Girl Scouts Uncongratulate Amy Comey Barrett

Sigh.

CNBC (“Girl Scouts deletes social media congratulations to Amy Coney Barrett on Supreme Court seat after angry backlash“):

The Girls Scouts on Wednesday night deleted social media posts congratulating conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett for her controversial appointment to the Supreme Court hours after the posts sparked a wave of angry comments — and some praise.

“Shame on Girl Scouts for promoting this. She represents the exact opposite of what we instill in our girls!” one woman wrote in reply to Girl Scouts’ Facebook post.

The backlash began right after the Girls Scouts Twitter and Facebook feeds featured an image showing photos of Barrett and the only four other women who have served as justices on the high court. Those women included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal whose death last month opened the door for President Donald Trump to nominate Barrett for her seat.

“Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming the 5th woman appointed to the Supreme Court since its inception in 1789,” the post said, ending with an emoji of hands raised up.

The post was replicated on the group’s Facebook page, followed by a note saying, “Girl Scouts of the USA is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization.”

“We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women.”

“If you would like to debate partisan politics—keep scrolling,” the Girl Scouts tweet added.

But that admonition didn’t stop a lot of women from weighing in on Barrett, whom liberals consider a threat to the Obamacare health law, abortion rights and LGBT rights because of her conservative judicial philosophy.

I’ll spare you the other nonsense that random yahoos wrote on social media. But the headline gave away the punchline:

The Twitter and Facebook posts were both deleted around the time that this article was first published by CNBC.

“This Tweet is unavailable,” read the message in retweets of the original post.

The Girl Scouts Twitter account later Wednesday evening posted a new tweet, which said, “Earlier today, we shared a post highlighting the five women who have been appointed to the Supreme Court. It was quickly viewed as a political and partisan statement which was not our intent and we have removed the post.”

“Girl Scouts of the USA is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization. We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women,” the post said.

My late first wife was a Girl Scout, as are my two daughters, who started as Daisies in kindergarten and are now new Junior and Cadette scouts. The organization is decidedly non-partisan although it’s certainly political. From the beginning, they’ve focused on empowering girls.

Here’s their self-description:

Girl Scouts offers the best leadership development experience for girls in the world.

Girl Scouts unleashes the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ in every girl, preparing her for a lifetime of leadership—from taking a night-time hike under the stars to accepting a mission on the International Space Station; from lobbying the city council with her troop to holding a seat in Congress; from running her own cookie business today to tackling cybersecurity tomorrow.

Our Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls, with proven results. It is based on time-tested methods and research-backed programming that help girls take the lead—in their own lives and in the world.

Research shows that girls learn best in an all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment. Girl Scouts is a place where she’ll practice different skills, explore her potential, take on leadership positions—and even feel allowed to fail, dust herself off, get up, and try again.

I don’t know if Barrett was a Girl Scout growing up but, whatever one thinks of her politics, she certainly exemplifies that spirit. She has excelled her entire life and certainly fulfilled her leadership potential, rising at a young age to be one of the most powerful woman in the country.

Yes, of course her nomination and quick confirmation on the eve of an election where the person nominating her and the party confirming her are expected to lose rankles. And, yes, a lot of women find her political beliefs troublesome.

But, just as obviously, the Girl Scouts weren’t applauding her judicial philosophy but rather a remarkable achievement by a woman. As the post notes, she is only the fifth woman Justice in the history of a court that goes back to 1789. In those 231 years, 110 men have achieved that distinction. It seems perfectly reasonable for an organization devoted to developing girls into strong women to celebrate this milestone.

FILED UNDER: Environment, Gender Issues, Supreme Court, US Politics, , , , , , , , , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Sleeping Dog says:

    @james, you have to admit that the reaction was predictable.

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  2. James Joyner says:

    @Sleeping Dog: Sadly, yes.

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  3. Scott F. says:

    The Girl Scouts’ replacement tweet clearly indicates that the organization values their nonpolitical and nonpartisan reputation above all else. You can’t blame them for that.

    Women who see Barrett’s appointment as political are obviously right to see that way. It’s not only the timing and the actions of the GOP, but Barrett’s publicly stated views juxtaposed against RBG’s that drive that conclusion. Barrett’s judicial record doesn’t shout champion for women’s advancement. So, you can’t blame women for not venting their frustration whenever they can.

    Barrett accepted the nomination in these politicized circumstances, but I don’t suppose I blame her for not passing on a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. And she shouldn’t blame women for finding no consolation in her gender.

    All that’s left is to blame Trump and McConnell. Works for me.

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  4. Scott says:

    I’m not an expert on all the various social media but it seems to me there should be an option to block commentary so announcements like congratulations, etc. can be made without everybody having an opportunity to express their opinion.

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  5. MarkedMan says:

    Whatever you think about Barrett’s personal success, her installment to the court was aggressively political. The Girl Scout’s attempt to ride her coat tails but put a ludicrous “We are not political” disclaimer on it was an own goal.

    8
  6. Michael Reynolds says:

    Achievement? She was the only person McConnell could find who had both a vagina and a desperate desire to reduce women to second class status. Congratulations on being the tool of vile old men. So excited to see how you’ll hurt women and gays and the Constitution itself.

    If she had an ounce of integrity she’d have never accepted the appointment. So, well-done Amy putting personal advancement ahead of everything else.

    Good for the Girl Scouts. Screw her.

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  7. Jen says:

    You don’t need to be a PR person to see that this was both entirely predictable and entirely avoidable.

    Unless they have a stated policy of publicly congratulating on social media any and every woman who makes a newsworthy achievement, this just should have been shelved.

    This is so obvious, I’m now wondering if it was deliberate.

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  8. Monala says:

    Earlier this summer John Legend wrote a series of tweets that began, “Fight the real battle.” One such tweet continued with something like, “The real battle isn’t that there’s a room called the master bedroom. The real battle is that African-Americans are still being discriminated against in housing.”

    This feels a bit like that. The Girl Scouts’ congratulatory tweet? Not the real battle. The Republicans’ naked power grab just before an election? That’s the real fight.

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  9. Kathy says:

    Judge Amy Covid Barret will benefit women as much as Marshall Petain benefited the French.

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  10. charon says:

    This lady has never practiced as a lawyer, never argued a case. She has 3 years experience as a judge. She was not appointed for her resume, experience or merits. She was appointed for her extreme political views. That is what you honor when you honor her.

    And showing up on the WH balcony for a campaign event was pretty inapropriate, that is who she is.

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  11. drj says:

    …but, whatever one thinks of her politics, she certainly exemplifies that spirit.

    I don’t think the Girl Scouts are about pissing on women’s rights.

    ACB’s politics aren’t just a bunch privately-held convictions. If she gets her way, her politics are going to destroy lives. Women’s lives in particular.

    The phrase “whatever one thinks of her politics” signals how privileged you are.

    ACB is not going to rule on YOUR reproductive organs. (Or even your health insurance.)

    Not everyone is going to be so lucky. The least you can do, is to acknowledge this.

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  12. gVOR08 says:

    Reminds me of when McCain picked Palin. Republicans were puzzled that women didn’t react favorably. “Don’t you want a female VP?” Women replied, “Not an idiot.”

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  13. Teve says:

    Rod Dreher: Never Buy Girl Scout Cookies Again

    First two responses to Dreher:

    @AlexMLeo

    You are the whiniest most nonsensical person I’ve ever experienced.

    @Skylejoh

    Wait, so you’re combatting cancel culture by… cancelling?

    10
  14. MarkedMan says:

    @Teve: In the past few months Dreher has made his true racist, homophobic and misogynistic core apparent. On top of that he’s also shown that he is at heart, a whimpering coward terrified that the darkies are coming for him. In other words, he’s a waste of time.

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  15. Teve says:

    @MarkedMan: Dreher, like the creationists, is hot garbage but entertainingly idiotic.

    @DylanMatt

    Dreher’s is truly the best blog on the internet. Nowhere else can you read a grown man whine about how he’s no longer going to buy Girl Scout cookies because some social media staffer deleted a tweet he liked

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  16. Monala says:

    @Teve: I thought folks like Dreher had already given up on buying Girl Scout cookies, because of their willingness to accept trans girls in their troops? Or did their performative outrage wilt when faced with cute kids selling yummy cookies?

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  17. Monala says:

    @Monala: A reminder of how the rightwing reacted to the Girl Scouts’ trans inclusion policy: Link

    I think the funniest part of the article is this, however:

    This isn’t the first time the Girl Scouts has faced a backlash. Last year, a 13-year-old member in California made headlines when she suggested selling Girl Scout cookies near a medical marijuana dispensary. The young entrepreneur sold 117 boxes in just two hours.

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  18. Teve says:

    @Monala: it’s the same thing that happened with the Benedict Option. “That’s enough secularism! We’re going to withdraw from your evil gaze and live privately amongst ourselves!” Whereupon realizing that he needs the attention too bad he quietly tosses that shit out the window. “Hey everybody! The Girl Scouts are being mean to me again!”

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  19. KM says:

    I don’t know if Barrett was a Girl Scout growing up but, whatever one thinks of her politics, she certainly exemplifies that spirit.

    The hell she has.

    Just because a female manages to rise to a position of power doesn’t mean she’s an example to follow. Leni Riefenstahl was quite the accomplished young woman with her leadership and skills being recognized at a young age in a male-dominated field and propelled to highest of power in her youth – would you say she’s someone the Girl Scouts should respect too?

    Go read the Girl Scouts Guiding Principles. It’s not long. Ultimately it’s about supporting others and making the world a better place by empowering young woman with the skills and confidence to personally achieve and promote community standards like diversity. Barret does none of these things. What exactly has she done to make the world better? All of the incredibly few rulings she’s made have objectively made things worse of the country and have been noted for picking the cruelest of the potential options available to her. She does NOT support diversity, tolerance, social justice or any of the kind and decent behavior a Girl Scout should possess.

    The GOP keeps trying to make her into some sore of #GirlBoss RGB wannabe we should all celebrate for solely possessing two XX chromosomes. That’s based on the weak surface reading of feminism and social justice that all conservatives seem to have. It’s insulting AF to see this unqualified nobody (and she really is) be pushed into being a position of power over all the women in the land…. and be told we should be grateful for them ensuring it’s Serena Joy that will enslave us instead of Commander Waterford.

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  20. OzarkHillbilly says:

    She has excelled her entire life and certainly fulfilled her leadership potential, rising at a young age to be one of the most powerful woman in the country.

    Excelled? At ticking off all the right boxes of a certain political cohort. But then I suppose most who rise to such an exalted position do so.

    Fulfilled her leadership potential? Really? I mean, Really, James? She has trod a path that has been well worn for decades. That’s not “leadership.” That is political expediency. Thurgood Marshall was a leader. Dawg knows RBG was a leader. Barrett? She might be a lot of things, but she is breaking no new ground.

    Please, spare me the hyperbole.

    4