If anybody thought it was over when Trump left the white house, congresswoman Marjoire Taylor Greene shows us otherwise. As footage of her harassing survivors of the worst school shooting in American history surfaced, Republicans apparently believe that someone who has bizarre and dangerous conspiracy theories has the right to sit on the Education Committee. This woman even being allowed to remain in the senate is an outrage.
Only a minority of Americans embrace extremist agendas. But the majority must stand up and say that these are not appropriate ideas for any lawmaker to have. I don’t claim that this woman wasn’t elected in a free and fair election. But, the views of the people of one district should not and cannot overrule basic norms. Throughout history, there have been plenty of popular people that America regretted not holding accountable. Joe MaCharty springs to mind.
Now is the time to build a consensus for a return to democratic norms and values. America needs to have rules in order to function properly, any democracy does. And those rules and norms must apply to everyone equally, no matter how popular they are in their home district.
Contrary to the hypocritical misinformation from the alt-right, it is they who have abandoned rule of law, they who have trampled on people’s constitutional rights, and they who are traitors and treasonous. The Republicans have had ample opportunity to come to grips with the problems in their party. They have no right to look at Joe Biden or anybody else, including people in their own party, and say you have to work with someone who refuses to accept basic facts–someone with the kind of character that would behave with no regard for a national tragedy. These simply are not ideological issues, they are issues of maintaining a healthy democracy. No one, of any political persuasion has the right to use their elected office to promote dangerous reactionary ideas that disrespect American diversity and fly in the face of America’s stated values. There is a place for ideas like senator Greene’s–she has first amendment rights–but that place is not in government. Let us hope that the Biden administration is willing and able to take this woman and her fellow Republicans on, head on. Of course, Biden needs to work across the aisle. However, none of us should ever a have a policy of appesement when it comes to bigoted conspricacy theories. Nor should we with people who obviously do not want to understand what it means to be a representative in a democracy.
Progressive Without Apology 