Representative Jim Jordan Owned Over Ignorant Founding Fathers Tweet

jim_jordan/Twitter, NBC News/YouTube

December 30, 2020, 7:21 am

The next month is probably going to be pretty awful. Although healthcare workers (and politicians) have started getting vaccinated against COVID-19, we’re anticipating a spike in cases across the United States after people decided to travel across state lines and hold family gatherings for the holidays. As a result, some local and state governments are frantically either trying to encourage people to stay home after traveling, or issuing actual stay-at-home orders in an attempt to stop the spread from getting out of control.

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But still — but still — Republicans insist Americans all need to make their own choices and go about life as before. 

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Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan was among those not only calling for lockdown orders to end, but seemingly suggesting that those subjected to them revolt, because that’s what he believes the Founding Fathers would do. 

60 million Americans are subject to a stay at home order or curfew.

11 million are right here in Ohio.

What would the Founders say?

— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) December 29, 2020

And boy is he ever getting owned.

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What Jordan apparently failed to realize before posting his tweet is that the Founders actually were in this position.

“There was a massive smallpox epidemic during the American Revolution,” historian Kevin M. Kruse informed him. “Washington quarantined the infected, refused to let people from hot spots travel to his army, and even sent a thousand soldiers to Boston to prevent the spread there. You should try reading a book sometime.”

It’s almost as if the men the country looked to for guidance at the time realized they had a responsibility to keep people safe so that they could have freedom later, instead of letting some selfish idiots trample all over everyone’s future right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Crazy!

Among those dunking on Jordan for his ignorance was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his response was one of the best.

I’m not a historian, and it looks like they’ve all already corrected you, but I’m wildly guessing that the Founders would tell you to delete your account. https://t.co/DyJBNTTq28

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) December 30, 2020

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But a lot of people lined up to knock Jordan down a peg.

Also, during the Yellow Fever outbreak shortly after the Revolutionary War, all of Philadelphia was quarantined, with the Founders full support.
I really am beginning to think we need to clean the entire government, and have requirements for candidates.

— Patricia Lavatai (@PatriciaLavatai) December 29, 2020

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The founders would probably wonder why an elected official is completely ignoring a pandemic

Fairly certain, one of them would challenge you to a duel

— The Tangerine Tantrum (@TheTangerineTa1) December 29, 2020

Also, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905) would’ve also enlightened you to the state police powers, like Gibbons, in prioritizing health during emergencies and that individual liberty is not without limits.

— (((Ethan Bearman, 306 and 81 million))) (@EthanBearman) December 29, 2020

While others pointed out that we really need to stop trying to base everything on what a handful of white men did 244 years ago — even if in this case, they did the right thing.

Regardless, quarantining and restricting the movement of people in response to plagues was common in 18th century America.

— Pé (@4everNeverTrump) December 29, 2020

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Gym, why do you value the opinion of politicians and lawyers from 250 years ago over scientists and doctors from today?

— Michael Drake (@mikedrake178) December 29, 2020

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Of course, the Founders may have their eyes on some other priorities during this time, if we want to continue playing out this ridiculous hypothetical.

What would the Founders say about a bunch of seditious thugs in our actual government trying to throw millions of people’s votes in the trash because they didn’t like how they voted? I’ll wait.

— Bridget McQ (@b52761187) December 29, 2020

The Founders would say that thanks to Trump’s incompetence, we are doing so poorly in the world as a country fighting a pandemic, and so we have to resort to difficult choices just to keep people alive

— Exploding Trumppopotamus Singh MD (@LabyrinthWeaver) December 29, 2020

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Pretty sure the Founders would say “What’s Ohio?”

— Lady Jaye (@LadyJayPersists) December 29, 2020

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Shockingly, Jordan has not retracted his statement and continues to tweet out anti-science, anti-quarantine propaganda.

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*First Published: December 30, 2020, 7:21 am