Are you opposed to massive job killing climate regulations? Do you believe that the Laffer Curve has some basis in reality? If so, CNN's John Harwood said on Friday that the rise of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her history of insane and bigoted conspiracy theory beliefs that include 9/11 trutherism, Parkland trutherism, and anti-Semitic claims that Jewish space lasers caused California's wildfires in 2018 is the logical conclusion of your beliefs.
Harwood's remarks came after days of the media trying to make Greene the face of the Republican Party. CNN Tonight host Don Lemon asked, "John, President Biden is trying to get Republicans on board with the COVID relief deal but how is he suppose work with a party standing by the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene?"
Ever since Donald Trump entered the political arena, the media has wondered where all the "good Republicans" went. According to Harwood, they likely never existed, "He probably can't. And that's for reasons that but beyond the fact that there is some share of the Republican caucus that is literally crazy. For a number of years, the Republican Party has positioned itself in opposition to the ways in which America is evolving in the 21st century."
This alleged opposition to 21st century America includes, "Donald Trump's throwback mantra was 'Make America Great Again,' go back to the way it used to be. So they've driven themselves into this cul-de-sac that is increasingly disconnected from facts and evidence and reason."
But, it's not just Trump it's standard and mundane Republican policies such as tax cuts as well, "And by virtue of the people who give them money and the people who give them votes, they have to deny things or assert things that we know are not true, like tax cuts pay for themselves, or climate change is a hoax."
Reiterating that there's no such thing as a good Republican, Harwood declared, "In that context, it is not easy to find many people who are still connected to real genuine policy debates and willing to engage in them. To the extent there are those people, they usually lack the strength to stand up to the demands of party loyalty."
Harwood would wrap up his remarks by reporting Democrats are prepared to force a COVID bill through if Republicans don't fall in line, "So the Democrats and Joe Biden are pursuing negotiations with a certain group of eight Republican senators right now. But they're not counting on that, and they're proceeding at the same time to move with only Democratic votes if that's what they need to, because they know they can't count on Republicans to support the package in any way near the scale and scope that they think is necessary."
Marjorie Taylor Greene is a blot on the Republican Party, but if the media truly wants to see her marginalized, blaming people who just want lower taxes is not going to bring about those results.
This segment was sponsored by Subaru.
Here is a transcript for the January 29 show:
CNN
CNN Tonight with Don Lemon
11:04 PM ET
DON LEMON: John, President Biden is trying to get Republicans on board with the COVID relief deal but how is he suppose work with a party standing by the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene?
JOHN HARWOOD: Well, he probably can't. And that's for reasons that go beyond the fact that there is some share of the Republican caucus that is literally crazy. For a number of years, the Republican Party has positioned itself in opposition to the ways in which America is evolving in the 21st century, hence Donald Trump's throwback mantra was "Make America Great Again," go back to the way it used to be. So they've driven themselves into this cul-de-sac that is increasingly disconnected from facts and evidence and reason. And by virtue of the people who give them money and the people who give them votes, they have to deny things or assert things that we know are not true, like tax cuts pay for themselves, or climate change is a hoax. In that context, it is not easy to find many people who are still connected to real genuine policy debates and willing to engage in them. And to the extent there are those people, they usually lack the strength to stand up to the demands of party loyalty. So the Democrats and Joe Biden are pursuing negotiations with a certain group of eight Republican senators right now. But they're not counting on that, and they're proceeding at the same time to move with only Democratic votes if that's what they need to, because they know they can't count on Republicans to support the package in any way near the scale and scope that they think is necessary.
