BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As Alabama’s own Sen. Tommy Tuberville leads a new push to criminalize the blocking of public roads—a tactic he labels the work of “radical protestors” and “domestic terrorists”—his rhetoric and targeting reveal a stark double standard in American politics. The Safe and Open Streets Act, introduced this week and co-sponsored by several Senate Republicans, would make intentionally obstructing or delaying commerce by blocking a highway a federal crime punishable by fines or up to five years in prison.
Tuberville and his colleagues have made clear their bill is a direct response to recent anti-ICE and pro-Palestinian protests in Los Angeles and other Democratic-led cities, where demonstrators have blocked major thoroughfares. In press releases, Tuberville has accused California officials of “sitting on their tails” and failing to act, using language that is at once childish and vengeful, calling for the arrest of the governor and mayor for not stopping the protests.
Yet, Tuberville’s focus is curiously selective. Nowhere in his statements or the bill’s public justification is there mention of the hundreds of anti-abortion protests across the country—including in Alabama—where demonstrators routinely block clinic entrances and, at times, public roads. These tactics have led to arrests and are well-documented, but they are conspicuously absent from the senator’s outrage.
This omission is emblematic of the broader, absurd partisanship gripping the Republican Party and its Trump-aligned base. Laws, it seems, are to be wielded against perceived enemies—often left-leaning activists—while similar actions by conservative groups are overlooked or ignored. The result is a political climate where the rule of law appears to be applied unevenly, and the rhetoric from elected officials is increasingly juvenile and vindictive.
For many Alabamians, the hypocrisy is hard to miss. As anti-abortion protesters continue to disrupt access to clinics, Tuberville’s bill and his language serve as a reminder of how deeply partisanship has infected American governance—and how, for some, the law is a weapon, not a standard.