8, 2016
Right.
So, the insensitive tweet, posted with either ignorance or malice, was quickly deleted. But this is the internet, and nothing is ever really deleted. Many people rushed to post screenshots of the tweet, condemning the organization both for their message and for their attempt to hide the error with no apology.
longer @NRSC takes to apologize for what was obviously a mistake (albeit a yuge one), the way worse this gets. pic.twitter.com/aAAuIitKla
— Brian Farnkoff (@BrianFarnkoff) March 8, 2016
The NRSC, by the way, is a committee which is devoted to keeping a Republican senate majority. It assists Republican candidates with fundraising and election planning, but apparently doesn’t keep a close eye on its social media accounts.
NRSC’s twitter had been criticizing Duckworth for days because she is a Democrat running for the Illinois Senate seat against incumbent Republican Mark Kirk. The NRSC claims that Duckworth has “turned her back on Veterans,” but apparently that terminology was just not effective enough.
So, NRSC, where is that apology?
