Social Media Running Gags Ruining Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley?!?

Our hot take after we've thought about it for a couple of days . . .

The running clip was FAR MORE DAMAGING to Senator Hawley's career than his fist pump.

Why . . .

It's funny.

There's really no good defense of it. 

More to the point, Sen. Hawley running away from the deplorable MAGA panty-raiders at the Capitol minutes after fist pumping for protesters perfectly captures D.C. hypocrisy and the underlying fear that the elite have for the unwashed masses at their gates.

For diehard Republicans, the only way out of this rhetorical mess is to take the hit and shuffle quickly towards other topics. 

Red state reality check . . . 

Tough guy MAGA types haven't even bothered to launch any defense of the hilarious retreat that has enjoyed so many remixes.

 Meanwhile . . . Here's our favorite take that involves a bit math & video calculations . . .

"He traveled 96” in 19 frames, or 5 inches per frame. A distance of 40 yards is 1,440 inches. Therefore, we now know how many frames it would take Hawley to run the 40: 288. Twitter video is capped at 40 frames-per-second, so we now have it ..."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Josh Hawley ran 7.2 in the 40 at the January 6 combine

Weird things happen when you've covered sports for a long time. It frames your life differently, your world view, and sometimes it even means seeing a man running in a suit and wondering "could he run the 40 faster than Rich Eisen?" I know that's a very specific example, and for good reason.

Former Sen. Claire McCaskill calls out Sen. Josh Hawley after he vows not to run away

One day after footage was released of U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., fleeing the Senate Chamber as rioters supporting former President Donald Trump overtook the the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the senator vowed not to run from voters. Then his former opponent across the aisle vowed to spread his words.

Josh Hawley Pledges to Not 'Run,' After Being Caught Running From Trump Mob

On Thursday evening, the Jan. 6 committee played stunning footage of Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) running away from a mob of pro-Trump vigilantes that he was seen riling up just hours earlier. Despite the clip clearly showing the Republican lawmaker on the run, nearly 24 hours later, he pledged to a group of young conservative activists that he would not "run" away from a battle.

Sen. Josh Hawley says he's "not going to run" from Democrats

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said he won't "run from" Democrats who are panning him after a newly released video showed him fleeing the pro-Trump mob during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Business Insider reported.

Josh Hawley, senator who ran from Capitol mob, mocked by home paper

Josh Hawley, the Missouri senator shown running from the mob he incited on January 6, is "a laughingstock" who should be afraid of what the Capitol attack committee might disclose next, a leading newspaper in his home state said.

Hawley takes flack for running from Capitol after encouraging Jan. 6 protesters

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley was taking flack online and back home in Missouri on Friday after the Jan. 6 committee showed surveillance video of him running to safety as the mob invaded the Capitol. It was juxtaposed with an already viral image of the ambitious conservative raising his fist to the crowd of Trump supporters outside the building earlier that same day.

You decide . . .