Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
As America watched in horror to angry rioters storming the U.S. Capitol building, breaking through waves of police to occupy an institution in protest of the results of a presidential election — to protest reality — there were reminders flowing from many to many stating that, “This is not who we are.”
The president-elect himself, Joe Biden, tweeted, “America is so much better than what we’re seeing today.”
Steve Kerr disagrees.
“This is who we are,” the Warriors coach and outspoken Donald Trump critic said Wednesday. “You reap what you sow.”
What the country reaped was thousands of Trump supporters descending upon the nation capital to ostensibly protest and more correctly terrorize the United States and its Senate, which was amid the certification process to make Biden its next president. Trump repeatedly has tried to question the results of November’s election by asserting, without any semblance of evidence, that it was rigged. In the riots, at least one woman was shot and killed.
The Trump presidency is ending with the chaos and fury that it began with, that it thrived upon, dividing people into legions of supporters that border on cultists versus slackjawed opponents who cannot fathom what they are seeing.
Count Kerr, whose Warriors were set to play the Clippers at Chase Center, among the latter group.
"A legitimate election is suddenly questioned by millions of people, including many of the people who are leading our country in government, because we've decided to, over the last few years, allow lies to be told.
So this is who we are. You reap what you sow." -Steve Kerr pic.twitter.com/iyjDMfsz3q
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 7, 2021
“I started the day thinking about how we were going to guard Lou Williams without fouling him, and suddenly that didn’t seem quite as important,” Kerr said over Zoom before Golden State tried for its fourth win in five games. “[It is] a pretty clear reminder that the truth matters. We’ve been talking about this for years, but the truth matters in our country and anywhere, in any circumstance, because of the repercussions if we allow lies to spread. If we enable people in power to lie, you all of a sudden have millions of people who are doubting an election that was certified in every state.”
Kerr was not asked much in the way of X’s and O’s, basketball taking a backseat to a horrified nation trying to reckon with the assault on democracy it has witnessed. The NBA will continue to play, the Celtics releasing a statement that they decided to take the court “to try to bring joy into people’s lives” while reminding of the double-standard that mostly white rioters were not met with force at the Capitol.
Kerr was not sure if the Warriors would launch any protest. Eric Paschall wore a “Black Lives Matter” shirt as he warmed up.
Eric Paschall is wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt warming up for the Clippers pic.twitter.com/Ou4ezvEA7E
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 7, 2021
Without a question that prompted it, Kerr called out the politicians who have either placated or enabled Trump. Ted Cruz, shortly before the insurrection, argued before Congress in objecting to the certification of electors from Arizona. Josh Hawley, from Missouri and who greeted the rioters with a raised fist, was set to do the same. Marco Rubio (Florida), who warned against a Trump regime before becoming obsequious, had not yet publicly stated if he would accept the decision of the country’s voters.
“I wish that people like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and Josh Hawley had to do pregame media before they meet in Congress,” said Kerr, who referred to the “protesters” before correcting himself and calling them “terrorists.”
“It would be great for them to have to answer the question: Are you happy now? Where is the line? Do you keep moving the line back, or does this change anything? Or are you going to continue to enable?”
For those interested, he did not have a firm answer on defending Lou Williams.