Three Words, Misguided Uproar, And Double Standards
Upper Darby Township Councilor Jess Branas (D-District 2) was looking forward to a much-needed break from the daily demands of assisting her constituents, and working as the District Director for PA State Rep. Heather Boyd’s PA-163 district. Branas, who is the first out lesbian in her Council seat, scored an historic upset election victory last November that marked her as a Democrat to watch, was enjoying a long-planned “girls’ weekend” at her suburban Philadelphia home, where she determined to have a “news-free” respite from a challenging legislative season in Upper Darby and Harrisburg, the state capital. Joined by old friends, Branas passed a pleasant few days grilling filet mignon, steaks, veggies, and creating some signature chocolate martinis for her pals. Leaving work and her daily cares behind was just the stress reliever she needed, and amid the strains of their favorite music and occasional dips in the backyard pool, everything was perfect.
On Saturday evening, as the sun began to set and the summer breezes kicked up, Branas was trying to cook strip steaks on her new barbecue, completely oblivious to the stunning events taking place across the state, just outside Pittsburgh. While Branas was attending to the grill, a lone sniper, later identified as Republican gun enthusiast Thomas Crooks, 20, was firing a volley of shots at former president (and current presidential nominee) Donald Trump during a campaign rally. Trump was nicked at the top of his right ear, but was evacuated from the scene otherwise unharmed. A spectator, former fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed protecting his family from the bullets, and two other bystanders were wounded. As the country watched in collective horror as the incident was captured on national TV just after 6 PM Eastern time, Branas was occupied with the steaks, which ended up overcooked and “inedible”, as she described them.
After posting pictures on Facebook of the martinis and a cutting board with freshly cooked asparagus, potatoes, and other (unburnt) steaks, the councilor lamented the barbecuing faux-pas, in a separate post that read “A For Effort”, about an hour and 20 minutes after the assassination attempt. Those three words, which Branas thought were an innocuous reference to the lost beef, set off an unexpected firestorm that engulfed social media in a viral torrent of unbridled outrage. Even as the live reports about the Trump shooting were still unfolding, followers of far-right hatemonger Chaya Raichik’s social media propaganda account, Libs Of TikTok (LoTT) quickly seized upon Branas’ Facebook post, and absent any other prompting, decided her words were a statement of support for Trump’s would-be assassin. These followers started excoriating Branas on social media, especially on X (formerly known as Twitter), assailing her post and calling for her resignation and removal from her District Director role. “It was taken out of context,” Branas said. “I don’t condone political violence of any kind. Both candidates should be free to campaign without fear; I wish no ill will upon Donald Trump. [My post] was not a political statement. I didn’t know what had happened; I was just posting about my burnt steaks”.
Things rapidly went downhill from there; amidst homophobic and misogynistic slurs, the outcry became viral. By midday on Sunday, hundreds of thousands on various social media platforms had seen screenshots of the councilor’s post, with tags linking it to agencies like the US Secret Service and politicians like Rep. Boyd. Not long after that, the posts began to turn much darker: death threats against Branas started appearing, prompting Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt to order regular, round-the-clock patrol checks on Branas’ home as a precaution. Some complained that Branas didn’t delete her post after the online backlash became apparent. However, as an elected official, Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act, a law meant to ensure transparency in municipal or state meetings, and among public officers, prevents Branas (and all state or local politicos) from deleting social media posts, or public comments, once they’re made. “I could be sued for taking something down,” Branas explains, “which was made very clear to me when I first took office.”
The response from Harrisburg among the Democratic House leadership, which oversees the PA House Democratic Caucus, Branas’ nominal employer, came with celerity. It was decided by the Human Resources department, in likely consultation with House Speaker Joanna McClinton and Boyd, that Branas should be terminated from her position, on Sunday afternoon. “I found out I lost my job on X,” Branas laments, “and then I got a voicemail telling me I was fired and my health insurance would end at midnight.” Rep. Boyd made no public comment on the issue, other than a Tweet saying “the matter has been dealt with swiftly”, referring to Branas as a “former staffer”. Branas stated that “there wasn’t even a discussion. Nobody asked me what had happened. It was all so cut and dry. And unfair. I wish I could appeal. But the politicians are looking out for their elections. [When] they have a PR problem, they just get rid of it. But it’s too bad. I really loved my job.”
Because so many people read Branas’ post through the lens of post hoc, ergo propter hoc — “after this, therefore because of this”, her explanation about why she made the remarks, fell largely on deaf, or unbelieving ears. The House leadership felt compelled to terminate Branas based on public perception, given the fought cultural environment our society finds itself in, and the obvious historical and political significance of the assassination attempt itself. However, there appears to be a double standard in play here, as well: while Branas’ words ignited loud and sustained outrage, other politicians who have said (and done) worse, have emerged unscathed. Consider US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s shameless display of nude Hunter Biden photos at a recent Congressional hearing, or several GOP Senators, congressmen, and conservative pundits flouting baseless conspiracy theories and smears about the unprovoked hammer attack against Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi. None of these individuals were censured, impeached, or removed for their comments.
Even Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who was caught on surveillance video groping her boyfriend’s genitals in a crowded theater, escaped formal censure or other discipline by Congress when the story came to light last fall. Yet, a three-word Facebook post resulted in Branas’ loss of livelihood, irreversible damage to her public image, and possibly her Council seat being in jeopardy, which seems a grossly disproportionate array of consequences over remarks made on social media. While other officials commit far more egregious (and clearly intentional) offenses, yet suffer no punishment, perhaps another look at Branas’ case is in order: not because of “whataboutism”, but because of the disproportionate response here. Could a lesser penalty have been imposed against Branas here, even if only to maintain appearances? Certainly a reprimand or suspension would have sufficed, instead of a very public firing. In today’s chaotic, toxic political climate, cooler heads might have prevailed, on both sides, and one woman’s innocent — but ill-timed — three-word post wouldn’t have devastated her life. That, too, is something to ponder.
