Comment Rescue: Coons Wants Humanitarian Pauses – And Quiet
H/t to Joe Connor, who reads the New York Post so you don’t have to.
Seems our junior senator, Chris Coons, took an Amtrak train recently, where he had a run-in with a “far-left reporter” who got the encounter on video.
Aaron Mate, who reports for something called Grayzone, was seated across from Coons. He apologized for putting the senator “on the spot” and demanded to know why he hasn’t called for a cease-fire in Gaza.
“Who are you?” a confused-looking Coons asks. After Mate identifies himself as a reporter, Coons tells him, “This is a quiet car and you’re not supposed to be talking to me.”
Coons scolds the reporter –”You’re breaking the basic rules of how we operate on Amtrak” – and, when that doesn’t shush him up, eventually spells out his carefully crafted position on the conflict in Gaza: “I’m not going to call for a cease-fire. I strongly support humanitarian pauses. I’ve urged the Israeli government to target their campaign against Hamas.” Coons leaves his seat after about 3 minutes of this.
Mate was evicted from the train at its next stop. Thus ever to breakers of silence on the Quiet Car.
Coons deserves a personal quiet car.
We deserve a quiet car–from Coons.
True story–Coons used to shop at Trader Joe’s when I worked there. Since I viewed the store as a safe space, I never raised issues with him, although we’d sometimes talk political gossip if he came through my line.
However, our captain at the time had no such compunctions. One day, I saw him talking to Coons, and Coons left the store not looking happy.
So I asked our captain what he did. He told me that he criticized Coons over his unquestioning backing of Netanyahu. I suggested to him that perhaps his approach wasn’t the best.
His response?:
“He needed to be told.”
My captain had gotten to that point in life where he was no longer concerned about editing his remarks.
Wow, the senate seems to age a person
Coons must think the world has turned upside down. “Calling on” a reporter to obey the rules of the quiet car had the same impact as “calling on” Netanyahu to do anything. That’s not how it is supposed to work.
I’m not a Coons fan, but I don’t want people yammering in the next seat if I’m on the quiet car, Coons did eventually talk to him and his “carefully crafted position” is better than some other carefully crafted positions I’ve seen. I realize the quiet car thing was mainly an excuse not to talk, and Coons said almost nothing, but in general I wish people would shut up in there. I don’t think they should have kicked the guy off the train, though.
The guy’s a jerk. Should never have been on the train in the first place.
Pretty sure he bought a ticket. They will throw you off for misbehavior, though.
Sad.
We’re sober centrist-ing ourselves into fascism, but whatevs. Attention must be paid to the quiet car rules. The Lords and Ladies need their safe spaces.
There’s no greater sign of impending fascism than people riding in the quiet car.
I think it would be the perfect punishment for Trump – make him ride in the quiet car.