The legacy media are in trouble. Their reliable boogeyman, Donald Trump, is no longer in office. With the occupant of the White House no longer big, bad or orange, news segment schedules are presumably terrifyingly empty for the first time in four long years. Making matters worse, they’re now unable to stir up a frenzy of simultaneous sadism and masochism in response to Trump’s social media posts after their Leftist comrades unceremoniously booted the former president from Twitter in the final days of his administration.
With Trump no longer in the picture — at least in the near future — the Left have lost their central scapegoat of hatred. Having achieved their goal of “unseating a dictator” via the ballot box — a democratic downfall few real dictators ever have to concern themselves with — they are now facing the reality of a post-Trump world.
The answer? Find the next scapegoat!
More specifically, find the next individual whose entire history and ideology can be intentionally mischaracterized as the face of the conservative movement. That individual is Marjorie Taylor Greene, the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district.
The first-time congresswoman is the Left’s new Donald Trump, in all the worst ways. For them, her history of making bizarre and — in some cases — morally repugnant comments are simply the latest window into the soul of your average Republican.
The sudden application of this strategy is shockingly obvious. While numerous high profile and experienced conservatives distance themselves — or even openly criticize — Greene, the Left act as if she is the heir to the Trumpian crown, with hoards of applauding conservatives congregating behind her.
New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg argued that “It’s Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Party Now.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez constructed her latest straw-man argument, tweeting that “healthcare is a human right” and “white supremacist conspiracy theories” are equally extreme. Leftist activists kicked and screamed like children as they used a supposed failure to “hold Marjorie Taylor Greene accountable” as a reason to ignore their own calls for unity, with a healthy dose of whataboutism thrown in.
These arguments, and the countless others like them, are all built upon one central premise. American conservatism is equal to its real worst element, while American Leftism is equal to its imaginary best element.
With this flawed logic, the Left can simply cycle through one comparatively insignificant single “conservative” after another, demanding that every Republican publicly renounce them as ongoing proof of moral loyalty. At the same time, the mere existence of these cherry-picked conservatives can be used as an excuse for any and every political or cultural step they desire, because nothing is more important than getting this white supremacist out of office. Meanwhile, there is no need for the Left to be held similarly accountable for the worst among them — such as the vocally anti-Semitic Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
This is certainly not a defense of Marjorie Taylor Greene in any fashion whatsoever. Her views are largely antithetical to fundamental conservatism, and we should hope that she is replaced by a more palatable alternative in 2022. However, let’s not accept the Left’s premise that getting “rid” of Greene will bring them to the table, or finally earn their respect.
Trump lost, and they still hate us. When Greene leaves office — hopefully sooner rather than later — they will still hate us, and will simply move to find the next “face” of the Republican Party.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.