The wolves in sheep's clothing

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson is a political extremist and religious fanatic by word and deed. Like all theocrats, he is a hypocrite, and like all hypocrites, he is a cynic. He presides over a hive of unfitness, teeming with  disordered personalities, crackpots, fascists, white supremacists, crooks and fundamentalists, bound together by a shared weirdness and lust for power. 

This menacing menagerie is a perfect home for Nancy Mace, who craves attention at a level that stands out in a coven of narcissistic malignancy.  Here she is seeking attention with a scarlet ‘A’ t-shirt she had commissioned to wear to the floor of the US House of Representatives after voting to remove Kevin McCarthy from power — after having reportedly served under him joyfully and faithfully:

Photo credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Some people were surprised by the sartorial choice, but her three aides, whom she implored to let her leave the safety of her offices on January 6 so that she could “get punched in the face” and go on tv, were likely not among their number.

One thing is clear: no one should underestimate Ms. Mace’s desire for attention, and the effort required to get it. Here she was at a prayer breakfast talking about morning nookie to the faithful:

I wonder if anyone ever looks at her and says, “What is wrong with you?”

I think we could use a bit more judgmentalism, to be honest. I was scanning the Drudge Report as I always do to start the day, and came across a headline that pushed me away as it pulled me in. I won’t try and describe it any further, but the story, entitled ‘What’s a ‘Diaper Spa,’ and why is it raising eyebrows in New Hampshire?’ lays out the situation.

We live in strange times. Very strange.

Speaking of odd, most people don’t seem particularly alarmed by the fact that the Speaker of the House believes that people and dinosaurs lived together 6,000 years ago, which they definitely didn’t do. Some people can look at someone across the table and separate something like that out of the equation, but it would be really hard for me. Truthfully, it’s all I would think about in a face-to-face meeting. Same thing with the diaper people. I just wouldn’t be able to get over it.

After I asked Speaker Johnson about whether he thought any dinosaurs made good pets, I would want to know how deeply he really believes what he said about the Bible being the only thing he believes in. Personally, I wouldn’t bet on it. Johnson took an oath to the US Constitution and shattered it. He didn’t mean a word of it.

He also said this about the southern border on February 23, 2023:

America is the most compassionate nation in the world, but our immigration system is broken. Reforming that system is a job for Congress [emphasis added], and any balanced legislative approach must include measures to strengthen border security.

He has made similar statements over the years. Clearly, he didn’t mean a word of it. During his first floor speech as speaker on January 29, 2024, he said the following, despite not having seen the text of an agreement:

From what we’ve heard, this so-called deal does not include transformational policy changes needed to actually stop the border catastrophe.

And this:

[Biden] is inviting chaos and disorder within our land that is tearing at the very fabric of our society. The president can put a stop to this. President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have designed this catastrophe. And now rather than accept any accountability or responsibility for what they have clearly done, President Biden wants to somehow try to shift the blame to Congress for his administration’s catastrophe by design. It’s absolutely laughable. No one’s falling for this.

My counter is this: If President Biden wants us to believe he’s serious about protecting our national security, he needs to demonstrate good faith and take immediate action to secure that border. But he won’t do it. He needs to immediately stop the mass release of illegals in our country, but he won’t do it. If he wants our House Republican conference to view him as a good-faith negotiator, he can start with a stroke of a pen. But he’s got to do it quickly.

I wonder what changed his mind? I wonder if the person who changed his mind about something he felt such conviction towards could ever get him to enroll in the $1,500 diaper spa. Since he doesn’t have a bank account Trump would have to pay, but I bet if he told him to get his bonnet out, he’d be first in line.

Trump has that power over some people. Here is Elise Stefanik on January 6, 2021:

This is truly a tragic day for America. I fully condemn the dangerous violence and destruction that occurred today at the United States Capitol. Americans have a Constitutional right to protest and freedom of speech, but violence in any form is absolutely unacceptable and anti-American. The perpetrators of this un-American violence and destruction must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Here she is on January 7, 2024, on “Meet the Press:“

I have concerns about the treatment of January 6 hostages. I have concerns, we have a role in Congress of oversight over our treatment of prisoners, and I believe we’re seeing the weaponization of the federal government against not just President Trump, but we’re seeing it against conservatives.

What is incredible is the combination of shamelessness and arrogance. People like  Elise Stefanik and Mike Johnson are shameless enough to say anything, and arrogant enough to believe everyone is too stupid to notice.

Liz Cheney called Elise Stefanik a “total crackpot,” and it really is the perfect word. She is, and she isn’t alone. Together, the crackpots feel emboldened and flush with power.

Here is an achievement that deserves mention. Because of Governor Greg Abbott and the MAGA cult, the number of Texas women who are forced to carry their rapist’s child has reached 26,000 of the more than 64,000 women nationally, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

This is what the politics of control and domination look like. This is what religious extremism creates. This is the cost of cynicism and hypocrisy married together.

The price is a loss of freedom, which has always been the danger posed by extremism and extremists. Take a minute today to think about the wolves in sheep’s clothing. There are a great many of them running for office in 2024. Look for someone in a red hat, talking about who they hate and want to punish because they love Jesus. You’ll be getting warm for your search.

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