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The Republican National Committee (RNC) was criticized after it attempted to shame Democratic President Joe Biden on Twitter following a polite exchange with Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, whose state recently suffered devastating floods that claimed multiple lives and caused billions of dollars in damages.
When Biden asked Beshear if he could ask him a question, Beshear deferred to Biden's presidential authority. Biden was lauded for being empathetic and for not defaulting to customs surrounding his title when he replied he still needed to "ask permission."
It was a polite moment acknowledged by seemingly everyone except the RNC, who highlighted it in a dig at Biden via the organization's official Twitter account.
\u201cBIDEN: "May I say something?"\n\nGOV. BESHEAR: "You're the president."\n\nBIDEN: "I still have to ask permission."\u201d— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1659983279
However, if the RNC felt they were highlighting some bad behavior on Biden's part, they were sorely mistaken.
Many called out the RNC and came to Biden's defense.
\u201cOh no the President is polite. How to recover from this oppo hit?\u201d— Eric Columbus (@Eric Columbus) 1660067709
\u201c@Sherrysherry1 @RNCResearch The self-described nationalistic christians wouldn't know what that is.\u201d— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1659983279
\u201cThe fact that the RNC thinks this is a scandal for @POTUS tells you everything you need to know about the modern GOP.\n\nIn their upside down world: graciousness is a flaw and loud cowardice is virtue.\u201d— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta) 1659995402
\u201cThe RNC mocking Biden for deferring to a state's governor while he's visiting that state. Putative federalists, actual monarchists.\u201d— James Surowiecki (@James Surowiecki) 1659998004
\u201cOnly the @gop and @RNCResearch would think common courtesy and civility are a sign of weakness instead of respect. That's how far they've gone into the sewer.\u201d— Patriotic Moose & Lamb (@Patriotic Moose & Lamb) 1659998236
\u201cRepublicans are mocking the president for having manners. The world is upside down.\u201d— Joel Postman (@Joel Postman) 1660030094
\u201cYou mean he\u2019s not a conceited jerk? How refreshing.\u201d— Rosalind Garcia (@Rosalind Garcia) 1660054171
\u201cYeah, God forbid that our current President displays common courtesy, respect and good manners.\u201d— Charles Robert Lee (@Charles Robert Lee) 1660064607
\u201c@curtiss415 @RNCResearch And he threw zero paper towels\u201d— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1659983279
\u201cNext time these clowns try to tell you that they are the party of morality and decency, just remember that they think it's a *bad* thing to be polite.\u201d— Ari Cohn (@Ari Cohn) 1659994132
\u201cCourtesy and humility are virtues--especially coming from the most powerful person on earth. \n\nThe decency of Joe Biden offers a profound contrast to the pathological narcissism of Donald Trump.\u201d— Ritchie Torres (@Ritchie Torres) 1659994266
\u201c@RNCResearch I\u2019m just going to leave this here\u201d— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1659983279
\u201c@JewishWonk @RNCResearch For their voters it\u2019s seen as weakness to be a decent person.\u201d— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1659983279
\u201c@RNCResearch I know that good manners are foreign to you, but I'd much rather have a president who provides relief to communities experiencing a weather disaster than one who throws paper towels at them.\u201d— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1659983279
At least 37 people have died since more than 10 inches of rain fell in just 48 hours across Kentucky, causing flooding that has still not abated.
The National Weather Service has warned that Kentuckians should be on alert as more thunderstorms and rain are expected in already afflicted areas.
Beshear said the flooding was "unlike anything we've ever seen" in Kentucky and thanked Biden for his swift approval of federal assistance, which will ensure that the federal government will cover the full cost of debris removal and other flood-related expenses. Biden pledged that the federal government is "not leaving, as long as it takes, we're going to be here."
Biden previously visited Kentucky in December 2021, shortly after a series of violent tornadoes battered the state, killing 77 people. At the time, he announced that the federal government would cover all costs for the first 30 days of emergency work completed in Kentucky's afflicted areas.