Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) might want to check the CliffsNotes next time she tries to send a message like this.
The Republican lawmaker wore a white shirt emblazoned with a red letter “A” on Tuesday after facing backlash for voting to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week.
“I’m wearing the ‘scarlet letter’ after the week that I just had, last week, being a woman up here and being demonized for my vote and for my voice,” she said.
Firstly, that’s not why she’s faced disapproval. And secondly, that is not what the “The Scarlet Letter” is about.
The 19th century novel tells the story of an unmarried woman who gets pregnant through an affair and is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” as punishment for adultery.
Mace joined seven other Republicans and all Democrats to remove McCarthy from his post, after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed a motion to initiate the vote.
Mace was the only woman among the eight Republicans — who have all been criticized for throwing Congress into turmoil.
She was also called out for endorsing Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as McCarthy’s successor, given her outspoken support for victims of sexual assault.
Jordan has been accused of ignoring sexual abuse complaints against a team doctor when he was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University in the ’80s and ’90s. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Users of X (formerly Twitter) suggested Mace should probably have read the book — or, you know, Googled it or something — before trying the stunt.
I made the classic mistake of thinking I didn’t understand the Scarlet Letter analogy she was making before figuring out that she was the one who didn’t understand. Totally my bad. https://t.co/Y2rvH2aTQ8
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) October 11, 2023
Chaos in Ukraine and Israel. Policy needs in healthcare, agriculture, banking etc. Serious issues in the country — and no Speaker.
But let’s have neuron-challenged performance artists wear a “scarlet” A on a shirt and parade around as a faux victim for some made up bullshit.… https://t.co/d2NH0LKa8F
— Denver Riggleman (@RepRiggleman) October 11, 2023
In this case the ‘A’ stands for attention seeker.
— Covie (@covie_93) October 11, 2023
Nancy Mace is a direct result of the Republican War on Education. Keep’em dumb and they’ll fall for our lies–even our own. The GOP way. https://t.co/dLHUYtYIAr
— Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) October 11, 2023
I am once again begging people to at least read the blurb of the book you are trying to make references from https://t.co/7D4TeWAEWr
— Shiv Ramdas Official Boye Mafia Spokesman (@nameshiv) October 11, 2023