I imagine if you study the appropriate thing at uni there’s a term you learn for the phenomenon where someone becomes more and more convinced they are correct the more that people tell them they are wrong but, well, that is not the thing I studied at uni (‘not much’ was the thing I studied at uni). Whatever that thing is called, it’s 100% what Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm is doing.
With the grace and maturity that comes with being an elder statesman of the Australian parliament, Leyonhjelm as responded to criticism and censure the only way he knows how: by digging himself into a deeper hole and lashing out at his critics. Today he’s managed to outdo his already baffling attempts to shed guilt by calling Malcolm Turnbull a “pussy” for suggesting that he should withdraw his comments.
Leyonhjelm has been copping flak for last Thursday telling Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young to ‘stop shagging men’ in response to comments she made about violence against women, which he then followed up by telling her to “fuck off” when she confronted him about it. Just a top bloke, really.
His flimsy suggestion that she had been saying that all men are rapists has survived basically no line of questioning, leaving him looking even more like a clueless dickhead in interviews with both The Project and 7.30, as seen here:
We ask why senator David Leyonhjelm won’t be apologising for his “sexist” comments and hear senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s response, explaining why she’s speaking out. #auspol #TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/KsEFBRccd6
— The Project (@theprojecttv) July 2, 2018
And here:
.@DavidLeyonhjelm says he’s justified in making his controversial comments about @sarahinthesen8. #abc730 #auspol @LaTrioli pic.twitter.com/crt5yOfJUH
— abc730 (@abc730) July 2, 2018
Leyonhjelm calling Turnbull a pussy seems to be a calculated line of attack as well, given that he said the exact same thing to both SBS and 7 News Sydney.
David Leyonhjelm tells @7NewsSydney Malcolm Turnbull should “stop being such a pussy” for criticising his Sarah Hanson-Young comments.
Doesn’t expect the PM will take offence: “He’s a grown up and so am I, unlike Sarah” @DavidLeyonhjelm @sarahinthesen8 #auspol
— Olivia Leeming (@olivialeeming) July 3, 2018
Clearly hoping to add MRAs to the handful of bewitched of voters that elected him by mistake, Leyonhjelm indicated to SBS that he’s sticking by his ‘misandry’ line on this:
This is about misandry. The prime minister should stop being such a pussy. This is about criticism of all men. It’s just as bad as criticism of all women.
Pretty tough talk for a guy who will block just about anyone on Twitter who says anything even vaguely rude to him and who will call the police (who he once said he would gladly let bleed to death) the instant someone makes jokes at his expense.
The ploy is a pretty transparent one: lacking any sort of actual political convictions, the only thing his voters care about is seeing him be a prick to the people they don’t like. He’s happy to make himself look like a complete stooge as long as it means he gets to keep a cushy job with a six-figure taxpayer salary and a lush taxpayer-funded pension. ‘Down with the state (unless they keep you in booze and gun money)’, right Davo?
