It's Not Easy Being Greene

Last Friday, after a series of brutal attacks by Trump including calling her a traitor, Marjorie Taylor Greene said that she was leaving Congress after January, a full year before her term was over.  A double-shock.  Three immediate things stood out for me.

The first thing was that for all the massive number of things I intensely disliked about Greene, I greatly admired her unswerving support of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, even under pressure.  I also admired her support against cuts to health insurance, contrary to most MAGOPs in Congress.  (Her stated position came about, she said, because her adult children’s insurance costs would be going up significantly -- so whether she would have come to the same place if that hadn’t been the case, I don’t know.  But if that’s what it took to get her there, at least she held to it, again when under pressure from her party, which is admirable.)  And I also thought she gave a pretty good apology for her past loud, divisive-attacks that risked fueling political violence, when asked about them and now finding her on the receiving end from her own party.

The second thing was that for all that I admire about her recent actions and words, they don’t wipe out what was so deeply egregious about her positions and for so long.  And she didn’t apologize for any of that.  Political views that were not just (and remain) solidly MAGA, but often based on QAnon anonymous conspiracy theories and lunatic non-existent realities.

And third, whatever I thought of her positions, both galling and recently admirable, no politician should be run out of their party by threats of violence – under any condition.  But most especially when it comes from defending victims of pedophilia which overlaps against the interests of the party’s leader.

Like most everyone, I have no idea what her political plans are for the future.  If she even has any.  She may be resigning early – in small part – because she (rightly) sees the MAGOP getting pummeled in the Mid-Terms, and doesn’t want to be tarnished by that.  After which she could then be part of the party re-establishing itself.  Or not.  If that’s the case, it’s perhaps a smart move, though on the other hand I suspect it will be hard for any MAGOP who has outraged the most deeply-loyal to Trump base who now sees her as a traitor.  We’ll find out.  But for all we know, she won't run for anything again.

But there’s more to the story than just this.

After all, although the vacant seat is likely to stay MAGOP, there is an immediate problem that has gotten little discussion.  And it's that this will cut the party's razor-thin majority in the House by one in January -- and January 30 is when Congress will once again take up the federal funding bill.  (January 31 is also when Texas is holding a Special Election to refill a safe Democratic seat.) 

But there's still more to the story than this.

And all roads lead to Trump.  Because as a sociopath, malignant narcissist with dementia, he is not only not able to take the win, as Greene leaves Congress, but has made it worse for himself.

That’s because, after Marjorie Taylor Green announced that she was leaving Congress, Trump wrote on his social media site a scathing, brutal smear of the kind that usually only Democrats are used to being on the lunatic receiving end of --

​“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown, because of PLUMMETING Poll Numbers, and not wanting to face a Primary Challenger with a strong Trump Endorsement (where she would have no chance of winning!), has decided to call it ‘quits.’ Her relationship with the WORST Republican Congressman in decades, Tom Massie of Kentucky, also known as Rand Paul Jr. because he votes against the Republican Party (and really good legislation!), did not help her. For some reason, primarily that I refused to return her never ending barrage of phone calls, Marjorie went BAD.”

​When I say that Trump made things worse for himself, that’s because of two  reasons.

The first is, as I’ve written, when you have a high approval, the public is more apt to give you a pass when you make a misstop.  But when you only have a 33% approval and make a misstep, the public tends to look at it as confirming why they don’t like you.  

And the second is that not only was Marjorie Taylor Green among the staunchest, long-time defenders of Trump, but just on general principle Trump’s stomping of her is playing very poorly not just in the party in general, which is already showing some fracturing (with Trump's support there dropping from 81% to just 68%) but most importantly among the MAGA base.

Random quotes don’t prove anything, but most especially when they’re made on Trump’s own social media site and are from his loyal supporters, they do give an indication that confirms Trump’s support in the party has plummeted from 85% to 68%.  Among them are --

From KJKJ -- “Love you, but I don’t agree with what you’re doing to her. Leave the poor girl alone… she’s respecting your wishes and giving you what you want.”

Solanojones95 complained -- “Why not tell us what she REALLY did wrong? Nothing you've said justifies your actions against her, andwe DON'T want to think badly of you, so SPILL, Sir! The reasons you're giving make you sound like you're in Middle School.”

MILOR596 (who calls herself #MAGAGIRL) wrote -- “There is something fishy about all of this. I hope we find out. President Trump have you been Loomered. Bottom line what does her constituents believe.”  (“Loomered” a reference to right-wing nut job Laura Loomer who Trump listens to as an unofficial advisor.)

Angela 1972 added -- “For the first time in your political career, I am ashamed of you- this rhetoric and your disloyalty is disgraceful and disgusting. If you can be this disloyal and disrespectful to one of your BIGGEST SUPPORTERS in congress, what can your loyal voters expect? You don’t need us anymore because you can’t run again? DO BETTER, MR. PRESIDENT.”

America First said. “Why are you being a terrible person ??? She was your biggest supporter and we love her. Shame on you !!!!!”

There’s a bit of whimsy in all this.  Over the weekend, the crackerjack Rapid Response online team for Trump – which defines the concept of tone deaf, regularly posting things they think make their overlord look great, but regularly just confirms his 33% approval – posted the following on social media, quoting Trump: 

​I don’t think even Trump’s most devoted acolytes think that Trump gets along with everybody.  In fact, the only person who likely does is Trump himself.  And even that is delusional since he not only periodically says how much he hates Democrats -- but he had just finished calling one of his most staunch defenders, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a traitor.

But then, when you're a malignant narcissist and have dementia -- and also say that you have the highest poll numbers you've ever had, despite them actually being all the way down to a disastrous 33% -- you seem to assume “everybody” loves you, no matter what reality is and if you forget what you said about them.