'Political hooligans' in Freedom Caucus so 'impotent' they can't even boot MTG: columnist
The Freedom Caucus group that recently held a vote to boot U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is made up of a bunch of "political hooligans" who are so "impotent" they couldn't even properly eject her from their ranks, a political columnist wrote.
Greene, who has reportedly been dodging the group's calls before and after the vote to remove her, is known for the same types of dramatic political theater as the Freedom Caucus, but the relationship has soured nonetheless – purportedly because Greene sided with Speaker Kevin McCarthy over conservative activists.
The caucus itself was created not to get things done, but to grind government to a halt, according to Paul Waldman.
"In its early days, the caucus made life miserable for Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who eventually decided he’d rather retire than deal with this bunch of political hooligans. When Republicans took back the House in 2022, Freedom Caucus members figured they could do something similar to new Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif," Waldman wrote on Friday.
While Greene seemingly fit right in with the group, her error, strangely, was becoming a part of the system, which in their eyes is flawed.
"Greene is just about the last person you’d think would become an inside operator. She’s more of an internet influencer than a legislator; her idea of lawmaking is to introduce pointless impeachment resolutions. In fact, she and Boebert were arguing about their dueling measures to impeach Biden," the piece states.
Waldman says Greene's perceived betrayal of the caucus was serious, yet notes that the group has failed to formally oust her.
"That leaves the rest of the Freedom Caucus in a familiar position for hard-right true believers: angry and frustrated at both the continued existence of a large federal government and their inability to do much about it," Waldman wrote. "But one thing they could do is tell Marjorie Taylor Greene they don’t want her in their club anymore. And they’re struggling to even do that. It’s a sign of just how impotent they’ve become."