The Greatest Crisis

With the nation focused on the fight over a Covid-19 relief bill that Republicans maintain is fiscally irresponsible, it is important that Americans not become distracted from the greatest crisis facing the Biden administration, and ultimately the country as a whole.   Almost as soon as the event happened, radicalized Republicans came up with yet more conspiracy theories to explain away an attempted insurrection. Even the disruption of a peaceful transfer of power is not enough to force real change and convince the Republican party to split with bigoted conspiracy theorists. As America impeaches Donald Trump again, we cannot ignore the movement behind the man.    

Case in point–Marjorie Taylor Greene, a woman who campaigned on assassinating the speaker of the house.  Now Green is trying to distance herself from things said in the past; but, those statements are just as unacceptable as they would be if she said them today.  The reality of the situation is that the Republican party is refusing to truly separate themselves from beliefs that are beyond the pale. It is an issue of political calculus, pure and simple. 

This moment calls for not only condemnation but action. Taking this woman off committees is not enough.  It is an insult to American democracy that the Republicans allow this woman to be in congress at all.    

  Until Republicans do what they need to do in order to remain a party truly dedicated to democratic principles, the duty to maintain the norms that any democratic law-making body needs falls to the Democrats.  Lawmakers not having to be afraid of other lawmakers must be a given.  Americans cannot allow the Republican party to succeeded in changing the rules.  

 Biden needs to keep moving forward–this is clear.  However, unity is not possible when lawmakers are forced to live in fear of other lawmakers.  How exactly is America going to move forward when it is threatened by a movement that promotes insurrection?   In the end, words matter.  The Republican party want us to believe otherwise.  The fight to remove this woman isn’t anywhere close to over.