Conservatives Attack Hillary and Obama for Calling Easter Worshippers ‘Easter Worshippers’
Conservatives like former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Fox News personality Brit Hume are up in arms over the stupidest culture-war outrage since all of them. They’re attacking former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama for identifying people worshipping at Easter services as “Easter worshippers.”
It all started when Clinton and Obama tweeted their condolences for the series of Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that left hundreds dead. Here are their monstrous tweets:
The attacks on tourists and Easter worshippers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity. On a day devoted to love, redemption, and renewal, we pray for the victims and stand with the people of Sri Lanka.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 21, 2019
On this holy weekend for many faiths, we must stand united against hatred and violence. I’m praying for everyone affected by today’s horrific attacks on Easter worshippers and travelers in Sri Lanka.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 21, 2019
Keep in mind that these sentiments were expressed hours after Donald Trump tweeted that “at least 138 million” were killed in the attacks, and failed to identify the victims as “Christians.” This becomes important, apparently.
Over the ensuing hours, a conservative backlash formed around the premise that Obama and Clinton were horrible bigots for saying “Easter worshippers” and not “Christians.” There are literally too many of these to count, so here are the most prominent and/or ridiculous examples.
Here’s Breitbart “News” “Reporter” Alana Mastrangelo stating the premise simply and stupidly:
Who says “Easter worshippers”?
People who don’t want to say “Christians,” that’s who. pic.twitter.com/Z4VzXvxXFD
— Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) April 21, 2019
Actually, you know who else says “Easter worshippers?” I mean, besides this news article on Breitbart.com? The conservative Washington Times:
#Easter worshippers shocked as car rams church, injuring 21 http://t.co/bu5m4ky3l5 via @washtimes
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 21, 2014
But you know who else slammed Clinton and Obama as “anti-Christian” for saying “Easter worshippers?” Yes, The Washington Times:
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton tip anti-Christian ‘Easter worshippers’ hats – https://t.co/aDIXj2FeSW – @washtimes They called the Sri Lanka victims “Easter worshippers,” not Christians. That’s not just strange and unnatural. It’s political calculation.
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 22, 2019
More prominently, there was Hume:
“Easter worshippers” aka Christians. https://t.co/ocXXyD49ZK
— Brit Hume (@brithume) April 22, 2019
CNN’s Chris Cuomo called Hume out without using the word “racist,” which could be the next thing Twitter gets mad about:
this “Obama is not one of us” code never gets old for some. https://t.co/fgOcTwyOo3
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) April 22, 2019
Gingrich combined stupid with conspiracy theory. It’s all part of The Plan:
How do President Obama and Secretary Clinton both come up with Easter worshippers in their tweets about the murders in Sri Lanka? To have both of them use the same term the same day is strange. Is Easter Worshipper the left’s new way to avoid the word Christian? Pathetic
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) April 22, 2019
People from other conservative media outlets joined in, like dude from TheBlaze dot com:
A terror attack on Churches on Easter Sunday is indeed an attack on Christians. That much should be obvious.
There’s nothing wrong with telling the truth.
Trying to find creative ways to avoid saying that (“Easter worshippers”/”attack on humanity”) is a titanically stupid look
— Nate Madden (@NateOnTheHill) April 22, 2019
The National Review:
Yeah we’re actually called Christians not “Easter worshippers” wouldn’t hurt to maybe just say that pic.twitter.com/amw0Zkwh1e
— Alexandra DeSanctis (@xan_desanctis) April 22, 2019
Stupid Twitter Official Headquarters Twitchy rounded up some of the dumbassery while accusing Obama and Clinton of “GROSS bigotry”:
‘DNC send a memo?’ Obama, Hillary, other Dems prove their GROSS bigotry by calling Sri Lanka victims #EasterWorshippers https://t.co/6zs0TUE9sE
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 22, 2019
Diamond and Silk had thoughts:
No Obama! They’re called Christians not Easter Worshippers!
— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) April 22, 2019
The controversy was even too stupid for Erick Erickson, who can’t even think of two different names for himself:
Via @ewerickson: “This is a silly controversy. Conservatives exhaust themselves pointing out how frequently progressives get outraged over minor things on social media and now are doing it themselves.” https://t.co/GleI435D88
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) April 22, 2019
Also for Frank Luntz:
Here is the term “Easter worshippers” used in a church pamphlet.
Lots of outrage-mining over a such a normal, uncontroversial term. pic.twitter.com/z5aQ7nS5Dw
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) April 22, 2019
As of this writing, and subject to change at any moment, Fox News has not waded into this controversy — which should tell you everything you need to know about how very, very stupid it is.
Update: My bad, this actually isn’t too stupid for Fox News. On Monday morning’s Fox & Friends, co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked White House counselor Kellyanne Conway about the tweets, and whether she “read into any of that.”
Conway replied “You’d have to ask them,” then went into an extended riff about Hillary Clinton not smearing Muslims in her convention speech. Earhardt failed to notice that at no point during their six-minute interview did Conway utter the word “Christians.”
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
