On Monday, Channel 13 News asked Republican Sen. Joni Ernst to respond to Vice President Mike Pence’s $200,000 publicity stunt the previous day in which, at the request of President Trump, he attended an Indianapolis Colts game against the San Francisco 49ers specifically to walk out in faux outrage knowing players would continue to kneel in protest of racial injustice during the national anthem.
In response, Ernst minimized the worthiness of the players’ silent protests, which began last year when then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee to take a symbolic stand against police killings of African Americans that have often resulted in no criminal convictions despite evidence of misconduct. Republicans have largely ignored the actual point of the protests, which gained traction again recently after Trump tweeted that the NFL should fire players who take a knee during the anthem, claiming that they show disrespect to members of the military.
Ernst, who served in Iraq with the Iowa National Guard, suggested that the players — who tend to be black — needed to respect the fact that they “truly do live in the greatest nation on the face of this planet, and if they don’t recognize that, I would encourage them to go out and spend some time in Afghanistan, spend some time in Kuwait or Iraq, go to Myanmar now with all the injustice they have going on with the ethnic cleansing, that doesn’t happen in the United States.”
49ers safety Eric Reid had a different take on Pence’s stunt, calling it an example of systemic oppression.
Statement by @E_Reid35 regarding the Vice President’s brief appearance at the game. “This is what systemic oppression looks like.” pic.twitter.com/Aoy2GWons2
— Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) October 8, 2017
Last month, Ernst also weighed in on the anthem protesters, saying then that she respected their right to free speech but also suggesting that she might stop watching football as a result.
