When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. Maya Angelou

Tip of the hat to http://all-hat-no-cattle.blogspot.com

Mostly in the last week we have heard Republicans say and do some of the dumbest and damnedest things. Apparently they feel nothing will happen to them no matter what they say. Certainly no one from there own party (save Mitt Romney) cares enough or has enough guts to stand up to them.

Marjorie Taylor Greene was out of the gate early with perhaps the most repeated quote:

“We need a national divorce. We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government,” Greene said on Twitter on Monday. “From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s traitorous America Last policies, we are done.”

You will notice one thing about Republican claims – they never have any supporting facts. “Traitorous”? How? Calling for the splitting of the country sounds traitorous to me Margie.

Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama thinks America needs a national gun, From al.com:   

An Alabama congressman’s bill would add another: a national gun.

Rep. Barry Moore visited a Troy gun shop on Tuesday to unveil legislation making the AR-15 the “National Gun of America.”

This is such a great idea that George Santos immediately signed on. Makes me think of Republican congress members who were wearing AR15 lapel pins about a week ago. An idea whose time has come. Coming next: elevating strychnine as the national poison.

Alaska state Representative David Eastman thinks death from child abuse is a benefit to society.

“In the case where child abuse is fatal—obviously it’s not good for the child—but it’s actually a benefit to society because there aren’t needs for government services and whatnot through the child’s life,” Eastman said.

Can’t imagine any Democrat ever had that perspective. And this guy is in a policy making job.

Rep. Matt Gaetz on Ukraine:  

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida, and other hard-line conservatives who opposed Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s election last month until they extracted a series of concessions have been the most adamant. “I will work with anyone and everyone to … stop sending money to Ukraine, like somehow that’s a bigger priority than what’s happening to our people,” Gaetz has said.

Wonder where Gaetz will take a stand – Poland? Latvia? Lithuania? Estonia? East Germany? The Czech Republic? Slovakia? All part of the old eastern bloc.

Just to prove that what they say is dangerous and voters need to hold Republicans accountable, there is this:

Remember that America averages 1700 derailments a year.  Note the date on that tweet. The main reasons for derailments appear to be outdated and poorly maintained equipment, and low staffed and overworked staffing. Derailments like this don’t happen in other countries.

Mike Pence on changing Social Security and Medicare:  

“We all know where the real issue is in terms of long-term debt for the United States,” Pence told CNBC on Wednesday. “I respect the Speaker’s commitment to take Social Security and Medicare off the table for the debt ceiling negotiations, we’ve got to put them on the table in the long term.”

Well, let’s give Pence some credit here. He is saying what a lot of other Republicans want to say, but they recently found out how unpopular that idea is. I have no doubt his is still the overwhelming opinion of Republican politicians. Because those who buy Republican politicians want some return on their investment and raking billions off of privately invested Social Security funds is the big payoff they are looking for.

Oh – BTW – the “real issue in terms of long term debt for the United States” is not SS and Medicare but the huge tax cuts that the wealthy have received from Reagan, Bush I, Bush II and Trump. Let’s reverse those first and then assess things.