A Group of Angry Protesters Followed Mitch McConnell Through a Restaurant Parking Lot
PoliticsThis has been a very busy weekend for the harassment of complete monsters. First Steve Bannon was called “a piece of trash” in a Virginia book store. (The owner called the cops on the hero who said it, but we all know who was in the right.) But lo, there’s more: A group of protesters followed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell through a restaurant parking lot, chanting the phrase “vote you out,” among other more pointed insults and threats.
On Saturday, McConnell and his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, entered a Louisville restaurant called Bristol Bar & Grille. Their arrival did not escape notice of at least one patron, who tweeted about his presence. As timing would have it, a group of protesters had already assembled outside Louisville’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office just a few miles away, among them the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter head. The tweet did in fact reach its intended audience, and within a few minutes, a crowd had assembled outside the restaurant.
Chants of “vote you out” dominated, but plenty of other asides made their way in as well, including “Where are the babies, Mitch?” and “turtle head,” which is perhaps the most accurate description of McConnell that I have personally heard.
Unfortunately, the “turtle head” shouter was not content to leave it at that, adding “We know where you live, too, Mitch! We know where you live! Yeah! We know where you live, Mitch!” This elevated what could have been the perfectly fine ruining of McConnell’s day into what could reasonably be perceived as a threat, therefore undermining the whole operation. The DSA issued a statement about the man, who has not been publicly identified, saying:
“This person is not a DSA member, nor do we know who he is or what he meant by that statement,” the chapter wrote in an email. “We believe it is a reference to peacefully protesting in front of McConnell’s house, which is a regular occurrence in Louisville. However, we cannot speak more to the comment because it did not come from our organization or our members.”
Asked for comment, McConnell’s spokesperson issued this:
“If the Leader comments on being called a fascist and a supporter of ICE by a small handful of extremist protesters then I will let you know,” McConnell’s spokesman, David Popp, wrote to The Washington Post after the incident.