Lauren Boebert just stepped in it
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert live so far off the rails that they often appear to be competing against each other for the title of most unabashedly deranged member of Congress. Their humiliating actions this week in the wake of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict remind us that the day they are both out of power will be its own Thanksgiving.
Beginning with then-General George Washington in 1776, individuals, institutions, and events have received the Congressional Gold Medal as the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. So far this year, Congress has awarded this honor to Capitol Police and those who protected against the Trump-inspired insurrectionist attack on January 6, and commemoratively to the 369th Infantry of World War I (“Harlem Hellfighters”) for their outstanding service abroad despite a segregated army.
On Tuesday, Greene introduced a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle Rittenhouse for “protect(ing) the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) riot on August 25, 2020.” Awkwardly for Greene, her bluster came a day after Rittenhouse insisted to Tucker Carlson that his case “never had anything to do with race,” that he’s “not a racist person” and that he “support[s] the BLM movement.”
An awardee bill such as Greene’s needs at least two-thirds of the House, or 290 representatives, as co-sponsors for consideration. As of this writing, Greene’s bill falls a bit short with zero co-sponsors, according to the official status page. This means that although Greene’s bill (which also currently contains zero text) has been referred to the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on House Administration, it is going nowhere fast.
As pathetic as Greene’s legislative stunt may be, Boebert’s comments about Rittenhouse on Tuesday should earn her a Congressional Gold Medal for deplorability. In an interview with Sebastian Gorka on Newsmax about the Rittenhouse verdict, Boebert brought up her rivalry with Rep. Madison Cawthorn over who deserves to hire Rittenhouse as an intern. That’s when Boebert’s hate and stupidity began to bubble over as she let her mouth run.
After claiming that Cawthorn suggested they arm-wrestle to determine who gets Rittenhouse, Boebert countered. “Madison Cawthorn has some pretty big guns, and so I would like to challenge him to a sprint instead,” Boebert said about her partially paralyzed colleague who uses a wheelchair. “Let’s make it fair,” she insisted.
Gorka tried to pretend Boebert never made such a callous remark (probably concerned about insulting Newsmax viewers with mobility impairments) and quickly suggested that he arm-wrestle Cawthorn on her behalf. Apparently, Boebert, Cawthorn and Newsmax are also pretending she never spoke such ugly words, carefully avoiding any mention of it on Twitter.
Greene and Boebert aren’t the only Republicans who are humiliating themselves and this country so long as they hold seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The midterms will be here before we know it, and we must make another blue wave come crashing down.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month