With Biden’s poll numbers in the tank and favorable electoral results in state and local races across the country this month, Republicans are on a trajectory to make significant gains in the midterm elections next year. However, Biden’s unpopularity can be overshadowed by one thing: Republicans’ own stupidity. Democrats have their fair share of bigoted comments and stupid behavior emanating from members of their party, but with a mainstream media looking for reasons to label conservatives as “racist,” “Islamophobic,” “homophobic,” etc., Republicans have very little room for stupid actions and comments.
Despite this, some Republicans, notably in the US House of Representatives, continue to make reckless and even hateful comments that are used by the Democratic Party and the media to slander all Republicans. Rep. Paul Gosar’s (R-AZ) anime video depicting the killing of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) Islamaphobic comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are just a few examples of these mindless actions that threaten others’ safety and add no value to the Republican Party or to the national political discourse.
This conduct fuels the hatred and division that plagues our country and can be used by criminals to justify violence against others, including members of Congress. We saw this in the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), the summer 2020 riots, and the January 6th Riot. The rhetoric of our political leaders have real human consequences.
If the cost of human life isn’t enough, idiotic actions from our representatives have political consequences as well. Many Republican representatives are disgusted with Rep. Gosar, but the nature of the censure vote pushed by Democrats put them in a tough position. As Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) pointed out, the vote to strip Rep. Gosar from his committee assignments did not follow House rules, which require an Ethics Committee investigation before such a vote is held. In the same interview, she condemned the video and stated that had the vote been a simple condemnation and/or followed House rules, she — and many other Republicans — would have voted “yes.” However, this logic does not echo in the voices of Democrats or the mainstream media, both of whom have an interest in painting all Republicans as evil bigots.
Additionally, it is a common political practice to tie moderate members of the opposing party to the most extreme members of that party. This does not bode well for Republicans running in light red, purple, and blue districts. Actions like Gosar and Boebert’s will undoubtedly be unfairly tied to Republican representatives who actively fight against racism and bigotry, like Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), and Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA). While Republicans will have their fair share of political ammunition against Democrats in swing districts, Gosar and Boebert’s behavior creates unnecessary overhead for Republicans seeking to take back Congress next year.
So, what needs to be done? Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) needs to rein in both the far-right (the likes of Gosar, Boebert, and Greene) as well as the squishy never-Trump wing (the likes of Cheney and Kinzinger) behind a shared conservative agenda. This agenda should be one of responsible finances, smaller government, decentralization, parental choice in education, religious liberty, family values, and equality of opportunity — an agenda that speaks to Americans of all walks of life and gives them power over their own destinies. This is what conservatives need to promote — not the bigotry of the most fringe members of Congress.