February 2, 2021

Am I supposed to pay attention to Marjorie Taylor Greene?

I've been averting my eyes from this because it feels bogus to me. But what do I know? 

What I've absorbed — somehow! — without looking is that MTG is a Republican who got elected to Congress and it seems she believes some really stupid things. What are you going to do about that? My conventional response is: Her district voted her in, so that's that until the next election. Fretting about what to do about her seems like a big distraction. I'm not entering that rathole.

But feel free to tell me what I'm missing. Honestly, I don't even know what she said. Okay, I'm setting my timer for 1 minute and will look only that long.

MORE: I have nothing to add. I did spend that minute reading things. 

284 comments:

1 – 200 of 284   Newer›   Newest»
DarkHelmet said...

What ever level of attention you paid to Eric Swallwell's Chinese connection, take that and divide by 500 and that is how much attention you should pay to Majorie Taylor Greene.

Ice Nine said...

You're missing nothing, Ann. You've summed up the entirety of MTG nicely.

Gusty Winds said...

Marjorie Taylor Greene is simply not GOP establishment. Neither is Matt Gaetz. And they are both speaking out loudly and not playing by the “fence and soldiers around the Capitol” rules. The people who sent them to Washington don’t want either of them to “know their place”.

So of course McConnell is condemning her to protect swamp creature Liz Cheney.

Greene and Gaetz are the GOP / Trump base. McConnell and Liz Cheney are half a step above the Lincoln Project.

Curious George said...

She wants to impeach Biden...not so crazy. It'' fail of course.

Iman said...

Next election... right take. She’s being used as a distraction from the incompetence of the Biden-Harris administration. And the idiotic EOs.

RNB said...

But does she believe Guam is in danger of tipping over?

Temujin said...

AOC...meet MTG.

Now, you two go ahead and play nice.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

First glance, she seems to be an earnest and forthright Congresscritter

Douglas B. Levene said...

Erick Woods-Erickson, a Georgia radio guy, says that MGT is a complete wacko, but that her removal should be left to the voters and/or the post-census redistributing body. He argues the as a matter of principle, congressmen should not be expelled or barred from committees for stuff they said prior to election, but only for stuff the y say or do as congressmen. I think that sounds like a pretty good principle. Note that principles must apply without regard to partisan politics or they aren’t principles.

Skippy Tisdale said...

But feel free to tell me what I'm missing.

What you are missing is that all opposition must be neutralized with extreme prejudice.

You know who else...

Mr Wibble said...

She's not the first slightly nutty Congresscritter, nor will she be the last. End of story.

D. said...

No enemies to my right. Focus leftward.

wendybar said...

AOC is okay. Maxine Waters is okay. Hank Johnson is okay. But OMG...There is a crazy on the Right side...Silence her NOW!!! Meanwhile the mouth of the Bronx is accusing Cruz of trying to murder her.

mezzrow said...

"Dare to look behind this curtain... Look what we found in the Georgia backwoods!" - delivered ala Count Floyd

It's the DC version of a Carny freak show tent, plus a way to shout "Squirrel!"

Don't look at the fence and all those troops. Nothing to see here. All our opponents are exactly like this woman. Believe it now or you're cancelled. Unity.

Gusty Winds said...

Althouse wrote: What I've absorbed — somehow! — without looking is that MTG is a Republican who got elected to Congress and it seems she believes some really stupid things.

Hey…there professor. Take it easy on the stupid….

MTG from Georgia probably doesn’t believe carbon is a pollutant that will destroy life on earth in nine years, because it isn’t and won’t. (Kerry, AOC, Pocahontas).

She probably believes a fetus is a life and God made two genders. She also knows the 2020 Presidential election was stolen through fraud and isn’t afraid to say so like some other people I read. I’d bet she also doesn’t exist in a world where she thinks about the destroying “the patriarchy” 100% of the time.

I doubt MTG would consider plywood covering shattered glass on vandalized businesses in her community a new canvas for artwork. Living is Madison, where stupidity is applauded as “progressive”, I’d be more careful throwing stupid accusations around.

MTG would openly defend Madison's Nutcracker Ballerina’s, and wouldn’t give a shit about her neighbors, or swamp creatures in Congress cancelling her. She's got balls.

Andrew said...

I think Powerline does a good job of discussing her, especially pointing out the hypocrisy and double standards.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/02/todays-flashpoint-marjorie-taylor-greene.php

Lucid-Ideas said...

Non-story. Non-issue. Non-burger.

To anyone with any remaining sanity and doesn't refer to themselves with more than 2 pronouns.

Mark said...

She is slightly more sane than Jeremy Ryan, only in that the conspiracies are happening to others and not herself.

YoungHegelian said...

I'll bet MTG probably doesn't even believe that Russia fixed the 2016 election to get Donald Trump elected like all the kewl kidz do.

Lotta stupid goin' around. A lotta stupid.

Chris of Rights said...

I'm not paying attention. If you want to, go ahead.

I would point out that almost all of the stuff that she's said or done that ticks people off was known about before her election. And the voters of her district didn't care.

So, why should I?

Readering said...

She announced she's meeting with Trump so I guess she's what is known as an influencer.

wendybar said...

Eric Swallwell slept with a Chinese spy.(and is STILL presiding on the House Intel Committee, because China is Joes friend. Dianne Feinstein had a Chinese spy working in her office for 20 years. Yeah, let's worry about a woman who said some funny things that are claimed to be conspiracy theories...because that is a cancer on the Congress??

hstad said...

AA - did you also write an article of "stupid things" said by AOC, Maxine Walters, Hank Johnson, Sheila Jackson Lee? Or how about that so-called Governor from Michigan, Whitmer? I can go on and on and name 'Media Wh*res' both Right and Left. But this article has a hint of something and I believe it stinks!

Bobber Fleck said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael K said...

Look who Georgia just elected to be a Senator.

Mary Beth said...

A Democrat says something crazy and it's mostly ignored. The press avoid that person for a while. A Republican says something crazy and there are microphones in front of her all day long.

Both sides have their crazies but if you just skimmed the news headlines, you would think the crazies were all on one side.

I haven't been paying attention. Is "crazy" just another word for dumb (like thinking Guam would tip over, food lines are good because people are getting food, poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids) or does it mean eccentric? I would prefer the eccentric ones over the dumb ones. There might be some gems of innovative thought along with the nuttiness.

Tommy Duncan said...

"MTG is a Republican who got elected to Congress and it seems she believes some really stupid things. What are you going to do about that?"

Since I mostly agree with her I plan to support her. Call me "deplorable".

YoungHegelian said...

@Mary Beth,

A Democrat says something crazy and it's mostly ignored. The press avoid that person for a while. A Republican says something crazy and there are microphones in front of her all day long.

And let us all just say "Awomen" to that.

Todd said...

Every party has their share of dumb politicians that say the dumbest things and believe the dumbest things. I wish for the good of the country these politicians would/could be kept local. No sense for the entire country to have to pay the price for locals electing morons, but we do...

Leland said...

Ha, this response is the most time I spent on her. All I got is she’s a Republican. Good for her.

tim maguire said...

Your take is right, professor. She believes some crazy things, she says some crazy things. And we're supposed to demand that the entire Republican Party repudiate her for it. Because that's how things work these days.

Never mind that she's not a Senator, she's a Representative, a member of a body that was explicitly intended to include the darker passions of the people, was specifically designed to give voice even to crazy ideas such as hers. That's why there are 435 of them. That's why they serve 2-year terms, and why their laws have to be passed by the Senate and signed by the President. It's so that nobody gets silenced.

Until roughly the year 2000. Since then, everyone to the right of whatever the radical left deigns to call "moderate" must be silenced.

Gusty Winds said...

You know, I’ll bet MTG thought the US Supreme Court should have taken the Texas Election Lawsuit against WI, MI, GA, PA etc … for openly cheating in the 2020 election and installing our first ruler. Now we will pay a HUGE price for the cowardice and corruption of our Courts.

That seems a lot smarter than “Lawsuits I hope will fail…”

gspencer said...

Loony ideas, loony thinking from leftists = good and wholesome for our democracy.

Loony ideas, loony thinking from any non-leftists = bad, bad.

narciso said...

Her notion that parkland was fake, is less toxic than the coverup of the shooter, by the local principle school board, the bureaus innattention to the stated threat, it was a sentence in major flagg I mean mccabes memoir,

PM said...

She's a new, available right-wing extremist stand-in for a hated ex-President is all.

Howard said...

Don't pay attention to this matter.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

"the squad" is filled with anti-Semitic assholes. What are we going to do about it?
Nothing - because - D.

PBS ran a glossy ad for Talib - pretending to be a journalistic insider view of her courageous run for office.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

If anyone believes there is a secret cabal of child sex trafficking - why - they are insane! must. be. silenced!

Jeff Epstein unavailable for comment.

Gusty Winds said...

Marjorie Taylor Greene...an independent, strong, outspoken woman get's herself elected to congress and won’t shut up when Mitch McConnell tells her to.

And Althouse calls her stupid. That’s some real Dane County feminism right there.

Maybe Marilyn Manson would have better luck getting MTG to shut up for a bit…..

Jeff Weimer said...

From a purely partisan power-politics perspective, MTG should be defended from all these Democrat/left calls for removal/sanction/whatever. They not only don't have our best interested at heart, it only gives them license to go hunting for more Republicans to "cancel." It's none of their business unless we allow it to be.

That this shows Democrats don't actually *care* about democracy and the will of the people who voted her into office is just a bonus.

Fernandinande said...

Okay, I'm setting my timer for 1 minute and will look only that long.

That makes sense.

I've found that the traditional two minutes hate is best performed in two sets of one minute each.

iowan2 said...

She has said some wierd stuff.

But our Vice President wants coal miners retrained to clean up land mines. So I guess she wants them the help the military with all those abandoned land mines overseas. At least its not retraining Cattle Guards on the interstates out west.

Lewis Wetzel said...

I am more of a believer in democracy than most Americans.
Greene was elected by her constituents. People from other constituents sold not be able to second guess their choice.
This is really no different than the Dems choosing who may or may not be the Republican nominee.

Sebastian said...

"Fretting about what to do about her seems like a big distraction."

"Fretting"? "Distraction"?

That's not how prog propaganda works.

Of course, the GOP provides plenty of opportunity.

Browndog said...

More of the same-

Democrats: Hey Republicans, if you want to win elections you need to get rid of xxx.

Republicans: That's good advise. Thanks for the tip. XXX does not speak for us!

Hint: go take a look at the margin MTG won her election by.

Francisco D said...

You better pay close attention to MTG.

She is inciting rebellion among the White Supremacists and needs to be put down hard in order to save our democracy.

Hate speech must be stopped. The Proud Boys must be incarcerated. The Bugaloo Boys must be sighted. The lefties only want to protect us from these terrible people.

Mike Sylwester said...

It's mostly about QAnon.

The Democrats will insinuate (they probably cannot prove) that:

1) Donald Trump was involved in QAnon

2) QAnon told its disciples to riot on January 6

3) Therefore, Donald Trump told his disciples to riot.

That's why the Democrats are making such a big deal about QAnon.

320Busdriver said...

To be honest I am surprised she was able to win. But I have no idea what kind of opponent she faced. I agree that the voters have spoken and they should live with their decision just as CA and NY must endure their poor choices in Newsom and Cuomo.

I take some solace knowing that MTG brings with her some of that Walmart “smell” that most of her colleagues despise or know nothing about. I bet AOC smiles at her in the hallways.

Howard said...

The Democrat party stoled the election from there own candidate and installed Green just to ridicule her and the GOP.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

"He argues the as a matter of principle, congressmen should not be expelled or barred from committees for stuff they said prior to election, but only for stuff the y say or do as congressmen."

Caveat votor?

Browndog said...

That's why the Democrats are making such a big deal about QAnon.

When I say a home made sign that said "Q sent me" of a smiling "rioter" inside the Capital I knew lefties were behind it.

Arturo Ui said...

Greene is a dangerously stupid individual, the kind of person who slept through high school history class and then woke up one day as an adult, opened social media, and thought it was educating her. If Congress had any self-respect they would get to the 2/3rds of the vote necessary to expel her. However, the majority required to yank her from her committee assignments will be fine. She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way.

Gunner said...

Remember back in the Obama years when the entire media hack community focused on Michelle Bachman because of her "immense power" as a member of Congress?

This is what they do. If lame talk show hosts did not focus on some "crazy" female Republican with little power, they might have to assault the Democratic male President they want have on their shows.

wild chicken said...

Lots of crazy Ashli Babbitts in the party now. It's a genuine GOP type now. Who's themost god-fearing, gun-totin, pickup-driving, mas macho true blue American woman? MEEEE! It's a competition.

Started with the Tea Party patriot thing.

I got the guns n god part down but I just couldn't go the rest of the way. No first-through-the-window for me.

YoungHegelian said...

@AU,

Greene is a dangerously stupid individual

Wake me up when she gets caught having an affair with a Chinese spy, hiring a Chinese intern at the request of said spy & she's on the intelligence committee.

Bob Boyd said...

I've had a Dem friend sending me pearl clutching emails about this woman for 2 days.
I finally replied that I'm 100% on her side, even though I've never heard of her and don't know the first thing about her or what she's supposed to have done. I refuse to follow his links or otherwise read up on her.
I'll take the side of this lone woman against the mob, even knowing nothing about her. I don't need to know anything about her to know opposing the mob is the way I should go.

pacwest said...

Matthew 7:3

5M - Eckstine said...

MTG AKA AOC. Why treat them any differently?

Gusty Winds said...

Sarah Palin got the same “stupid / what do you read” treatment and respect from Katie Couric, and Palin was the smart one who had some class. Couric is now openly promoting deprogram the deplorables. That’s not smart… it’s just evil bullshit.

From this portion of the Couric / Palin interview you can see what type of arrogant former cheerleader Couric is….some things never change. As if anyone “understands the world”…. Empty intellectual arrogance is the absolute height of stupidity. Like Hillary Clinton, AOC, Pocahontas, Pelosi….and the majority of Madison, WI. Couric is a Dane County feminist.

COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this—to stay informed and to understand the world?
PALIN: I've read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media, coming f—
COURIC: But like which ones specifically? I'm curious that you—
PALIN: Um, all of 'em, any of 'em that, um, have, have been in front of me over all these years. Um, I have a va—
COURIC: Can you name a few?
PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where, it's kind of suggested and it seems like, 'Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C. may be thinking and doing when you live up there in Alaska?' Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America

Nonapod said...

Never heard of her. But I will say that when it comes to crazy congress critters, the GOP has nothing on the Dems. Just today we have AOC now basically claiming that Ted Cruz and Trump supporters murder-raped her or something.

At any rate, there's what? 435 house members? If you select 435 people at random you'll probably find a few nut jobs in there. But some nut jobs are able to convince some people in certain specific areas to vote for them, especially when the alternative seems far worse than the nut job I guess.

Mike Sylwester said...

When I was paying some attention to QAnon, many months ago, I did not perceive that it involved a lot of "conspiracy theories". Rather, QAnon was President Trump -- or someone very close to Donald Trump -- communicating to the public in riddles by means of extraordinarily secure communications on the Internet.

I understood the essential message to be: trust President Trump, because he is controlling the dire situation.

Now, when I see people denouncing QAnon for propagating a lot of "conspiracy theories", I perceive that they do not really understand anything significant about QAnon.

From my perspective, it is reasonable to insinuate that QAnon indeed was President Trump communicating to the public in riddles. After all, that is what QAnon appeared to be to people who studied QAnon.

In particular, I myself came to the conclusion that QAnon was Eric Trump and that QAnon+ was Donald Trump.

A key reason why I myself stopped paying attention to QAnon many months ago was that I perceived that QAnon had basically disappeared from the Internet.

I speculate that the NSA and FBI informed President Trump that they had figured out his role in QAnon and advised him to terminate his son's hobby.

I speculate further that, since then, QAnon has been taken over by someone else who has used the phenomenon to incite QAnon's disciples and to frame Trump for the incitement.

n.n said...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Barack Hussein Obama
Nancy Patricia Pelosi
Chuck Ellis Schumer

Semantic games, conceptual corruption, conflation of logical domains. Anyone from the Progressive Church/Synagogue/Mosque/Temple/Office etc.

That said, diversity of individuals, minority of one. #PrinciplesMatter #HateLovesAbortion

YoungHegelian said...

Georgia seems to have a knack sending "special" Congress-people to DC. Remember Rep. Cynthia McKinney? She was a special kind of whack.

Lawrence Person said...

She's the left's designated Emmanuel Goldstein/Westboro Baptist Church/designated hate objected to distract you from all the illegal/far left things they're trying to push through this week.

Don't fall for it.

NYC JournoList said...

Look, A Squirrel!!!

Gusty Winds said...

Marjorie Taylor Green wore a mask on the floor of the House that said, “TRUMP WON”.

She also wears a mask around the Capitol that says “CENSORED”.
I’d call her a genius…or, at a minimum, a person with some guts and integrity.

I’m a big fan.

She’s smarter than any person from Dane County, WI who can bleed and give birth to a child.

mockturtle said...

'Believing stupid things' does not preclude election to high office. Look at Mazie Horono!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
daskol said...

Watch out for those cruel neutrality space lasers

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

wild chicken - care to explain why you;'re throwing Ashlee Babbit under the bus?

320Busdriver said...

Blogger YoungHegelian said...
Georgia seems to have a knack sending "special" Congress-people to DC. Remember Rep. Cynthia McKinney? She was a special kind of whack.

How about Hank?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hank-johnson-worries-guam-could-capsize-after-marine-buildup/

Yancey Ward said...

LOL! Any party that has Maxine Waters in its congressional delegation can't complain about Taylor without being the worlds biggest fucking hypocrites.

Arturo Ui said...

Gusty Winds said...
Marjorie Taylor Green wore a mask on the floor of the House that said, “TRUMP WON”.

She also wears a mask around the Capitol that says “CENSORED”.
I’d call her a genius…or, at a minimum, a person with some guts and integrity.

I’m a big fan.

She’s smarter than any person from Dane County, WI who can bleed and give birth to a child.

*********************************

Yeah, nothing says "genius" like wearing a mask that says "CENSORED" while giving a live, broadcast speech to millions from the floor of the House of Representatives.

Douglas B. Levene said...

Cong. Greene is a wack job. Don't gaslight me and tell me otherwise. She believes, or purports to believe, which is the same thing, that (i) Jews operating a giant space laser caused the California forest fires, (ii) the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings were hoaxes and (iii) Q-anon's fairy tale about a giant pedophile conspiracy is true. That's enough, right there, to prove her mental incapacity.

Does that mean that Congress or the GOP should do something about her? No, not unless she starts saying the same crazy stuff on the floor of the House, in which case they should put her in a straight-jacket around her and take her directly to St. Elizabeths to be medicated.

NYC JournoList said...

The sad thing about the strategy of those in power (aka The Swamp) is that such transparent tactics work so reliably well. When is Joe going to take his first unscripted question from the press? Why did he assign a law partner of Hunter’s attorney to head the DOJ investigation division? What role did Joe play in the Jan 6 2017 meeting and the Flynn matter?
these are just some of the hundreds of questions he is dodging.

YoungHegelian said...

@320Busdriver,

Hank Johnson succeeded Cynthia McKinnon from Georgia's 4th District. Clearly, the voters of the 4th only want to send their very best to DC. Bless their hearts!

Arturo Ui said...

Nonapod said...
Never heard of her. But I will say that when it comes to crazy congress critters, the GOP has nothing on the Dems. Just today we have AOC now basically claiming that Ted Cruz and Trump supporters murder-raped her or something.

*********************************

AOC described herself as someone who has been a victim of sexual assault, but sure, go on generalizing her comments in the most insulting way possible.

Arturo Ui said...

Douglas B. Levene said...
Cong. Greene is a wack job. Don't gaslight me and tell me otherwise. She believes, or purports to believe, which is the same thing, that (i) Jews operating a giant space laser caused the California forest fires, (ii) the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings were hoaxes and (iii) Q-anon's fairy tale about a giant pedophile conspiracy is true. That's enough, right there, to prove her mental incapacity.

************************************

Thank you.

Arturo Ui said...

Bob Boyd said...
I've had a Dem friend sending me pearl clutching emails about this woman for 2 days.
I finally replied that I'm 100% on her side, even though I've never heard of her and don't know the first thing about her or what she's supposed to have done. I refuse to follow his links or otherwise read up on her.
I'll take the side of this lone woman against the mob, even knowing nothing about her. I don't need to know anything about her to know opposing the mob is the way I should go.

*********************************

Boy, those are some impressive critical thinking skills on display there.

YoungHegelian said...

@Douglas B. Levene,

Jews operating a giant space laser caused the California forest fires,

Oh, that's just craziness! Jews don't have a space laser! Everybody knows the Jews control the weather.

It's the Lizard Aliens who control the space laser.

Is it just me or is it getting hot outside?...

Delphin Strungk said...

Arturo Ui
She tweeted that Cruz tried to get her murdered.

Michael K said...

Remember the click to the right of the troll's moniker.

Ann Althouse said...

"AA - did you also write an article of "stupid things" said by AOC, Maxine Walters, Hank Johnson, Sheila Jackson Lee? Or how about that so-called Governor from Michigan, Whitmer? I can go on and on and name 'Media Wh*res' both Right and Left. But this article has a hint of something and I believe it stinks!"

What "article" are you talking about? I'm saying I'm avoiding this junk and you're asking me if I equally *avoided* junk on the left or are you asking me if I wrote an "article" — a blog post! — *about* how I'm avoiding it?! I stay out of this bullshit, but I'm not going to keep track of whether I stay out with the same degree of staying-out-of-it-ness as on some other occasions. That's madness!

rhhardin said...

Rush doubted AOC's claim of sexual abuse merited much sympathy and now he's apologizing, seeing the wave of outrage from callers.

Fuck her. She's too unstable to be in government then. As another caller pointed out.

Arturo Ui said...

Delphin Strungk said...
Arturo Ui
She tweeted that Cruz tried to get her murdered.

*****************************************

Yes, and that part is ultimately true. His reckless disregard for the violent incitement and hysteria he was whipping up with wild lies about the election caused a mob to descend on the Capitol and kill several people, as well as disrupt a mandatory democratic process. They were shouting death to her name as they were breaking through (as well as Pelosi and Pence, among others). If one of your co-workers did the same to you, you'd say the same thing about their actions.

Jeff Weimer said...

Arturo Ui said...
Nonapod said...
Never heard of her. But I will say that when it comes to crazy congress critters, the GOP has nothing on the Dems. Just today we have AOC now basically claiming that Ted Cruz and Trump supporters murder-raped her or something.

*********************************

AOC described herself as someone who has been a victim of sexual assault, but sure, go on generalizing her comments in the most insulting way possible.

2/2/21, 12:27 PM,


While that may be true, she decided it was most advantageous to talk about it in the context of How Bad Republicans Are to shut off discussion.

And here you are using it to...shut off discussion.

forgive me if I consider it a base political power play to Win An Argument without having one on both your parts.

rhhardin said...

Rush should be safe. He can claim stage four lung cancer. He can out-victim anybody.

rhhardin said...

I suspect some high school boy with a car fingered AOC. It wasn't sexual abuse at the time (after all she became a bartender) but she's changed her mind.

Gusty Winds said...

Althouse said...and it seems she believes some really stupid things...and I stay out of this bullshit

Saying you've absorbed some bullshit that someone believes some really stupid things is a strange way to stay out of it. That's where you punched the tar baby.

Is it one of those things where some "intellectual" in Madison is pontificating on the cliché liberal outrage of the day, and you just nod your head yes to survive?

Known Unknown said...

"Greene is a dangerously stupid individual, the kind of person who slept through high school history class and then woke up one day as an adult, opened social media, and thought it was educating her. If Congress had any self-respect they would get to the 2/3rds of the vote necessary to expel her. However, the majority required to yank her from her committee assignments will be fine. She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way."

Now do Maxine Waters.

Delphin Strungk said...

Arturo Ui
So, I was right then, and you were wrong.

I agree the mob was or seemed to be dangerous.

This blog is a cesspit, and the sensible posters, who are in varying degrees anti Trump, get banned or shouted down. Notice how few even try anymore.

Mike Sylwester said...

To this day, I still think that QAnon was Eric Trump and QAnon+ was Donald Trump. Maybe that has changed in the past many months (two years?), while I have not been paying attention.

I don't remember the clues that led me to that identification. I would have to go back and study the videos (mostly Praying Medic) that I watched back then.

I figured that QAnon communicated Eric Trump's own understandings of the political situation. I figured that his father knew about Eric's hobby and occasionally contributed a tidbit.

For example, if QAnon indicated that the Trump Administration was investigating a pedophile ring, then that is what Eric Trump thought, perhaps based on a remark he had heard from his father.

I don't know what Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks about QAnon. I certainly do not denounce her for thinking that the study and discussion of QAnon is worthwhile. After all, I myself have studied and discussed it.

Since the Democrats are making QAnon into such a boogeyman, I think it's likely that they will make QAnon into a key element in the Senate's trial of Donald Trump.

rhhardin said...

It used to be that an army invades, rapes all the women and leaves, and all the husbands are pissed off but life goes on. Those were the days of real Americans, even if it was mostly europe. No time for trauma.

Bob Boyd said...

Boy, those are some impressive critical thinking skills on display there.

Thanks Arturo! And if you ever get mobbed, you know who to call.

Arturo Ui said...

Jeff Weimer said...

And here you are using it to...shut off discussion.

forgive me if I consider it a base political power play to Win An Argument without having one on both your parts.

************************************

Let me offer you some smelling salts, you poor frail dear. Someone disagreed with you and you feel shut down. However will you survive such fascism?!

Inga said...

MTG says she is soon going down to FL to meet with Trump, isn’t that special?

rhhardin said...

I imagine that no amount of therapy will help AOC, because she's making it up. It's the same reason that Anita Hill was not helped by sympathy.

With an actual assault, the idea would to get AOC to see some responsibility for it on her pert. That puts it under her control.

And here she's claiming everything is out of her control. The victim stance. Total helpless and unsuitable for any position whatsoever.

Bob Boyd said...

Politics aside, them space lasers do sound like a possible fire hazard.

Mike Sylwester said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mike Sylwester said...

In a previous thread, rhhardin wrote an excellent comment comparing:

* the 2021 invasion into the Capitol building

* the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

In the latter case, US Intelligence was able to decrypt and read some Japanese messages that preceded the attack. However, the messages did not state blatantly that Pearl Harbor would be attacked. Only in retrospect could some clues in the messages be recognized.

Likewise, the FBI might have intercepted some indications that something might happen at the Capitol building on January 6. However, those indications were recognizable only in retrospect.

This will be also the situation with QAnon. In retrospect, perhaps some QAnon messages will seem to incite the invasion into the Capitol building. Anyone who has read QAnon messages knows, however, that all those messages are riddles.

Arturo Ui said...

Delphin Strungk said...
Arturo Ui
So, I was right then, and you were wrong.

******************************************

No, her description of Cruz's action was accurate. His traitorous behavior threatened her life and every other member of Congress.

donald said...

Whatever about MTG, but Erick Erickson is the absolute worst person you could choose for your information. His perky pig squeak of a voice and constant begging for money in the once great WSB-750 tells anybody what that fat whore is. Shame on you.

wendybar said...

Arturo Ui said...
Greene is a dangerously stupid individual, the kind of person who slept through high school history class and then woke up one day as an adult, opened social media, and thought it was educating her. If Congress had any self-respect they would get to the 2/3rds of the vote necessary to expel her. However, the majority required to yank her from her committee assignments will be fine. She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way.

2/2/21, 12:03 PM

Now do Chinese spy boffing Swallwell who is on the HOUSE INTEL Committee and on the Homeland Security committee before that. Worry about REAL whack jobs that can ACTUALLY do damage.

Skippy Tisdale said...

Remember back in the Obama years when the entire media hack community focused on Michelle Bachman because of her "immense power" as a member of Congress?

This is what they do. If lame talk show hosts did not focus on some "crazy" female Republican with little power, they might have to assault the Democratic male President they want have on their shows.


The local weekly in Minneapolis spent years railing against Bachman long after she was no longer in Congress. They went out of business a few moths ago.

Telling.

Joe Smith said...

Almost every single Democrat in congress will tell you that the world is going to end as the result of massive climate change, and it may already be too late to fix it.

How's that for crazy?

Delphin Strungk said...

Arturo Ui
No. The disputed point was that you said people were misrepresenting AOC by attributing that charge to her. I corrected you. Whether she is right or wrong is irrelevant to whether I was right. I was.

Don’t be like the Trumpers here. The place is rancid enough.

320Busdriver said...

TRUMP is not done.

Not by a long shot.

Now go clutch your pearls....Mittzy

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I collective left try to make Trump toxic while they rehabilitate their criminals.

That's why Crook Biden is prez

Delphin Strungk said...

Why is this place so very bad?
Moderation is part of it. Anti Trumpers disappear, silently banned.
Doubtless I will be silenced soon enough.

Bob Boyd said...

- We have found a witch. May we burn her?
- Burn her!
- How do you know she is a witch?
- She looks like one
- Bring her forward
- I am not a witch
- But you are dressed as one
- They dressed me up like this
- We didn't!
- And this isn't my nose. It's a false one
- Well?
- Well, we did do the nose
- The nose?
- And the hat. But she is a witch
- Burn her!
- Did you dress her up like this?
- No
- Yes
- Yes, a bit. She has got a wart
- What makes you think she is a witch?
- Well, she turned me into a newt
- A newt?
- I got better
- Burn her anyway
- Burn her!

Jupiter said...

Gusty Winds said;

"MTG from Georgia probably doesn’t believe carbon is a pollutant that will destroy life on earth in nine years, because it isn’t and won’t. (Kerry, AOC, Pocahontas).

She probably believes a fetus is a life and God made two genders. She also knows the 2020 Presidential election was stolen through fraud and isn’t afraid to say so like some other people I read. I’d bet she also doesn’t exist in a world where she thinks about destroying “the patriarchy” 100% of the time.

I doubt MTG would consider plywood covering shattered glass on vandalized businesses in her community a new canvas for artwork. Living in Madison, where stupidity is applauded as “progressive”, I’d be more careful throwing stupid accusations around.

MTG would openly defend Madison's Nutcracker Ballerinas, and wouldn’t give a shit about her neighbors, or swamp creatures in Congress cancelling her. She's got balls."

I cannot improve upon that, so I will repeat it.

Delphin Strungk said...

The thing is Bob Boyd there are no witches. There are idiots. She’s one.
I think people have the right to vote for idiots. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t idiots.

donald said...

AOC has wymen’s issues. IYKWIMAITYD. Hormones...what a bitch.

Michael K said...

Another anonymous troll. How is the pay ? Minimum wage ?

Mike Sylwester said...

Browndog at 12:03 PM
When I say a home made sign that said "Q sent me" of a smiling "rioter" inside the Capital I knew lefties were behind it.

I assume there is such a picture of someone holding such a sign. (I myself have not seen the picture.)

I think it's quite likely that the person with the sign thinks that some QAnon message suggested that he go to Washington DC to protest, in support of President Trump, against election fraud.

Furthermore, I predict that Democrats will argue at the Senate trial that Donald Trump indeed communicated via QAnon that people should go to invade the Capitol building on January 6.

However, I speculate that QAnon was taken over by someone else during recent months and subsequently was used to frame Trump for inciting the invasion of the Capitol building. That is my speculation right now.

In the meantime, I am waiting to see what actually will happen and to see what information will be provided in the coming weeks.

Whatever QAnon messages were issued, though, they surely all were riddles. There will not be a QAnon message that says blatantly, go invade the Capitol building on January 6.

Bilwick said...

It's hard to imagine anything Ms. Greene believes that could be stupider than the basic article of faith adhered to by "liberals" and other State-cultists: that the State is our best friend, and the more power it gets the better off we'll all be.

rehajm said...

I stay out of this bullshit, but I'm not going to keep track of whether I stay out with the same degree of staying-out-of-it-ness as on some other occasions. That's madness!

It's binary. If you claim to say out the bullshit you need to stay all out of the bullshit. Otherwise expect people to identify you as a bullshitter and those people to be identified as correct.

rehajm said...

There's ham sandwiches being elected to power on both sides, at both extremes. Some to higher office than others...

Mike Sylwester said...

QAnon messages were like Delphic oracles.

They are ambiguous, puzzling riddles that, only afterwards, seem to be prophetic in retrospect.

For sure, QAnon never said anything like, "Go invade the Capitol building on January 6."

Just like the Orphic Oracle never said, "Go invade Sparta."

Wince said...

Douglas B. Levene said...
Cong. Greene is a wack job. Don't gaslight me and tell me otherwise. She believes, or purports to believe, which is the same thing, that (i) Jews operating a giant space laser caused the California forest fires


Here's MTG's 2018 Facebook post.

Whatever you think of her speculations, and that's what she admits they are, "speculation," the "Jewish laser" theory attributed to MTG is a fabrication.

Browndog said...

I think it's quite likely that the person with the sign thinks that some QAnon message suggested that he go to Washington DC to protest, in support of President Trump, against election fraud.

Disagree.

Classic "this is what a Trump supporter sign would say" stereotype by libs. Further, it's my understanding "Q" had been radio silent for a full two months prior to Jan. 6

pacwest said...

His traitorous behavior threatened her life and every other member of Congress.

I haven't been following you much. Am I correct in assuming his traitorous behavior was bringing up voter fraud in 2020?

Kay said...

Don’t know who this person is. Don’t care.

sinz52 said...

The GOP base seems to care only whether a Republican "fights" [against the Democrats]. Starting with Sarah Palin, their mindset has elevated guts and fists over brains.

And I just don't see things that way.

Bob Boyd said...

there are no witches

It's a metaphor.

Mark said...

MTG is the new designated boogeyman Emmanuel Goldstein.

Yes, you WILL be expected to pay attention to and denounce her. Your failure to denounce her will not merely make you suspect, but will be proof that YOU are a racist and white supremacist.

Dr Weevil said...

According to Shane Goldmacher on Twitter (found via Ace of Spades), AOC has been trashing the police officer who came to her office and directed her to a safer location, claiming he didn't say he was Capitol Police, sounded violent, and asking "Was he trying to actually put us in a vulnerable situation?" (by not giving a specific room number to flee to).

Two Capitol Police have killed themselves since the riot. I wonder if they felt unappreciated and betrayed. Are there dozens, maybe even a hundred or more, Democrats in Congress treating the Capitol Police like scum because "All cops are bastards", even after they risked their lives (and one died) protecting the legislators from their constituents? Maybe someone should ask AOC if she feels at all responsible for the two suicides.

Delphin Strungk said...

Bob Boyd
Right, like snipe hunt. But it’s a bad metaphor because her critics accuse of being an idiot, and she is an idiot.
It’s not a witch hunt to accuse idiots of idiocy if you cite their idiotic statements.

Bob Boyd said...

There's an idiot in Congress? Oh no!

Delphin Strungk said...

Bob Boyd
Oh I agree with that. It’s awash in idiots and worse. But that’s a different issue right?

Delphin Strungk said...

“ The GOP base seems to care only whether a Republican "fights" [against the Democrats]. Starting with Sarah Palin, their mindset has elevated guts and fists over brains.

And I just don't see things that way.”

Exactly. And with the Trumpers it’s even worse, they are like some belligerent drunk Irishman looking for a brawl.
So they try to oust the moderate and sane republicans who didn’t drink the trump koolaid.

daskol said...

Re MTG, she seems nice. And she drives all the right people nuts. Anyone who opposes the establishment that gets tricked into disavowing her is a useful idiot. Useful to your opponents.

Nonapod said...

"the reason I'm getting emotional in this moment is because these folks who tell us to move on, that it's not a big deal, that we should forget what's happened, or even telling us to apologize. These are the same tactics of abusers. I'm a survivor of sexual assault."- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

She's essentially comparing anyone who is saying that it's a bad idea to pursue impeaching Trump to sexual abusers. Now, to me that seems a bit over the top. Obviously it's a rhetorical device meant to demonize anyone who may disagree with you, making them out to be hateful monsters using your own painful personal experience. It's tedious, but it's often effective.

daskol said...

AOC believes whackier stuff than MTG. I don't know who's less intelligent or informed, but the stuff AOC knows that ain't so is way more dangerous. And everyone kisses her ass.

Deb said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bob Boyd said...

But it’s a bad metaphor...

Here's why it's not a bad metaphor: In the Monty Python scene, the "witch" is really no different from her peers. The mob dressed her up and shouted accusations. They made her appear different so they could destroy her because that's what they were in the mood for. Of course, she has got a wart.
That's what's going on with MTG. Every congressperson, every person, has something that could be used to destroy them if the media mob decided to dig it up and hammer on it. It happens all the time now. Cancel culture, right?

It's also yet another media story designed to drive a wedge between those dirty, dumb, backward, but loyal to a fault Deplorables and the fussy, timid, eat me last establishment Republicans. It also furthers the narrative that the Trump wing is dumb and dangerous and racist.

JML said...

AOC is a dangerously stupid individual, the kind of person who slept through her college econ classes and then woke up one day as an adult, opened social media, and thought it was educating her. If Congress had any self-respect they would get to the 2/3rds of the vote necessary to expel her. However, the majority required to yank her from her committee assignments will be fine. She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way.


Waters is a dangerously stupid individual, the kind of person who slept through high school civics class and then woke up one day as an adult, opened social media, and thought it was educating her. If Congress had any self-respect they would get to the 2/3rds of the vote necessary to expel her. However, the majority required to yank her from her committee assignments will be fine. She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way.

Pelosi is a dangerously stupid individual, the kind of person who slept through high school history class and then woke up one day as an adult, opened social media, and thought it was educating her. If Congress had any self-respect they would get to the 2/3rds of the vote necessary to expel her. However, the majority required to yank her from her committee assignments will be fine. She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way.

See how easy it is?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

MTG is crazy and that means all of her party is too! All need to go to the ovens for re-programming!

Jim at said...

Let me know when she thinks Guam is going to tip over, and then I'll pay attention.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Arturo Ui,

[Cruz's] reckless disregard for the violent incitement and hysteria he was whipping up with wild lies about the election caused a mob to descend on the Capitol and kill several people, as well as disrupt a mandatory democratic process.

Not this again. The mob (I have no problem calling it that) killed (possibly) two people, one almost certainly accidentally (the woman who was trampled), one probably intentionally (the Capitol policeman who had a fire extinguisher thrown at him). A Capitol policeman shot one of the rioters (note that this is the only instance of firearms being used in the whole event -- though we're repeatedly told that everyone was armed to the teeth). Two people died of natural causes.

By the standards of American riots set over the past year, that's very mild. Still, obviously, a terrible thing, but not worthy of the hysterical outrage we've seen about THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE OMG!!!! Hell, it looked pretty civil even compared to the 2017 inauguration.

Inga said...

“And she drives all the right people nuts.”

I have to wonder when Trumpists have had enough of acting out of spite. Look what happened to all those “patriots” (Q Anon idiots and insurrectionist dumbasses) who acted out of spite, directed by their spiteful leader who had a temper tantrum because he lost to Biden by 7 million votes. I believe hundreds of them probably had their lives ruined by their actions on Jan.6th.

Delphin Strungk said...

Bob Boyd
Well I am not really convinced but your point about peers is well taken! She is being singled out hypocritically.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

JML said...

AOC is a dangerously stupid individual...

AOC is a younger, hipper version of Sheila Jackson Lee.

Inga said...

“Hell, it looked pretty civil even compared to the 2017 inauguration.”

Wow. What some folks are capable of convincing themselves of.

Delphin Strungk said...

Inga
You cannot spell Trumpist without spite, except for the e, and Trumpers cannot spell anyway.

Arturo Ui said...

Delphin Strungk said...
Arturo Ui
No. The disputed point was that you said people were misrepresenting AOC by attributing that charge to her. I corrected you. Whether she is right or wrong is irrelevant to whether I was right. I was.

Don’t be like the Trumpers here. The place is rancid enough.
***********************************

AOC did not accuse Ted Cruz of raping and murdering her, which was the statement I originally countered.

pacwest said...

The GOP base seems to care only whether a Republican "fights" [against the Democrats]. Starting with Sarah Palin, their mindset has elevated guts and fists over brains.

Actually Governor Palin's main fight was against crony capitalism. As a Republican in a Red state she took on big oil (who were mainly supported by Republicans at that time). Facts get distorted over time. Having been involved with the early Tea Party movement I can tell you it was pretty non-denominational at the start. The media forced them into the Republican mold, and given circumstances it was a better fit than the Democrat's model.

I think everyone understands the wish for a more moderate discourse, but that hope was dashed by Obama's devisiveness, and then Trump's fight against the establishment controlled by the Dems exacerbated it. His America First doctrine fell within my parameters as good policy though. The Dems - not so much. And here we are.

And I just don't see things that way.

Bush2 turned the other cheek. It didn't work out that well.

Mike Sylwester said...

Browndog at 1:32 PM
Classic "this is what a Trump supporter sign would say" stereotype by libs. Further, it's my understanding "Q" had been radio silent for a full two months prior to Jan. 6

I myself have not seen any such picture of a Trump supporter holding such a sign. However, it is plausible that there is such a picture.

As far as I know, QAnon disappeared from the Internet many months ago -- not just two months ago.

I think QAnon messages used to appear on Reddit, but were deplatformed. I don't know or remember the details.

I followed QAnon only sporadically, on Praying Medic's videos. I am far from an expert.

I do know enough, though, not to characterize QAnon as primarily a purveyor of "conspiracy theories". That is a mischaracterization.

Francisco D said...

Delphin Strungk said... This blog is a cesspit, and the sensible posters, who are in varying degrees anti Trump, get banned or shouted down. Notice how few even try anymore.

Let's all give a big Althouse welcome to our newest troll - signed up for Blogger just today.

@Michael K.

These guys expect to make the new minimum wage at $15/hour so they are coming out of the woodwork. Isn't it special that Howie and the Resident Idiot have company?

Delphin Strungk said...

Arturo
“She didn’t accuse him of murdering her and chopping her up and burying her.”
Nice try. At least make your distortions possible.

Delphin Strungk said...

So the bat signal has gone out already, Francisco D tipping the nod to moderators. “Oh protect me from Delphin, help, help!”

Jim at said...

She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way.

You're more of a threat than she will ever be.

You are the enemy within. A fifth-column. You should be treated that way.

Inga said...

How long until the violent ideations are expressed? Those are always fun.

Delphin Strungk said...

Inga
Oh the violent ideations are definitely coming, but Viagra takes some time to work. Give them a hour.

Bob Boyd said...

Well I am not really convinced but your point about peers is well taken! She is being singled out hypocritically.

Fair enough.
I'm not ready to burn her. She's in Congress, warts and all. It's a warty place. She's enduring a baptism of fire. Let's see what she does over the next two years.

Hopefully she won't get zapped by a space laser and burnt up. That'd be weird. Especially right after the witch thing.

Skeptical Voter said...

I dunno. My Congressman is Adam Schiff. And if the opposition party has the right to punish someone in the other party for saying really stupid things, then Adam Schiff is a prime target. But I don't see the Republicans rising up and demanding that the sleazy little Schiffster should be removed from all committees.

JPS said...

Delphin Strungk, 1:15:

"Why is this place so very bad?
Moderation is part of it. Anti Trumpers disappear, silently banned.
Doubtless I will be silenced soon enough."

Yet, bravely, Delphin Strungk continues to post.

If you are silently banned, I will end every comment with "Free Delphin Strungk." Then I will pause, sadly close my eyes for a beat, then get back to my work. But I hope Althouse keeps you around. You are truly a rarity, a gem in the cesspit.

Wince, 1:29:

"Whatever you think of her speculations, and that's what she admits they are, 'speculation,' the 'Jewish laser' theory attributed to MTG is a fabrication."

I am really strangely sorry to see this.

Delphin Strungk said...

Why thank you JPS. And a good idea!

Where is Chuck? Where is Chuck?

James K said...

it seems she believes some really stupid things

The average Democrat Congressman is like Alice, who believes in six impossible things before breakfast. So why aren't they thrown out of leadership positions or threatened with expulsion? Maybe there's safety in numbers for crazy Dems, where as a Republican with a couple of nutty ideas is a "man bites dog" story.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Yes, what happened to Silent Lee?

He was one of my favorites!!

Known Unknown said...

"AOC is a younger, hipper version of Sheila Jackson Lee."

AOC is a populist. Like Trump. A left-leaning populist. She would never admit to that, though.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Adam Schiff claimed every day for 4 years that he had evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians.

Robert Mueller testified he was not familiar with the well known lobbying firm which created the Trump dossier.

Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, went on Tucker Carlson show at least 50 times over several years and pronounced the same lies that Schiff spouted.

Is Green crazier than Schiff? Is Green more clueless than Mueller? Is Green a bigger threat to our security than Swalwell?

Known Unknown said...

" Isn't it special that Howie and the Resident Idiot have company?"

I don't mind Howard. He is sporadically funny.

Delphin Strungk said...

Known Unknown
Exactly. She is very like Trump really, just with a different line to peddle. And like Trump she is sometimes right. She is right about Wall Street.

It will be fun watching the Trumpers defend Wall Street to own AOC

Free Chuck

Tina Trent said...

I've met her a couple of times. I did not approve of her candidacy, to put it extremely mildly, but from everything I know about her, and I've done some looking, she is not a racist and she is not an anti-semite, as Daniel Greenfield and the editors at FrontPagemag shamefully assert with no evidence.

She's a right-wing Truther. As Matt Taibbi wrote in his excellent book on the subject, the Truther subculture is neatly split between people on the far-libertarian Right and people on the radical-leftist Left. The loons howling on the top of the full moon that is political preference. Which is shaped like a circle, not a straight line.

Or, if you prefer, a snake eating its own tail.

Some Truthers peddle in anti-Semitism. I've found no evidence Greene is among them, and they're mostly leftists. However, Truthers do libel and defame -- and worse -- the brave police and firemen and other First Responders who entered the Twin Towers on 9/11 by claiming they and their superiors (often relatives of the dead) were involved in a conspiracy to bring down the Towers. They libel and defame the memory of the military and civilians murdered in the Pentagon and the memory of the civilians and crews of the planes that crashed. They libel and defame -- and worse -- the families of children murdered in mass school shootings when they claim those shootings didn't happen.

Georgia has sent a Truther to Congress before. Cynthia McKinney is a full-blown Truther. I don't recall anyone calling for her removal from Congress, though she was quite candid in her hatred of Israel and joined Code Pink in "actions" against the Israeli State. She was voted out of office the regular way. Ron Paul is also Truther.

Cynthia McKinney and Ron Paul toured the country together spreading these noxious beliefs, funded by the demoralization agents of the Marxist Voltaire Network, which is in turn funded by the Iranian government and run by radical Marxist Thierry Meyssan. Ironically, Paulites and their leftist counterparts are dupes of the Iranians and Putin. Project Ornicar and The Arab League have also supported this Witch's Brew of libertarian-leftists conspiracy mongering.

Why is Greene in office in the first place? Because the GOP in Georgia is one unbelievably effed-up organization incapable of getting its act together to run real candidates in easy districts or win what should be winning races statewide. But as I said, Cynthia McKinney harbored exactly the same paranoid conspiracies for decades and nobody said boo for years. Code Pink is practically a branch of the Democrat Party and they let them invade both Israeli waters and Congress, the latter repeatedly.

Mikey NTH said...

"Yet, bravely, Delphin Strungk continues to post."

It takes a special kind of courage to come to a blog and right off the bat complain about the blog.

J. Farmer said...

George H.W. Bush was really the last gasp of the eastern Republican establishment, and he only held on as long as he did because of Reagan. The Reagan realignment succeeded. The Republican Party became a more southern, white, rural/suburban party, and the Democratic Party became a party of white urbanites and racial minorities.

Since that time, we've had Newt Gingrich, the Yale preppy turned Crawford rancher George w. Bush, Sarah Palin, and Donald Trump. Holy shit. Had he not just recently passed away, we could've very likely gotten the guy who played Screech in Saved by the Bell for 2024.

I still see a three-way divide for Republicans. Never Trumper, Ever Trumper, and Trumpism and Ever Trumper are united in their utter contempt and loathing for Never Trumpers. Trumpism and Never Trumpers are united in seeing Ever Trumpers as hopeless hysterics, though Ever Trumpers are likely to be much more snide about it. Ever Trumpers are a kind of zombie Reaganism fighting phantoms, fretting about Leninsim, and talking about Sandanistas and shit. Trumpism wants social conservatism with more economic intervention for social welfare and regulation of certain sectors of the economy. Never Trumpers and to a lesser degree Ever Trumpers are more likely to endorse libertarian horseshit. People like Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley straddle Trumpism and Ever Trumpers.

I don't have the foggiest idea how this split will resolve itself. And, there's another potential reason for why we've had such a parade of dunces vying for national leadership: they don't matter as much as they used to. Even if they win the election, the system has numerous means of sandbagging their agenda.

We have an establishment that controls most of the wealth, occupies most of the institutions (e.g. media, academia, major corporations), and is international in scale, scope, and support. Standing between them and their agenda are a president with applesauce for brains and a vice president with an empty space for brains and a slot in the back of her head. That's not David versus Goliath; it's David versus an H bomb.

Known Unknown said...

'It will be fun watching the Trumpers defend Wall Street to own AOC'

Doubtful. You have no idea what the MAGA movement is really about if you think they'll defend Wall Street.

(I'm an outside observer to all of this, I'm one of John Brennan's domestic terrorist libertarians)

iowan2 said...

hmmm, look over there>>> leftist trolls are talking to themselves.

Gravel said...

As dumb as she is, she'd have to work very hard to be as dumb as AOC, or Sheila, or that crazy lady with the cowboy hat, or ...

Delphin Strungk said...

Known
I know MAGA. It isn’t about ideas, its about impulses. Once AOC and Wall Street get into a scrum it’s certain that many Trumpers will side with Wall Street because the impulse to own AOC will overcome them.

I could probably bait them into next week by telling them the Dutch stock market is way better and more honest and smarter than the American Wall Street.

Known Unknown said...

"Never Trumpers and to a lesser degree Ever Trumpers are more likely to endorse libertarian horseshit."

Here's a thought. Ask a libertarian what their horseshit is rather than make baseless assumptions. Don't count on Reason magazine to tell you. They've gone around the bend. Trump broke them. They even let the Jennifer Rubin-eqsue Sikha Dalmia write columns for them. Or did.

Never Trumpers are the Cathedral. They are the GOPe. They are the insiders. They are decidedly un-libertarian in thought. They are basically Democrat-lite. They are the hedge funders, the Endless Warriors, and crony-capitalists.

Trump is a mixed bag. He's basically 90s Bill Clinton but with real-world bonafides and some libertarian notions. He's a blue-collar billionaire.


Known Unknown said...

"Once AOC and Wall Street get into a scrum it’s certain that many Trumpers will side with Wall Street because the impulse to own AOC will overcome them."

AOC will have to fight off Nancy Pelosi and the DNC grifters first.

Nonapod said...

AOC is a populist. Like Trump. A left-leaning populist. She would never admit to that, though.

AOC is a subspecies of populist, the demagogue. Populists politicians typically will say out loud what a large group of people might be thinking and feeling even though it might be interpreted to be a little harsh, blunt, or politically incorrect, or even not entirely factually accurate but feels accurate in some cases. Populists can become demagogues when they stray too far away from reason and rationality in favor of appealing only to emotionality.

I think it's fair to say that Trump has veered into demagogue territory at times, but in my (obviously biased) opinion, Trump's arguments tend to be more defensible and reasonable when you actually take the time to deconstruct them. AOC is more of a pure demagogue. Most of her arguments seem to be based on pure emotion untetethered to anything realistic or possible.

Delphin Strungk said...

Known
Yes she will need to. Is she smart enough to? This is her ticket to the big time, her chance to really establish a power base. “Ms Pelosi I’m paying for this microphone.” Suddenly she is at the head table.

Bilwick said...

Ever the loyal, obedient serf, J. Farmer refers to "libertarian horseshit." That "horseshit" would undoubtedly include those of us in the pro-freedom camp denying J. Farmer his presumed right to rule us.

Gusty Winds said...

The 14th Congressional GA district is in the NW corner of GA, bordering AL and just South of Chattanooga TN. People there KNOW the election was fraudulent. Some from the SE part of the District may commute to Atlanta (the do CRAZY commutes down there to NOT live in Atlanta). If you know the Georgia, the massive growth of the late 80s, 90s, and 00s was all North of the I-285 Circle. The City of Atlanta or Democrat portions of Fulton County didn’t boom. The GOP suburbs north of the city are PACKED and they aren’t woke.

In 1988 GA-400 was a two lane road heading north off the I-285 Circle. Today it’s like four or five lanes in both directions. Of all the fraud states (WI, MI, PA, AZ, MI, NV and GA) the people of Georgia all KNOW that Fulton County fucked them over once again. Wisconsin is just drunk and still kidding itself.

Fulton County and Dems are so arrogantly corrupt they pulled the same thing for the Senate Election as they did the Presidential election. And that there folks, via a fuck you push back, is how you get Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress. Let‘er rip!!

Leland said...

I like how Althouse creates these posts for the trolls to play in.

pacwest said...

I know MAGA. It isn’t about ideas, its about impulses.

No. You don't. Get outside your media bubble an the partisan fighting. MAGA has some pretty specific tenets outside of the Trump fight the Dems and media want to perpetuate. Let's not subsidise foreign countries that are taking advantage of our goodwill towards the world's population. China and NATO are specific examples. Let's put the interests of the American people first. Uncontrolled immigration is expensive, increases wage disparity, and uses resources that could be applied domestically. Domestic spending should be directed towards American citizens.

Or, we can fight for nebulous and ever changing social justice causes instead. Who's impulsive?

KellyM said...

I'm with @Gusty Winds on this.

If her constituents decide at some point to remove her that's their business. In the meantime, I'll root for this GOP renegade and hope she keeps it up. How is it that her opinions are deemed crazy after four years of "Russia, Russia, Russia!"? And I would also add those things that "polite company" would poo-poo as conspiracy theories have more adherents than you think.

Oh, and she also pushes the envelope by open-carrying in Congress.

Michael K said...

directed by their spiteful leader who had a temper tantrum because he lost to Biden by 7 million votes. I believe hundreds of them probably had their lives ruined by their actions on Jan.6th.

Unlike Antifa who took over a Red Lion Inn in Olympia WA terrorizing the 40 paying guests. The people who walked into the Capitol after the Capitol police opened the doors for them were just members of the wrong party. Then Antifa rioters have paid zero price.

The resident idiot will not acknowledge that but millions know it. Around 74 million to be precise.

mockturtle said...

There are those in high office who believe--or purport to believe--that humans and cows are causing climate change and that we only have 8-12 years left. LOLOLOL!

mockturtle said...

MTG is the new designated boogeyman Emmanuel Goldstein.

We shall be required to spend the "Two Minutes Hate" every day railing at her picture.

mockturtle said...

I think I can find a better use for Jewish space lasers than setting fires. Just sayin'.

traditionalguy said...

Greene is a Scots Irish four term Congresswoman from the northwest corner of Georgia. It is in the mountains, like Zell Miller@s base. She likes fighting against foreign Marxist Empires for her America First leader. So she is starting a modern Kings Mountain re-dux. The winner is yet to be decided. In the meantime she is as popular to the Dems and RINOs as William Wallace was to King Edward I.

Not Sure said...

Arturo Ui said... If Congress had any self-respect they would get to the 2/3rds of the vote necessary to expel her. However, the majority required to yank her from her committee assignments will be fine. She's a direct threat to democracy and should be treated that way.

So democracy is threatened by the presence in Congress of someone duly elected by voters, and defended by the expulsion of a duly elected Representative by a party-line vote?

Brilliant.

J. Farmer said...

@Known Unknown:

Here's a thought. Ask a libertarian what their horseshit is rather than make baseless assumptions. Don't count on Reason magazine to tell you.

I grant "libertarian horseshit" is very imprecise, but it was in the interest of brevity. I am pretty familiar with libertarian thinking, and I haven't taken Reason very seriously since Virginia Postrel stopped being the editor. To be more precise, it's a form of economic libertarianism advocated by people like Frank Meyer and Bill Buckley at the National Review and was generally supportive of reduction of taxation, deregulation, market liberalization, privatization, reductions in spending, etc. It's mostly affiliated with Milton Friedman, Hayek, and British liberalism. It has always been criticized by the more anarcho-capitalist wing of libertarianism that's more aligned with the thinking of people like von Mises and Murray Rothbard.

Delphin Strungk said...

Pacwest
Lots of people are for a “small America” that stays out of foreign countries. Farmer is, he’s not MAGA, Reason magazine is, they're not MAGA. So just because MAGATS agree doesn’t make that issue specifically MAGA.
And you are wrong even on that point. Libertarians have principles and arguments about the issue, Trumpers just have emotional reactions.
So, no, that MAGA impulses occasionally align with ideas doesn’t mean they were determined by ideas. MAGA follows Trump on everything he says and does. That’s not how ideas work.

J. Farmer said...

p.s. In other words, you could say, "Real libertarianism has never been tried!"

mockturtle said...

There is a bill before Congress [HR 127] that would require a psychiatric test before a gun purchase, three months to register existing firearms and a public database showing anyone and everyone who owns what weapons and where. And those are just a few features of this bill. Contact your Congressfolk!!!

Delphin Strungk said...

Libertarians these days seem to be saying
Open borders despite covid
If you don’t like Twitter build your own. If you thrown off AWS build your own. If your bank cancels you build your own. If the supermarket refuses you, build your own.
I want my drugs!

It’s not about liberty at all, it’s worshipping a flawed theory of property rights.

“Bullshit” is apt.

pacwest said...

Standing between them and their agenda are a president with applesauce for brains and a vice president with an empty space for brains and a slot in the back of her head.

That's not a very nice thing to say! Even if it is true.

Bilwick said...

Contrary to what loyal-serf J. Farmer says, real libertarianism is practiced every day. At least, I don't force my will on others. Do you?

Delphin Strungk said...

Bilwick
So you are for legal abortions, legalizing drug?

Original Mike said...

"There is a bill before Congress [HR 127] that would require a psychiatric test before a gun purchase, three months to register existing firearms and a public database showing anyone and everyone who owns what weapons and where."

If they were to publish such a list I'm running out and buying a gun. Who wants to be on a list of people who don't own a gun?

Delphin Strungk said...

“ Who wants to be on a list of people who don't own a gun?”

Ha!

Skippy Tisdale said...

Inga
You cannot spell Trumpist without spite, except for the e, and Trumpers cannot spell anyway.


You cannot spell Inga without ignorant and you don't even have to buy a vowel!

John henry said...

MTG from Georgia probably doesn’t believe carbon is a pollutant that will destroy life on earth


Don't you get started, gusty.

Carbon is dirty. It's coal. It's pencil leads. It also diamonds but we never hear that.

Carbon is a solid. It doesn't get into the atmosphere except locally from chimneys mainly and it settles out.

Carbon in the atmosphere IS apollutant but 99 percent of the time it is not what people mean when they say "carbon"

The alleged pollutant is carbon DIOXIDE (CO2)

co2 is nice. It's what makes bread rise. It's what makes champagne fizz. It's what puts out fires. It makes plants grow.

So you can't talk about co2(good) . You have to call it carbon (bad)

And every time you do, you help our enemies with another drip of fakery & propaganda.

Do better.

John Henry

effinayright said...

"Delphin Strungk (or Strunck) (1600 or 1601 - 12 October 1694) was a German composer and organist associated with the North German school."

So...yet another Freder nom de poo, using yet another German historical figure involved in the arts.

Freder Frederson...the main character in Fritz Lang's "Metropolis"
Arturo Ui... a Hitlerian mobster in a Bertholt Brecht allegorical play
Delphin Strungk..a German composer and organist

What's next? Clever Hans?

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