Chuck Ardo for BuzzFlash: Unburdened By Facts or Civility, Right-Wingers Like Joe Wilson & Marjorie Taylor Greene Keep Lowering the Bar in American Politics
February 10, 2023
By Chuck Ardo
South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson — who will forever be known as the man who introduced rudeness and disrespect for the Office of the President to the State of the Union speech — is now calling for both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to resign from office for the handling of the Chinese balloon incursion. That’s notwithstanding the fact that the defense department insists that the US learned more about the balloon’s capabilities by allowing it to pass over the United States than they would have by shooting it down immediately. But going for the jugular without pausing for thought is run of the mill for Wilson.
This is the same Congressman who called for Biden and Harris to resign “due to the surrender and disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan.” Wilson conveniently ignores that in secret negotiations with the Taliban in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and without the Afghan government’s knowledge or involvement, Trump gave the Taliban a date certain for the withdrawal of American troops. Lisa Curtis, an expert on South and Central Asia who served on Trump’s National Security Council for four years, argues that the deal helped undermine the Afghan government and resulted in regional warlords quickly making deals to lay down their arms. Any violation of the Trump-negotiated agreement on our part would have meant redeployment of American military forces and the further unnecessary loss of American lives.
Of course, Rep. Wilson is free to embarrass himself, his constituents, and his state, but he is not free to alter facts to his liking. Allowing military officials to learn more about the balloon’s capabilities was the right decision by President Biden. And Biden, like Trump, wanted U. S. troops out of Afghanistan and decided no more American lives should be sacrificed for a dubious cause. With the collapse of the Afghan government due to the Doha agreement, there was no way our exit could have been anything but chaotic.
To no one’s surprise, Wilson was among the right-wing contingent that refused to certify the results of the 2020 election. Wilson’s refusal to admit irrefutable facts, inability to recognize Trump’s culpability in the Afghanistan debacle, and willingness to charge Biden and Harris with failure to protect this country while the administration was guided by the military’s advice are all fodder for right-wing media and help with the Congressman’s fundraising. When it comes to making headlines, feeding the toxic political ecosystem -- where rampant misinformation fuels domestic division and destabilizes democracy -- seems to be irrelevant to the Congressman.
But what do you expect from an 11-term Republican from deep red South Carolina who shouted “You Lie” when Barack Obama talked about healthcare in his State of the Union Speech? Or one who cut his political teeth in the service of segregationist US Senator Strom Thurmond? If you’re looking for southern charm and long-established etiquette, you need to look elsewhere. But if you’re in search of a ruthless rabble rouser, Joe Wilson is your guy.
Or if you’re interested in other ill-mannered Republicans divorced from reality, you might want to look at Marjorie Taylor Greene — who took up Wilson’s banner and shouted “Liar” at President Biden for saying that Republicans want to sunset Social Security (in reference to a plan floated by Florida Sen. Rick Scott). Later in the speech, when Biden said that Covid-19 had “shut down our businesses and closed our schools,” Greene yelled: “You shut it down!” Just to ensure she got plenty of airtime to satisfy the MAGA crowd that may have been watching, and giving right-wing media plenty of fodder, Greene repeatedly stood and shouted throughout Biden’s speech.
In response, Rep. Jamie Raskin tweeted: "Marjorie Taylor Greene doesn't know the difference between the State of the Union Address and the Rocky Horror Picture Show." While that is undoubtedly true, she does know how to put on her own horror show and happily fundraise off her antics. But as Politico pointed out, the politics of disruption should be filed as an in-kind contribution to a possible Biden re-election campaign. These Republicans may have momentarily grabbed the spotlight — but only to allow the American people to see they are unworthy of governing.