On MLK weekend, Trump smears civil rights hero John Lewis as a slumlord

[babylonsister]

https://thinkprogress.org/trump-smears-john-lewis-twitter-4fdcf12b18d#.8r2ca4pzi
Tara Culp-Ressler
Senior Editor at ThinkProgress
26 mins ago
On MLK weekend, Trump smears civil rights hero John Lewis as a slumlord
Trump attacked Lewis for being “all talk, no actions.”



Early Saturday morning, President-elect Donald Trump attacked the Georgia congressman and famed civil rights hero John Lewis for being “all talk, no action” and presiding over a “crime infested” district that’s “falling apart.”

The thinly veiled racial smear — essentially suggesting Lewis is a slumlord — came on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the nation prepares to honor the civil rights leader with whom Lewis worked closely in the 1960s to advocate for racial and economic justice.

Trump’s assertion that Lewis is presiding over a failing and crime-ridden district is not true. The predominantly black district represented by Lewis includes very nice parts of Atlanta and its suburbs that can hardly be described as in “horrible shape.” Since 2009, crime has fallen by 30 percent in his district.

Trump — who frequently uses his Twitter platform to lash out against his critics — was responding to recent comments from Lewis saying that he does not see the president-elect as “legitimate” because of apparent Russian interference in the 2016 election.

snip//

It’s hard to imagine two politicians with temperaments as disparate as Trump and Lewis. While Trump is inexperienced in government, prone to ad hominem attacks, and holds policy positions offensive to communities of color, Lewis is a widely respected lawmaker with decades of commitment to civil rights and public service who’s regarded as a hero.

[Else You Are Mad]

1. I bet Trump didn't know who Lewis is...

until he asked one of his advisers who this man insulting him was.

[EL34x4]

4. He's probably equally unaware that Monday is MLK day.

"Whaddya mean there's no mail? Who gave Lutherans their own holiday?"

[malaise]

2. Joy Reid discussing this now

Groper Don the Con will learn

[nolabear]

3. He has kicked a hornet's nest. A thousand stings...

I knew it was coming. we'll see if Congress and the grass of the Civil Rights Movement will rally around him, as they should.

[uponit7771]

5. This is a fight Benedict Donald will lose

[smirkymonkey]

6. The man has no shame.

How dare he?