Those in Greene’s District Should Handle Her Political Fate
Even as the House of Representatives voted to remove Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments, there remains a lingering question for many about just how to deal with her.
Make no mistake, Greene is not going away. This move to sanction her was led by Democrats but 11 Republicans also voted for the action.
Greene, no doubt, will use this to preach to her base in Northwest Georgia and to continue on her extremist right-wing path. She said as much in a news conference late last week.
Make no mistake as well that Greene is probably smarter than many give her credit for. She is a politician of opportunity. She appeals to a mindset that seems completely off kilter to many. Greene, however, certainly knows how to preach to her choir.
It does seem the freshman congresswoman realized what was about to happen last week as she made a speech before the vote saying she believed that school shootings are real along with 9-11. She had previously questioned whether various school shootings were “false flag” designed to curtail gun rights. She also said there is no proof that a plane crashed into the pentagon on 9-11.
The video of her pursuing the survivor of a school shooting is deplorable though. There is really no defense of someone taking this approach. It’s similar to blaming a rape victim for the clothes she was wearing. It’s absurd on all levels.
While most will cheer the move to have Greene taken off her various assignments, one has to wonder if it was the right approach. While Greene has certainly touted some odd conspiracy theories, she does have the right to believe them even if for nothing more than political gain and fund raising.
Greene clearly has a loyal voting base as she defeated several Republicans in the primary election. Her Democratic opponent dropped out of the race before the general election, but it wouldn’t have mattered. This Georgia district is painted as conservative red as a district can be.
It’s clear the overwhelming majority of voters in the 14th District wanted Greene to be their voice in congress. We can scoff at that line of thinking but do we really have the right to overturn a legitimate election? If the people in her district grow tired of her then they have the opportunity to vote her out in 2022.
Greene clearly is a publicity seeker. She loves the spotlight and many of her actions are done deliberately to gain attention. To her, the more attention she gets, the more money that will pour in. It’s already been proven true. It’s basically politics using the lowest common denominator.
There have been some rumblings that Greene is going to seek the U.S. Senate nomination in 2022 to challenge Rafael Warnock. She won’t be alone in that quest and chances are she would not win a statewide primary, especially one as important as the U.S. Senate.
For most of us, having Greene as our “representative” would be an embarrassment. Already candidates are lining up to challenge her in the 14th District in 2022, assuming she even seeks re-election. If she runs in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, she would not be able to seek a second term to congress.
Still, we must remember that Greene was not voted into office illegally. There have been zero reports of voter fraud that helped her win the seat. She won it and she won it convincingly.
With that being the case, no one outside of her district has the right to remove her from office. The action taken in removing her from various committees does not mean she is no longer a member of congress. It simply means she will have very little influence on issues unless you consider the influence of running off at the mouth.
The residents of the 14th District still deserve representation in congress. Greene is who they voted for to do that and other members of congress (from other states) are really overstepping their bounds by making her an elected official in name only.
It can be viewed in the same way of term limits. Many do express support for them. However, no elected official is guaranteed anytime in office. If their constituents are not satisfied with the job being done then the elected official can be voted out of office.
The best way to turn back someone with wild and looney theories is to defeat them at the ballot box. It can be done. And if the voters in her district don’t do it then that is on them.
This saga is far from over even as Georgia, or at least the 14th District, looks foolish and backwards. Stay tuned.
Monticello native Chris Bridges has contributed to The Monticello News since 1988. You can email comments about this column to pchrisbridges@gmail.com.