Marjorie Taylor Greene sinks to a whole new low – and gets her butt handed to her for it
Marjorie Taylor Greene has already done considerable damage to the reputation of the GOP and of Congress in general, in the short time since she has taken office. She not only played a pivotal role in the Capitol insurrection that is still being investigated, but physically harassed several of her House colleagues on separate occasions. Now, at long last, several of her fellow Republicans have gotten tired of her recklessness.
Greene tried to adjourn the House meeting for the day at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, just before House Democrats could consider the For the People Act of 2021 on voting rights or the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act – hoping to cement her racist credentials while trying to stick it to the opposition. She claimed it was a vote to condemn their radical agenda, stalling some much-needed legislation that could cost the Democrats support within their own base, but thankfully, her proposal was immediately shot down.
Her idea to adjourn before barely getting started wouldn’t have stuck anyway, with the GOP being the minority party, but what’s notable here is that it’s not the first time Greene has done it. When she tried it a week ago, when the House passed LGBT equality legislation, she tried to adjourn twice, with every House Republican supporting her first motion, and all but two supporting the second one. This time, 18 Republicans voted against her motion, joining House Democrats in condemning her for wasting time.
We shouldn’t take this as evidence of Republicans growing a spine, because for them, growing a spine usually means being as defiant as Greene. It’s because they know she’s toxic and they want to distance themselves however they can, rather than be hit with the same strategy they used against Democrats in 2020. Instead, it’s an indication that associating Greene with the GOP is an effective strategy – and it’ll be harder to distance themselves as the investigation turns out more evidence.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making