The EVOlution of Majorie Taylor Greene

 

Margorie Taylor Greene is a POS. Sorry for the hidden expletive, but that is her history.

From Jewish space lasers, to her vilification of immigrants, her wanting to divide the country between Democrats and Republicans, her blind support of the Orange Conman, her demonizing the trans community, her blatant racism and support of the worst of the insane QAnon theories - everything about her is off and off-putting.

Yet, as she blithely wanders into the trash bin of American history, something has happened. 

She has begun to sound halfway reasonable on some points.

She supported the release of the Epstein files, long before the current avalanche of CYA Republicans, even to the point where she was ready to name names on the Congressional floor.

Of equal, if not greater, significance, she began to recognize that the Trump economic policies were not working and that the average American was suffering under them.  The price of groceries, Americans' dashed dreams of owning a home, the cost of medical insurance, and more.  She suddenly became concerned about how much her constituents would have to pay when the ACA support was cut. In some ways, she was sounding more like Bernie Sanders than Donald Trump.

She also apologized for her extremist rhetoric, promised to tone it down, and work with others, INCLUDING DEMOCRATS! She said all Americans, of either party, loved America and wanted to do their best by our country, and work together with them.

OMG!  

As this teen actress screamed in the movie Poltergeist...

WHAT'S HAPPENING!?!?!?

There are a number of theories. She might be positioning herself for a post-Trump world, running for the Senate, or even (GULP!) the Presidency.  It might be motivated by extreme hatred for somethingTrump did to her, and this is her revenge tour. It might be to obtain a leadership role in a reformed Republican Party.

Or, maybe, just maybe, she did have some sort of small epiphany that is making her rethink some of her former positions.  She cites relatives and friends who are struggling with healthcare costs.  Maybe a light bulb went off in her head that the struggles of the working class are not all about the evils of immigration or Democrats.  

Regardless of her motivation, I have three general observations.

1) If Democrats really want to get things done, they need to work with people who are willing to collaborate on Progressive legislation.  You don't need to become her bestie to help extend the ACA credits. Talking to each other like real people, rather than cartoon stereotypes, might change people in unexpected ways.  Just refusing her help and doing nothing but badmouthing her isn't going to help bring about the reconciliation this country needs.

2) Nothing I've seen from her indicates that she is going to stop vilifying immigrants (undocumented or otherwise), and the lgbtq+ community, particularly trans people.  As far as I can tell, she is still a Christian Nationalist. 

3) Democrats need to capture the high ground.  They absolutely MUST lead the way in defending the working class.  They cannot let the far right be the leading voice on working-class issues.  This is how we wound up with Trump in the first place.  Both Hilary and Kamala spent WAY too much time catering to disaffected Republicans and not enough to firebrand progressive solutions to working-class problems.  Democrats need to turn away from corporate and billionaire donors, or they will become the dinosaurs of American politics. 

So, no, she is not super embraceable.  I do not expect her and AOC to become besties.

But we need to learn to forge coalitions wherever we can, even on individual issues.  Bernie and AOC have often alighed with surprising REpublicans to present bipartisan efforts - Bernie on veteran's issues, and AOC on not allowing congresspeople from benefiting from insider trading. Those are just two examples.  

Thanks to Trump's disastrous economic policies, his infantile and greedy behavior, and his undeniable Epstein connection, our politics are once again in flux.  And progressive Democrats must be nimble enough to take advantage of it.

It's not about elections.

It's about doing good for the American people.

This isn't a West Side Story-style gang war.  It's about moving the country forward, to a place more equal and beneficial.