Thumbs up, down
Heroes and zeroes of the failed insurrection; Texan’s ‘Mr. Guillotine’ threat to Romney.
We were so innocent last week, thinking that surely as time wound down for the Trump administration, perhaps the president would look to do something positive before he left. But Insurrection Day got here before Infrastructure Week, which in retrospect seems inevitable in a week that began with a Texas GOP official clarifying his statements about beheading a United States senator.
On Sunday, state Republican Executive Committee member Terry Harper said that his social media post claiming that U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, “should be introduced to our friend Mr. Guillotine,” was misunderstood. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Seguin Republican explained that Romney is “a leader (head)” and Utah voters are the body. “Hence the reference to Mr. Guillotine and the separation of the Head (Romney) from the Body (Utah Voters) is simple,” Harper said. Right. Clear as mud. It could have been worse, though. An early draft of his post reportedly obtained by the Thumbs, in which he called for Romney to be eaten by wolves because they (the voters) were hungry (for democracy), was dropped because it just didn’t quite capture the nuance he was going for. What did Romney do to cause this silly misunderstanding? He stood up against the group of GOP lawmakers, led by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who announced they would object to Congress’ review of the Electoral College results certifying Joe Biden’s victory. The nerve. While a lot has and will be written about the enablers ( big, small and Crenshaw) who allowed Trump’s false accusations of a stolen election to end in a riot at the U.S. Capitol, allow us to add to the chorus of kudos for folks such as U.S. Rep. Chip Roy. The Austin Republican’s appearances in Thumbs usually see him calling for COVID herd immunity or delaying disaster aid to Texas, but his impassioned speech on the House floor is worth a cheer. “I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and I will not bend its words into contortions for political expediency,” Roy said. Hear, hear.
Sadly, Roy has no illusions that his principled stance will be rewarded, saying the vote “may well sign my political death warrant.” While it will be up to voters to decide the consequences of what happened this week, at least participation in that black day has already resulted in some pink slips. A Texas attorney based in Frisco was fired after a video allegedly showed him taking part in the violent mob at the Capitol. Paul MacNeal Davis — who compared what he did to “MLKstyle civil disobedience” (militants led by kooks?) — said he was “thankful to be suffering for righteousness and freedom,” although he probably hopes nobody’s crazy enough to interrupt Congress when it votes to hand out more stimulus checks or help the unemployed.
Some folks double-down, some folks disingenuous-down. Jenna Ryan, a Dallas-area real estate broker, radio host and person who doesn’t know capital and Capitol are two different things, chronicled her participation in the mob of Trump supporters Wednesday beginning with her private jet flight up to Washington, her posing next to broken windows while flashing a peace sign and her calling the destruction of Associated Press cameras “a cool moment.” “We just stormed the capital. It was one of the best days of my life,” she tweeted. While initially defiant, a statement Friday claimed she did not condone violence, was heartbroken over the loss of life and that we need to “come together” and “resolve our issues in peace.” Pardon us if we think her change of heart has more to do with keeping the jet fueled — and herself avoiding federal charges — than with any real contrition.
From demented to Dementors (and for some needed levity after this week’s events), we couldn’t help but think of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter after U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said he will introduce a bill that would prevent any federal buildings or property from ever being named after You-Know-Who. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named “incited an insurrection that damaged some of our nation’s most significant and sacred federal property,” Castro wrote, and “should never become a future generation’s Confederate symbol.” The Texas Democrat also said he would join the effort to impeach the Dark Lord after his failed insurrectus spell plunged the Capitol into chaos. The Ministry of Magic was not available for comment.