When the news began to circulate this weekend that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) died on Friday night from pancreatic cancer, the response to her passing created a metaphorical scale, with Democrats heaping thankfulness for her work as a civil rights supporter on one side, and right-wingers like Laura Loomer tossing disrespect on the other. Still, Loomer's efforts and those of others like her didn't tip the scale much.
Among her many achievements throughout her career, Jackson Lee is perhaps best known for helping to lead federal efforts to protect women from domestic violence, and for working to make sure that Juneteenth will forever be recognized as a national holiday, which President Joe Biden took time from his period of convalescence, after being diagnosed with COVID, to recognize.
“I had the honor of working with her during her nearly 30 years in Congress,” Biden said in a statement Saturday. “No matter the issue — from delivering racial justice to building an economy for working people — she was unrelenting in her leadership.”
And while Biden and most others of a right mind view Jackson Lee as “a towering figure in our politics,” as the president describes her, Loomer, a white nationalist and MAGA enthusiast, went on a racist tirade to smear her name.
"Even on her death bed, this ghetto b***h couldn’t keep President Trump’s name out of her disgusting mouth," Loomer wrote in a post to X on Friday. "I’d say rest in peace, but we all know lying democrats who have destroyed our country are going to hell. Sheila Jackson Lee will be remembered as a destructive force in America and one of the most low IQ members of Congress in the history of our nation. Today she died. Instead of spending her final moments with her family, she was talking s**t about Trump on X and spewing more lies. She won’t be missed. But, I’m sure she will still be voting Democrat this November. Good riddance!"
As The Daily Beast points out, Loomer doubled down on her remarks Saturday afternoon, adding: “I meant every word I said,” and “everything I said about Sheila Jackson Lee is true.”
In the face of Loomer's hateful words, many others flooded social media to heap praise upon Jackson Lee.
"We loved Sheila Jackson Lee. Her legacy will live on in all the good she did and all the people she inspired to follow in her footsteps," writes Hillary Clinton in a post to X.
"Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was a tenacious advocate for justice, a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and the people of America, and a dear friend for many years," adds VP Kamala Harris, in a post of her own. "She was relentless — one of our nation’s fiercest, smartest, and most strategic leaders in the way she thought about how to make progress happen."
