Vice President Kamala Harris’ seemingly innocent tweet on Saturday served notice that she needs to pay much more attention to detail than a year ago.
“Enjoy the long weekend” was the phrase she used – but failed to mention the reason for the long weekend, much less the meaning of Memorial Day and fallen soldiers.
She was summarily ripped across the social media platforms, accused of “disgusting” disrespect by military members and smacked by commenters near and far.
Air National Guard Lt. Colonel Adam Kinzinger called out her tweet, writing, “Enjoy your freedom purchased by many who died for it. Tone deaf.”
The tweet, to some degree, canceled out some of her recent praise and actions supporting the military.
She posted a tweet a few hours earlier touting the accomplishments of Midshipman Sydney Barber, the first black woman to serve as Brigade Commander.
And on Friday, Harris addressed the Naval Academy’s graduation and commissioning ceremony, with comments complimenting the U.S. forces as “the best, the bravest, and the most brilliant.”
Memorial Day, the last Monday of May each year, pays tribute to fallen members of the U.S. military. It’s a tradition that began as Decoration Day after the Civil War and became a federal holiday in 1971.
In addition to the primary problem with Harris’ tweet, users pointed out that millions of Americans won’t be enjoying a “long weekend,” especially given the necessity to work part-time jobs and punctuated by the recovery of the service industry.
Even before the pandemic, it’s far from a long weekend for all: A 2019 Bloomberg study found roughly 40 percent of companies require some employees to work.
President Joe Biden on Friday expressed appreciation for U.S. servicemen and women during a speech addressing military members at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va.
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