The GOP Is Not A Political Party

Someone yesterday said the GOP has replaced actual legislators with “influencers” and I can’t get that apt observation out of my head.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 8, 2023

Morning Joe

Here is the problem being a leader of Republicans right now is Marjorie Taylor Greene just gave a gift to Joe Biden, gave a gift to the Democratic Party, gave a gift to every Democrat that is running against Republicans who won in Biden districts," Scarborough said, "and yet the incentive structure is such that Marjorie Taylor Greene will raise a million dollars by calling the president a liar. So you have all of these extremists that are raising a ton of money while damaging their party and they just don't care. So if you're Kevin McCarthy, what do you do?"

You go on FoxNews and blame Joe Biden:

McCarthy accused Biden of deliberately trying to elicit angry reactions from Republicans, but he also said Republicans needed to do a better job of resisting the temptation to lash out. 

"He tries to use that for a political ploy, but the one thing we need to be is -- we need to be smart," he said. "We need to be smart, don’t take the bait, stay with the American public about what we want to do."

One legitimately wonders if MTG has her hand up his butt at all times:

Manu Raju asked Marge Greene about her behavior yelling at Biden during the SOTU: “He got exactly what he deserved, and I’m not sorry one bit. What am I gonna do, stand up and give golf claps? pic.twitter.com/UL6uMfEPP9

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) February 8, 2023

Sure, that’s what America saw: Joe Biden driving MTG to hoot like a howler monkey throughout the SOTU, and call him a liar.

Why Republicans heckled Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech https://t.co/6z4ZDK4JAU via @voxdotcom

— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 8, 2023

Because:

Although Biden caveated this by saying that only some Republicans want to take away Social Security and Medicare, nearly all of them yelled at him or booed at the implication that they would risk touching the biggest third rail in American politics. Both Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former President Donald Trump have insisted that Republicans would not do any such thing. During Biden’s speech, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) shouted, “Name one, name one,” from her seat. 

Afterward, Republicans were insulted at the implication expressed by Biden. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told Vox that “it cuts me to the core.” One of the most vocal moderates in the Republican Party, Bacon said Biden assuming all Republicans share Rick Scott’s views on entitlement reform was unfair. “We could say the entire Democrat Party is like [Ilhan] Omar and that wouldn’t be fair either, would it?”

"Name one"? Challenge accepted.

And not just Rick Scott. https://t.co/W6ikaQDlNa

— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 8, 2023

Rick Scott proposes to sunset programs like Social Security and Medicare. In writing. pic.twitter.com/hiZWJJsGIW

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) February 8, 2023

Morning Joe, again:

"He won't say his name, I will say his name. Say his name: Rick Scott, the most powerful Republican in the United States Senate for running campaigns. So they're acting like jackasses because they can't deal with the truth, can't deal with the truth, and they make themselves look foolish."

Rick Scott and Kevin McCarthy have just a bit more authority and stature in the GOP than Ilhan Omar has in the Democratic Party.

Nothing annoys Republicans more than Democrats posting videos of them saying things that they only wanted their base to hear.

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) February 8, 2023

That’s just science.