The White Supremacist walking, talking shanda of right wing media is having a full-blown meltdown over Sen. Mitt Romney for having the decency to stand and applaud when Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the highest court in the land — the first Black woman to achieve that status in the nation's 240-year history.

He squeaked his disgust over the show of bipartisanship and goodwill, calling it "virtue-signaling," saying there was "no excuse" for it.

"Mitt Romney is from the reddest state in America. He ran for president on the 2012 Republican ticket. I see no excuse for Mitt Romney not only voting for this judicial nomination, I see no excuse for him giving it a standing ovation," whined Shapiro, saying nothing about the other 49 Republicans who not only didn't stand, but didn't applaud, opting to stand up and leave. That wasn't racist and disrespectful enough for Benny-boy? Nope.

Why? Because he's "tired."

"I'm getting extraordinarily tired of Republicans and conservatives doing this routine where every time wins a high position — is either elected to it, like Barack Obama, or is selected to it, like Ketanji Brown Jackson, and confirmed — and this person happens to embody a philosophy that is antithetical to everything conservatives believe, they still stand up the historic nature, ah, the historic nature," he mocked.

Yeah, history is DUMB. Especially if it includes any Black people managing to succeed in the face of all the oppression Shapiro and his ilk openly want to heap upon their backs.

"Who cares? I mean, truly, who cares?" he shrugged, like a middle-school debate team loser.

I mean, lots of people care, and clearly Shapiro cares, but for competing reasons. If he didn't care, why would he be insisting upon universality and uniformity of response from everyone claiming the Republican/conservative moniker?

Then came the Martin Luther King, Jr. whitesplaining. You knew it was coming, right?

"If we are supposed to be aiming for a society in which we actually judge people based on the quality of their character, and based on their politics and philosophy, you know the things that actually matter in politics and philosophy, then I don't understand why there are so many Republicans who feel the necessity to virtue signal that, oh my gosh, we have a Black woman for the Supreme Court...we have a Black female vice-president!" he sputtered. "We had a Black female secretary of state! We've had a Black president. Like, can we get over this at a certain point?"

Way to misquote and pervert MLK, Jr, by the way. And I thought judges were supposed to be placed (elected or appointed) based upon their qualifications, and ability to put personal politics aside. Shapiro is clearly calling for judges to be partisan, and for their selection to be partisan. Not that this hasn't been the reality for a long time, but confirmation of judges has been the one area up until the McConnell era that maintained at least a bipartisan veneer in the Senate, if not also in practice. Hell, 27 Republican senators voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the federal bench before her nomination to SCOTUS, some of them TWICE!

For a Supreme Court nomination, though, this is not permissible any more. Shapiro demands it. If you are GOP, vote against any nominee from a Democrat, or be shamed.

"At what point can we finally say, 'Let's look at the person, as opposed to the intersectional characteristics'? And if you're a Republican doing this, you're just as bad Democrats who do it. Here's Kamala Harris announcing it, and you go, suddenly you have Mitt Romney on his feet cheering," he spat.

I'll tell you at what point, Ben. When for at least 400 years Black people aren't targeted by police at a higher rate than white people. When for at least 400 years there is racial equity (not equality, but equity) in the way textbooks are written, curriculums are designed, and bosses do the hiring and promoting. When for at least 400 years white people have a proven track record of admitting their racist history, interrupting racism within our own community, and proving that our own characters would pass muster by Martin Luther King, Jr's standards.

Then, MAYBE then, and maybe NOT EVEN then, might we be able to only consider qualifications, and not the level of oppression someone has had to overcome to reach the same level a white person reached with minimal obstacles placed in their way. When a Black Supreme Court justice is no longer notable for it's unusualness, that will be a very good sign.

In the meantime, Benny, this is your Republican party— exactly what you're calling for here, and I am proud of Mitt Romney for bucking the tide.