Democrats and select members of the liberal commentariat are taking the inevitable confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court about as gracefully as one would expect.
Some complain, incorrectly, that Barrett lacks the judicial experience to sit on the bench (Justices Earl Warren, John Marshall, and Elena Kagan say, “Hello”). Some have floated the idea that Barrett may have kidnapped her adopted children (???).
Now, some say Barrett’s supporters are attempting to rob the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of her legacy by referring to President Trump’s third nominee to the Supreme Court as “Notorious ACB.”
Though Barrett’s likely confirmation will probably be quick technically, this entire ordeal is going to feel like 100 years by the time it is over.
Ginsburg has at times been referred to fondly as the “Notorious RBG.” It is a play on the name of the late rapper Notorious BIG, or Biggie Smalls. The thing of referring to Ginsburg as “notorious” is a reference to another pop culture figure.
Referring, then, to Barrett as “Notorious ACB,” as a line of products made available by pro-Republican groups do, is just a play on a reference to a reference. It is not malicious. No ill-will is intended.
But you try telling that to Ginsburg’s definitely-not-angry acolytes.
? LIMITED EDITION: Show your support for Pres. Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, with your very own Notorious A.C.B. t-shirt! Claim yours here ⬇️https://t.co/qi1eWqTz17
— The Senate Majority (@NRSC) September 26, 2020
“Amid all of this grief, we are now subject to a turn to parody that is also cruelty,” writes Slate senior editor Dahlia Lithwick. “The White House rollout of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as candidate for the seat has gone beyond erasing Ginsburg’s legacy — they are stealing the trappings of that legacy and stripping it for parts.”
She adds, “There are now grotesque GOP T-shirts that imply that 60 years of unprecedented and brilliant legal advocacy by Ginsburg could simply be reappropriated by someone else because she too is a woman in possession of three names. This comedic implication — that Barrett is the natural inheritor of Ginsburg’s legacy — is depraved. … Lack of originality is the hallmark of this administration: Like Trump’s inauguration cake or Melania’s stolen convention speech, they routinely steal good things and then brazenly and cheaply repurpose them for opposing ends. It is infuriating not only because it is rank, immature trolling — it is infuriating because it is also a form of contempt.”
Lithwick’s article hilariously goes on for another 1,000-plus words. You probably get the picture, though. She is very upset that anyone would have a little fun with the “Notorious [insert initials here]” gag.
“Notorious ACB” products are an attempt to “hijack” Ginsburg’s legacy, the Daily Beast alleges, referring sarcastically to the Republican-produced shirts as “classy.”
The Republican groups selling “Notorious ACB” paraphernalia are “ripping off the hard-earned and respected nickname of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” according to HuffPost.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who apparently suffers from a uniquely weak constitution, said simply, “This makes me sick to my stomach.”
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut complained elsewhere of the “ACB” shirts, “The point of this, of course, is just to be awful. To stick a finger in the eye of Ginsburg’s grieving family and anyone mourning her loss.”
Ginsburg’s fans humorously appropriated a nickname from a rapper who was murdered in cold blood at age 24 — someone as unlike the late justice as anyone could possibly imagine. God forbid that anyone else has a bit of extra fun with the “notorious” shtick.
For certain liberals, even the jokes they tell upset them.
