Sunday, November 28, 2021

Extremism in America: Who in Congress Stands With or For It — A lot of Republicans Do

 

Read my lips…

Picture the country governed by an all GOP-run White House, Congress, Federal Departments, State, and Local government. What would we call America then? 

Based on the following story from Forbes vis-à-vis Rep. McCarthy (R-CA) House GOP Minority Leader and a bunch of other Republicans of that same ilk I’d say: “Velkom to Amerika ala 1984 – Redux” (or akin to this).

Just look at McCarthy’s pursed lips above – it appears he is ready to drop a load of “F bombs” like: “F the DEMS – F their policies – F ‘em all. Our revenge will be served cold and sweet.”

The Forbes story headline:

McCarthy Floats Kicking Democrats off Committees if GOP Wins Control of House

Specifics: GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) now vows to restore Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to committees if Republicans win control of the House in the 2022 midterms, undoing actions taken by the Democratic-controlled House and suggesting he would retaliate against Democrats for taking them in the first place.

Key Facts: McCarthy said at a news conference that Republicans might choose to strip Democrats of committee assignments in the future, saying Democrats have changed the standards to justify removing someone from a committee.

Greene and Gosar (who was recently censured), would both have committee assignments if Republicans retake the House that McCarthy said may be “better committee assignments than they had before.”

The House voted 223-207 to censure Gosar and yank him from his committee assignments over he posted an anime video depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), while Greene was removed from committees on February 4 for promoting conspiracy theories and endorsing violence prior to being elected.

What to Watch For: McCarthy told Democrats, You'll regret this after stripping Greene of her committee assignments in February. He's said in the past that Republicans have a “long list of Democrats that might be targeted for committee removal,” including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and probably a slew of others.

Then imagine who would run those committees: Paul Gosar (AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Louie Gohmert (TX), Matt Gaetz (FL), Lauren Boebert (CO), Andy Biggs AZ), Mo Brooks (AL), Jim Jordan (OH), Devin Nunes (CA), or Madison Cawthorn (NC) types.

FYI: What do top GOP leaders think about those type of extremists in this “new” GOP examples:

House Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) said:We’ve been very vocal speaking out against white supremacy, any kind of bigotry, or hatred. I think it’s important that you call it out wherever you see it. Not only on the opposite side of the aisle, but on your own.”

Senate GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) went further making clear that far-right extremists such as Greene have no place in the party saying: “Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country.”

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) said:  “In our political discourse, there are things that should be beyond the bounds. And ideology of hate is beyond the bounds, whether it's on the left or the right.”

Background: As for Gosar, he posted the video showing himself as a character in the anime series “Attack on Titan” using swords to kill giant, evil monsters whose faces had been edited to resemble those of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and President Joe Biden. Gosar removed the video after it was posted, calling it a “mischaracterization, but stopping short of an apology.” 

Democrats widely condemned the video, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) calling it “horrific“ and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) suggesting Gosar should be “criminally prosecuted.”

Republican leadership, however, did not publicly condemn Gosar for the video. And, then Gosar spiteful and arrogant retweeted the same video just minutes after the House voted to censure him.

Surprising Fact: Polling shows Republicans leading Democrats in generic congressional ballots for the 2022 midterms, despite Democrats historically dominating similar polls in the past. Redistricting of swing states, which almost all have Republican-controlled legislatures, will also help the party in next year's election. 

According to a Politico analysis, redistricting maps approved so far have already created another 14 House districts made up of voters that strongly supported former President Donald Trump. Democrats control the House by just 8 seats.

Related from Forbes:

Gosar Censured After Sharing Violent Animated Video of Him Killing AOC

House GOP members said: “You’ll Regret This Swearing In-Kind Retribution for Greene’s Removal”

My 2 Cents: So I ask all Americans again “Do we really want an all-GOP run nation with McCarthy potentially appointed as Speaker and as a warm-up to getting Trump back in the White House?” 

Consider all the GOP nastiness and horrible statements and threats in sum in recent years and again now, then decide. I hope your choice is the same as mine: “Hell no!!”

Finally this snippet from The Hill:

None of the Democrats singled out by McCarthy as examples of who could be removed from House committees have embraced conspiracy theories or promoted violence against their political opponents the way Greene and Gosar have. 

But that's not stopping Republicans from warning of a scorched-earth environment if they win back the House, as many poll watchers expect. 

Thanks for stopping by.

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