Megan Rapinoe is not the first world-class athlete to indicate or refuse an invitation to the White House because of its current occupant, but she is the most revealing. Up to now, the refusers have claimed that they could not meet with a man who is so hateful, bigoted, and who pursues racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-trans policies. Rapinoe, however, has just exposed that these excuses are merely to conceal their true reason: that they are liberals first and don’t believe they have to or should associate with people who have different opinions on policy.
In an interview with Chuck Todd, after buttering her up by comparing her to Muhammad Ali, he asked her a terrific question. It wasn’t a gotcha question, it was a legitimate, thoughtful question.
Todd: What do you tell a Trump supporter who loves watching you? And is like, “I wish she’d go to the White House.”
This is a terrific question at odds with what the media has become. First, it is grounded her own statements: “We have to be better. We have to love more, hate less, We got to listen more and talk less.” The person who believes that should not be refusing a meeting at the White House. She should be going there and making her case. She should be using the opportunity to bring attention to her cause. Secondly, this question is a “moderating” question, in that it forces the ideological extremists to consider the opinions of the people on the other side, the opposite of what the media normally do.
Instead of answering Todd’s question directly, doubling down on her own statements about listening more, she says she would ask the person who wants her to go to the White House “Do you believe that all people are created equal? Do you believe that equal pay should be mandated? Do you believe that everyone should have healthcare? Do you believe we that we should treat everyone with respect?” Perhaps because this is the first time she was being asked a tough question about her hypocrisy she was flummoxed and was actually answering the question of why she wouldn’t go to the White House, but her answer reveals that a big part of the reason is because she has policy differences with Trump. Assuming she’s being honest, this would suggest that she would never go to the White House for any Republican president since they don’t believe “equal pay should be mandated.”
Rapinoe’s answer to Todd’s question demonstrates that this is based on economic policy and has nothing to do with “Trump’s message.” Todd asked what would have to happen for Rapinoe to visit the White House. Rapinoe responded, “There’s like, 50 policy issues.” So, then she’d go if Trump simply changed his policies? I would really like to know which policies she’s thinking about. Tax rates? Single Payer? She might as well have said she’ll visit the White House when and only when its occupant has a (D) by his or her name.
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