WTH, MTG?

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Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Matthew 7:3-5

Peach Pundit is a conservative site, and we don’t lack for criticism of the left. But when we have trouble on Team Red, it’s incumbent on us to address it. Whether or not you’re religious, hopefully the wisdom of fixing your own problems before criticizing your opponents for theirs is evident. 

Today’s imbroglio was brought to us in a morning tweetstorm from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is certainly no stranger to controversy. Her history of inflammatory remarks is well known enough that a rehashing here is unnecessary. But political bomb-throwing and even conspiratorial rumor-mongering are one thing. Ms. Greene’s tweets this morning amount to a wholesale rejection of the duties her constituents have twice elected her to perform. 

First, on the topic of domestic policy: 

It’s stating the obvious to point out that we tried a “national divorce” once, in the 19th century. It cost hundreds of thousands of American lives and permanently settled the question of whether states could leave the union (spoiler alert: no). Furthermore, today’s national divide isn’t between large regions of the country, or even between red states and blue states. If anything the split is between rural and urban areas – I live in a blue part of Georgia, and recently visited a part of New York that’s every bit as red as Ms. Greene’s district. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy represents California – where does he go in this divide? Or Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn, from red South Carolina?

But beyond even that, Ms. Greene ran for and won election, twice, to one chamber of our national legislative body. Demanding that the country split itself in two is tantamount to admitting she can’t or won’t work with her fellow legislators from every part of the country to do the job she was elected to do. She’s welcome to leave Congress, as did most elected representatives from Confederate states during our last attempt at “divorce”, if she truly believes she can’t function in the current system. But it makes little sense to remain in a high office of an institution she believes should be dissolved.

Having rejected her own ability to accomplish anything on the domestic front, she then turns her attention to world issues. Among a number of criticisms of our support of Ukraine and Biden’s surprise visit there, this tweet is the simplest and most direct: 

There is certainly room for debate and discussion over the best way to respond to the situation in Ukraine (although if one no longer believes in the existence of the United States, one wonders with whom that debate should be had). But Ms. Greene’s clearly stated position is that we should do nothing. It’s difficult to think of a more “America-last” position than abandoning an ally to the predations of a hostile power that’s been at odds with the United States for most of the past 80 years.

I’m a member of what’s been called the “elder millennial” or “Oregon Trail” generation, but I like to think of it as the “Red Dawn” generation. When I was born, the Soviets were pointing thousands of nuclear missiles at our collective heads. But Ronald Reagan was the president, and bold American leadership ended that threat without a shot being fired.

Today, we have a similar opportunity. Russia started a war of conquest with its neighbor, expecting a quick win for both the military and Putin’s personal legend. But Ukraine has held out and even pushed back the enemy forces, thanks in large part to global support of their efforts. We are watching a hostile enemy destroy both its military and the image of its despotic leader, again without our having to fire a shot, simply by providing material support and some of our unused military equipment to the effort.

We can review the spending, debate how much and what types of equipment to provide, and otherwise have the conversations appropriate to oversight of a large foreign policy initiative. But to hand Ukraine and possibly more of Europe over to Putin and his army, when we can achieve a position of both military and moral superiority over our old foes without risking a single American service member, is pure foolishness.

Ms. Greene’s constituents deserve to choose their own representation, and they elected her twice, the second time by large margins. But responsible Republican leadership would take a look at her positions on the United States’ role in the world, not to mention its very existence, and consider whether those views are congruent with providing her support and committee membership. In my opinion, they clearly are not.

That said, I will share one more tweet from Ms. Greene last night:

On that point, she could not be more right.

Published by Lane

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