Representative Greene – Dumb Like a Fox

“There’s a lot of ideas, there’s a lot of bills, but there’s no consensus. And I think that’s a failure.” – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (on the View)

Greene has been on a political independence tour lately. She has been talking on multiple left leaning sites, bucking GOP stands on GOP legislative effectiveness (above), healthcare, Israel, the Epstein files, and a host of other issues. Trump is concerned, saying in private- “What’s going on with Marjorie?” 

Back in the 1960s, my Dad moved my family to North Georgia from the NYC area. I was the only Yankee in the high school and had a “Fonzee” look and attitude. I initially thought all Southerners like Greene were ignorant bumpkins. 

I remember my Dad, a French undocumented immigrant who was readmitted to the USA, giving me a long talk about making quick fallacious assumptions. The bottom line was that ingrained prejudices about the intellectual superiority of one group versus another will always come back to bite you. I learned the lesson and went on to marry a Southern Peach. She grew up on a farm…and was one of the brightest people I have ever met.

My belief is that underestimation is exactly what is going on with Greene. When she was first elected, I too thought she was a buffoon, a “social media celebrity” (https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/04/26/marjorie-taylor-greene-unimpressed-gop-primary-challengers ). When I recently talked to my brother in LA about her, he still says she is dumb. I agree- she is dumb like a fox. My little brother has just been in California for too long to recognize it.

Since coming to Washington, she has accomplished virtually nothing except being despised by Democrats. But she has spent her terms raising a tremendous amount of cash from the rubes out there via her constant rabble rousing. MTG is now one of the most successful politicians from a cash raising standpoint, obtaining much of the funds from sources out of Georgia. She knows exactly what she is doing.

This district is in the Georgia mountains, very rural and conservative. I know; I once lived in a rural county bordering the area.  It has been described as the 10^th most Republican leaning district in the nation. When Trump lost in 2020, he won this district by 37%.  

Meanwhile, the Democrats initially decided to shoot themselves in the foot. The Democratic “powers that be” pushed a political unknown, Marcus Flowers, to be their nominee back then. He was a black Democrat running in a very conservative District that is virtually all white and GOP. Millions in campaign donations were just wasted.

I am a strong civil rights and DEI advocate. However, for the Democrats to put on blinders and pretend that skin color is irrelevant in this North Georgia District is the height of naiveté. In a broader sense, having a ridiculous “go high when they go low” mentality (as described by Michelle Obama) is why the Democrats are in a lot of trouble longer term. So, excuse me, they decided to shoot themselves in both feet. Being woke is not going to win a race in the Georgia hills anytime soon.  

The Democrats were smarter in 2024, running retired General Shawn Harris. But he also lost badly, with an MTG victory margin of 28%. So, it is a safe district for Republicans. And MTG is not going to lose in a GOP primary.

Which brings me to “why is she bucking Trump?”. The answer is that she has higher political aspirations.

It may look irrational now to call out the GOP on ignoring cost of living issues and healthcare. But look at the polls on these issues. The ReTrumpican Party is losing, big time. When the charisma of Big Daddy Donald is gone in 2028, the party is in for a shellacking. MTG, emphasizing kitchen table issues, is looking to be the internal GOP alternative. As I said, dumb like a fox.