I never thought the Tennessee legislature could be such gripping entertainment. The expulsion and rapid reinstatement of two Black representatives, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, provided high drama and some cause for hope.
As widely reported, the Justins were expelled for joining a student-led protest in the Capitol. They violated the rules - loudly. Their protest companion, Rep.Gloria Johnson, escaped expulsion because she was deemed less noisy - or because she is white - you pick. By way of Tennessee law, their replacements were to be picked by officials in their districts. They picked the Justins, who marched back in before their seats had cooled down.
This was one of many recent examples of the Republican dogs catching the car. In Tennessee as elsewhere, the supermajority thought it could do most any stupid thing with impunity. Instead they became the laughing stock of most of the nation. The House Speaker, Cameron Sexton, wielded his gavel like an angry middle-schooler, banging anyone or anything out of order if he was displeased. Watching the stony silence of the GOP majority members as the Justins made their unsuccessful case with uncommon eloquence and dignity was nearly hilarious. Their petulant, embarrassing, racist actions rendered them incapable of looking at the “defendants” or the probing cameras.
If that was good viewing, the Justin’s return was superb theater. The small, in mind and stature, white guys simmering and simpering on the sidelines looked like shamed puppies who had soiled the carpet. The Justins returned as they had departed - with eloquent dignity and now, international acclaim. The bitter little white men and women who expelled them would die for a Rotary Club certificate and now these uppity rabble-rousers are on the front page of national newspapers and, gold ring of all, the Rachel Maddow Show!
The GOP car-chasers are also getting crushed under the wheels of the abortion rights they have been barking at for years. It was delightful watching presidential hopeful Senator Tim Scott, twisting himself up in ever-tightening knots as he dodged questions on his abortion stance. He knows - they all know - that a significant majority of the electorate supports reproductive choice yet, pleasing the nutcase base requires capital punishment for woman and their doctors who try to deny a rapist the honor of fatherhood.
In Florida, Mussolini wannabe Ron DeSantis signed a 6-week abortion ban at 11:30 p.m. He would have signed it under the covers with a flashlight if he could have. DeSantis knows that 72% of Florida voters disapprove of this ban, yet he must outrace Trump to the affections of far right evangelicals to whom he must regularly prostrate himself.
Empowered by their majority power, other Republican superstars are chasing the spotlight and making fools of themselves.
Gym Jordan declares a Congressional hearing in New York to “investigate” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for doing his job. Even C-Span, which would cover a committee meeting on manholes, said they were too busy to cover this stunt.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose ignorant, offensive views were heretofore available only on Twitter and 4Chan, figured she’s now ready for primetime and sat for an interview with Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes. Greene looked like a confused Golden Retriever, staring blankly at Stahl before mustering up answers that revealed her vapid general stupidity and startling lack of knowledge about the government in which she serves.
The “dog catching the car” idiom is shopworn, I know, but is so very apt. Dizzy with the power they gained through gerrymandered districts, they are rushing to enact all the dumb things they promised to their ever-thinning herd of rabid followers. They are getting their comeuppance as the nasty extremism backfires, like in Wisconsin, where a pro-choice Supreme Court candidate overwhelmed the nasty pro-lifer who thought public sentiment on his side.
Their “gun in every pocket,” AR15 lapel pin grandstanding is wearing thin as the blood of children and bankers pours into the public conscience.
These opportunists thought the lesson from Trump was to go all in on right-wing extremism. They miscalculated the common decency of most Americans, who want their children to be safe and their rights to be protected.
Trump was an anomaly, not a prophet. He and his followers never were the majority. His election was born of a confluence of unique factors, a lot of dishonesty, cheating and an archaic electoral system. The majority of Trump supporters never endorsed the views of his most zealous followers. They were against the “left,” not for the rotting extremity.
Republican legislatures and leaders like DeSantis and Scott have wildly overstepped in trying to sate the appetite of a narrow slice of angry, uninformed voters. Now they are in a bind as they try to assure the general electorate that they aren’t mean and crazy as they give the mean and crazy ones what they want. Good luck with that.
Their catching of the clown car may be the best possible thing for democracy.
COOL!
As a Tennessean, I appreciate this take on the Justins - and the reality that the GOP here went a bit too far - and their scheme backfired. Now, Sexton finds himself amid other scandals and the Justins have gained political capital.