Peter King announced a few months ago he will not run for re-election and this is his last term. He must be aware that his comment mirrors what has been said about Nancy Pelosi being Marie Antoinette, and Rep. King had to be mirroring that comparison, for whatever reason. I see some ulterior motive. In an overwhelmingly Democrat region of the country, it could have been said to vie for a position after his term ends, and gain the good graces of the Democrat establishment there.
Regardless, the comparison was made first of Nancy Pelosi being an out of touch elitist described as Marie Antoinette, that the attacks on McConnell deliberately echo. And try to re-write the narrative to eclipse and drown out the attacks on Pelosi.
The controversy over McConnell's comments touched on tensions surrounding the way wealthier Americans live while many struggle to stay financially afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pelosi herself recently faced comparisons to the former French Queen Marie Antoinette.
A Trump campaign ad juxtaposed Pelosi showing her freezer full of ice cream with news that Americans were waiting for "hours" at food banks. It also highlighted how Democrats rejected a coronavirus relief package.
At one point, a man says "right now, it's survival mode." In the following clip, Pelosi says: "I don't know what I would have done if ice cream were not invented." It ends with a spoof quote, playing off one frequently attributed to Antoinette. "Let them eat ice cream," the quote reads, before citing "Nancy Antoinette."
The new narrative attacking McConnell with identical terms is intended to dilute a powerful ad that is hurting Pelosi. And for reasons unknown, Rep. King is playing along with that diversionary narrative.
The comment in the article that both McConnell and Pelosi belong to an exclusive club of Washington elites is perhaps the fairest and most non-partisan thing that can be said.
