Projection is the psychological process of denying one’s own faults by attributing them to others. It’s also one of the favorite tactics of today’s Republicans. Case in point: Earlier this year, Josh Hawley earned scorn, even from his home state, for his role in promoting the events that led to the failed insurrection of Jan. 6. Many demanded he resign. He didn’t. But now he’s demanding Dr. Anthony Fauci do what he himself should have done months ago.
Last week, thousands of pages of emails written by the nation’s top doctor during the early days of the pandemic were made public. Were they awful? Not really. BuzzFeed pored over all of them and concluded that the worst he did was try to keep the nation calm by protecting them from certain information. But conservatives predictably tried to gin up controversy anyway, claiming they were proof that the person who saved untold lives during a public health crisis — while gingerly handling a boss with no interest in stopping it — should lose the job he’s held for decades.
One of them was Hawley, who seized upon the brouhaha to offer some psychological projection. He took to Twitter, calling the emails “shocking,” saying that the “time has come for Fauci to resign and for a full congressional investigation into the origins of #COVID19 – and into any and all efforts to prevent a full accounting.”
But people caught Hawley’s projection. And they went back to what they’ve been saying since early January: that the Missouri senator, who was seen pumping a fist at the people who would soon storm the Capitol, should be the one who quits in disgrace.
Seditious traitor Josh Hawley calls on Dr Fauci to resign. Meanwhile, the majority of the US calls on Josh Hawley to resign.
— Amy Lynn
(@AmyAThatcher) June 5, 2021
Josh Hawley incited an attack on our Capitol and now is inciting an attack on the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. F this guy.
— Mr. Newberger (@jeremynewberger) June 4, 2021
Josh Hawley needs to resign and be investigated for his role in Jan 6.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) June 5, 2021
Can we get Josh Hawley’s emails in the weeks leading up to his seditious actions on Jan 6th via the Freedom of Information Act?
— Tim Hannan (@TimHannan) June 5, 2021
Dr. Fauci’s a hero, Josh Hawley’s a zero. pic.twitter.com/fd6obYRLuJ
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) June 5, 2021
During the pandemic, Dr. Fauci was saving lives.
During the 2020 election, Seditionist white supremacist Josh Hawley was inciting a deadly insurrection.
The only one who needs to resign and be arrested is the one seen in a photo putting a fist up for terrorists to show support.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) June 5, 2021
Josh Hawley, aka Senator Sedition Fist, needs to resign.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 4, 2021
Hearing traitor Josh Hawley calling for anyone to resign is classic Republican projection.
America wants you gone Josh. #ResignHawley
— Chris Hahn (@ChristopherHahn) June 5, 2021
Election Liar Josh Hawley, the ONLY Senator to vote against the Asian American hate crimes bill, has the nerve to tell Dr. Fauci to resign
You essentially told 23 million Americans that they don’t matter
Sit down. Go away. You’ve lost ALL moral high ground.
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) June 4, 2021
The fact that Josh Hawley is still going about his business like normal and have the nerve to call for other people to resign, doesn’t sit right with my spirit
— Covie (@covie_93) June 5, 2021
Dr. Fauci is a scientist
Josh Hawley is a seditionist
— Baligubadle (@Baligubadle1) June 5, 2021
People also imagined a world in which we trust someone like Senator Hawley more than someone like Dr. Fauci.
If you trust Josh Hawley’s understanding of infectious diseases more than Dr. Fauci’s the human species will be stronger without you.
— Middle Age Riot (@middleageriot) June 5, 2021