Here’s another example of the Democratic Party’s finest — a Tennessee representative who chants “power to the people” on the House floor but refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones is facing demands to resign after declining to lead the Pledge of Allegiance in the legislature last week.
The controversial Nashville Democrat brought in a Native American speaker to offer the opening prayer in the Choctaw language on Thursday. Afterward, Jones refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, according to House Speaker Cameron Sexton, WBIR-TV reported.
Democratic state Rep. Karen Camper of Memphis led the pledge instead, according to the station.
In a social media post, Jones stated he did not want to participate in “performative patriotism” with Republican colleagues who support an “insurrectionist.” He was referring, of course, to former President Donald Trump.
“I couldn’t bring myself to join their performative patriotism as they continue to support an insurrectionist for president and undermine liberty and justice for all,” Jones wrote.
Yesterday, my Republican colleagues called on me to resign for declining to lead them in the pledge of allegiance.
I couldn’t bring myself to join their performative patriotism as they continue to support an insurrectionist for president and undermine liberty and justice for all
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) February 2, 2024
Labeling the recitation of the pledge as “performative” would be outrageous coming from any lawmaker, but for Jones to make such an accusation goes beyond rich.
In April, Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to expel Jones, 28, and another Democrat, Justin Pearson, 29, of Memphis, after they led chants of “power to the people” from the House floor to protest after the March 27 shooting at Nashville’s The Covenant School.
Should Jones be expelled from the Tennessee legislature again?
Before the vote, Jones said, “A state in which the Ku Klux Klan was founded is now attempting another power grab by silencing the two youngest black representatives,” according to CBS News.
The men were part of a group known as the “Tennessee 3,” along with Rep. Gloria Johnson, a fellow Democrat. Johnson retained her seat after an expulsion failed by one vote, according to CBS News. (Johnson is now running in the Democratic primary for Senate, seeking to challenge Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn.)
After their expulsions, both representatives were reinstated. First, the Nashville Metro Council reinstated Jones and the Shelby County Commission reinstated Pearson, according to NPR. They were then re-elected by voters in their districts in special elections.
But the melee on the House floor isn’t even the worst “performative” action from Jones.
In an April post on X (then known as Twitter), Fox News published a photograph of Jones from a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest standing on top of a police car surrounded by a rowdy crowd.
‘Tennessee Three’ Democrat Justin Jones pictured standing on police car during 2020 BLM protest https://t.co/dbRL3OJEZf
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 12, 2023
Clearly, the controversial representative has no problem with being “performative.”
Which leads one to assume that his problem with the pledge was not “performance” but “patriotism.”
After all, why should the citizens of Tennessee expect an elected state representative to have patriotism and loyalty toward the country and state he is serving?
X users had some angry responses to the unpatriotic representative’s tweet.
“The fact that you won’t pledge your allegiance to the very country you swore an oath of allegiance to is grounds for your termination,” one user wrote.
The fact that you won’t pledge your allegiance to the very country you swore an oath of allegiance to is grounds for your termination
— Kentuckian (@KentuckianUSA) February 2, 2024
“There was no insurrection. Unless you’re referring to yours,” another post pointed out.
There was no insurrection. Unless you’re referring to yours.
— Conservative Kiki (@CnsrvtvKiki) February 2, 2024
“You should resign and go back to college where they approve of temper tantrums. You’re a pathetic spoiled child and you’re humiliating yourself, your family and our country. We’re done with clowns like you!” wrote another.
You should resign and go back to college where they approve of temper tantrums. You’re a pathetic spoiled child and you’re humiliating yourself, your family and our country. We’re done with clowns like you!
— Adorable Deplorable 🇺🇸 (@happydayusa2020) February 2, 2024
Jones doesn’t belong in the office of a lawmaker, but at least he was honest when he didn’t say the pledge.
After everything he has done to undermine this country, he was right about one thing — from his lips, the pledge would just be a “performance.”
