Ted Cruz and Fox News Are Desperate to Convince America That Conservatives Are the Real Victims in the War on Abortion

Fox News hosts and Republican politicians have spent the past year plus downplaying the attack on the Capitol last Jan. 6, a familiar refrain being that the breach of Congress that resulted in five deaths and dozens of injuries was a “peaceful protest.”

The same conservative hosts and politicians have responded to the actually peaceful protests following the leak of the Supreme Court’s drafted plan to overturn Roe v. Wade with outrage and disgust, part of an effort to convince Americans that they — not the nation’s women — are the real victims of the push to do away with reproductive rights.

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was front and center Monday night, describing the riot at the Capitol last Jan. 6 as a “peaceful protest” while bashing Democrats for not calling off the “goons” protesting for reproductive rights.

Cruz in January called what happened last Jan. 6 a “violent terrorist attack,” getting himself eviscerated by Tucker Carlson. Cruz responded by going on Carlson’s show and begging for forgiveness, and now, just a few months later, he’s call the insurrection “peaceful” while labeling pro-choice protests “mob violence.”

Fox News displayed images of the “goons” as Cruz spoke. They were actually just a bunch of people standing around on a street outside the homes of conservative justices.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was determined not to be outdone when it came to making absurd comparisons between the attack on the Capitol and the protests since the Supreme Court draft leaked. Hannity later deflected blame for the violence on Jan. 6 away from former President Trump and onto those who supposedly “had the authority” to call up National Guard troops but “didn’t,” leading Graham to blurt out, “[Trump] said, ‘Leave.’ He told them to leave the Capitol.” (Trump waited about three hours after the attack until he posted a video telling his supporters, “Go home. We love you. You’re very special.”)

“Will Biden tell them to leave the judges alone at home?” Graham added. “Do what Trump did. Tell them to leave. He knew to tell them to leave.”

Tucker Carlson may have been more disgusted than either of them. “We hesitate to even bring you these pictures because they’re so awful, but it’s happening and you should see what it looks like,” he said alongside images of demonstrators standing still, holding signs and candles. “These are protesters, this is the mob, outside Justice Samuel Alito’s home in Virginia. They’re disgusting.”

Carlson brought on a guest to discuss the “disgusting” protesters, before one of them held up a middle finger. Carlson couldn’t bear to watch. “Let’s turn that off,” he said. “It’s too much.”

Jesse Watters and Laura Ingraham, the remaining two cogs of Fox News’ primetime propaganda machine, pushed a similar narrative. “This is what happens in third world countries,” Ingraham said.

The narrative pushed into Tuesday morning, with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) bashing Biden for not condemning the reproductive rights protests.

“He has been silent, he has encouraged it,” said Hawley, who cheered on Trump supporters as they prepared to storm the Capitol last Jan. 6.

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