Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) is known for having advocated for a large constellation of conspiracy theories, but beyond that; she’s known for using outrageous tactics to get her message on TV and as part of political coverage all the time, much beyond what is typical of someone who has been in politics such a short time.
This was the case in the previous Congress when Greene was in the minority party and was barred from serving on committees, and it continues to be the case now, with the GOP in the majority and Greene close with the House Republican leadership.
Now, a week after Marjorie Taylor-Greene interrupted President Biden during the State of the Union address and called him a liar, Democrats are plotting to paint the Congresswoman as the face of the Republican Party.
Democrats Making GOP Appointments
According to Business Insider, Democrats are seizing on the moment in the speech when Biden criticized what he called Republican efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare, after which Greene shouted “Liar” and “You lie!”
“We have not talked about cutting Social Security and Medicare,” Greene said in a video released after the speech. “Joe Biden has been claiming that we’re going to cut Social Security and Medicare, but we’re not.
The president, in a subsequent speech, named Marjorie Taylor-Greene specifically.
“When I raised the plans of some of their members in their caucus to cut Social Security … Marjorie Taylor Greene and others stood up and said: ‘Liar, liar,’” the president said last week, per the Washington Post. “Well, guess what? … I [will] remind you that Rick Scott from Florida, the guy who ran a U.S. Senate campaign, has a plan. I got his brochure right here.”
That was a reference to the 12 Point Plan to Rescue America, a messaging document released by Sen. Scott during the campaign last year, which included a call to sunset all federal legislation after five years.
The document was very controversial, with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) directly denouncing it both before and after the election, and it ended up not being an especially prominent part of Republican messaging in the midterm elections. Democrats, in fact, brought the plan up more than Republicans did.
During President Barack Obama’s speech to Congress in 2009, when he was first pushing the legislation to become known as Obamacare, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), shouted “you lie” at the president, in something that was seen as unprecedented at the time. Wilson later apologized to Obama personally and was formally reprimanded by the House of Representatives.
Marjorie Taylor-Greene, following a similar incident 14 years later, has not apologized and has not been reprimanded.
“I called Joe Biden a LIAR to his face on the House floor, and as a Representative of the American people, I was honored to do it,” Greene said on Twitter this week.
The Business Insider story looked at what Democrats might do in regard to Marjorie Taylor-Greene.
“There’s a variety of ideas espoused by Greene that Democrats can — and likely will — use against the GOP, such as her fierce views against the transgender community, election denialism, and anti-Ukraine sentiments,” the story said.
“There’s the possibility that giving Greene larger platform could backfire on Democrats. She holds a powerful seat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee where she’s already laid out her plans to zero in on everything to do with President Joe Biden.”
Business Insider also noted that Greene’s approval rating, per YouGov, is not very high.
Among Independents, for instance, “37% said they viewed her as “unfavorable” compared to the 25% who favored her.” And while it’s not clear how familiar those who don’t follow politics closely are with Rep. Greene, the Democrats clearly see emphasizing her as an advantage.
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Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
