These are the identical individuals, CNN’s Stephen Collinson points out, who’ve dismissed Donald Trump’s name to his supporters on Jan. 6 to “combat like hell” and to march to the U.S. Capitol—after which 1000’s of his supporters attacked the Capitol. On the identical rally the place Trump spoke, Rep. Mo Brooks stated “at this time is the day American patriots begin taking down names and kicking ass.” Regardless of the violence, lack of life, and vandalism that adopted, McCarthy didn’t again censuring Brooks, not to mention impeaching Trump.
In truth, Greene herself was stripped of committee assignments partially as a result of she responded positively to social media posts calling for the assassination of Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However calling for protest if a killer is acquitted as a result of he was a police officer and his sufferer was Black—that’s a bridge too far!
Whereas McCarthy has stepped as much as lead the assault on Waters, Greene has had issues of her personal. Greene got here beneath hearth after a doc laying out the formation of an “America First Caucus” within the Home was reported on Friday, with strains about “widespread respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions” and immigration resulting in “the long-term existential way forward for America as a singular nation with a singular tradition and a singular identification being put at pointless threat.” She and Rep. Paul Gosar had been behind the planning of the brand new caucus, whereas a handful of different Home Republicans had indicated curiosity.
That was a bridge too far for even probably the most extremist Republicans to publicly go at this level, it turned out. McCarthy didn’t have the nerve to name Greene and Gosar out by identify, however he did denounce “nativist canine whistles.” And Greene finally blamed the entire thing on employees—however her disavowals rang somewhat hole since they included lines like: “I’ve plans to drive President Trump’s America First agenda with my Congressional colleagues however we received’t let the media or anybody else push the narrative. America First insurance policies will save this nation for all of us, our youngsters, and finally the world.”
America First America First America First Trump America First … however that Anglo-Saxon stuff? All employees.
And what Greene actually, actually needs to speak about is, after all, Maxine Waters, who she makes use of as an in to attacking Black Lives Matter protesters extra typically. Waters, in keeping with Greene, wasn’t calling for civil rights protest, she was giving “orders to her BLM terrorist troops.” This, once more, coming from somebody who described Jan. 6 as a “1776 second.”
The usage of assaults on Black Democrats and on racial justice activists to advance a racist agenda shines by way of so clearly. Greene is utilizing Waters to attempt to distract from her personal second of ill-advisedly overt racism, however she’s not alone in utilizing Waters to additional the broader Republican agenda of interesting to white voters by way of racial division. As chief of the Home Republicans, McCarthy is true there along with her, calling for the type of motion towards Waters he has opposed for his personal members—Greene prominently amongst them—as they’ve known as for political violence, harassed the survivors of mass shootings, and made racist appeals to advertise Republican partisan pursuits. At a sure level, it’s important to conclude that that is actually who they’re.
