When you’ve lost Fox News’ Sean Hannity, that’s a sure sign that a good chunk of the GOP support could go with him. That’s the dilemma that Lauren Boebert now faces after Hannity called her out (last week) over her very public opposition to Rep. Kevin McCarthy becoming House Speaker. As it turns out, McCarthy did take the gavel after 15 rounds of voting, which means that this mess swallowed up most of the week on the House floor. A divided GOP did entertain social media, but also, it was a lot.
In the middle were two controversial lawmakers, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, who eventually did flip their votes. Boebert, especially, showed herself to be willing to keep the clock running. To say that many lawmakers felt fed up would be an understatement, given that they flat-out jeered when she attempted to give a speech instead of voting. There are shades of Ted Cruz’s fake filibustering here, which isn’t the best vibe to aim for. In an AP report also published by one of Boebert’s nearly-hometown papers, The Denver Post, some of her constituents sound like they’re over her:
“Tone down the nasty rhetoric on occasion and just stick with the point at hand,” said [Debbie] Hartman, 65, a veterinary tech assistant.
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“She tapped into what Trump was doing, and she maybe took it too far in some instances,” said Alex Mason, 27, adding that Boebert, whom he supports, is still more tactful than former President Donald Trump.
In response, Boebert issued some statements, which included acknowledging that her “slim victory” had an effect, which was that “it opened my eyes to another chance to do everything that I’ve been promising to do.” As well, she re-upped her recent swing at those “space lasers,” meaning that she fired a shot at Marjorie Taylor Greene’s propensity for spreading conspiracy theories.
“I have been asked to explain MTG’s beliefs on Jewish space lasers, on why she showed up to a white supremacist conference. … I’m just not going to go there,” Boebert declared (although it’s unclear whether she was prompted to do so). “She wants to say all these things and seem unhinged on Twitter, so be it.”
Boebert also added this perception of her critics: “Look at your election, are you going to tone it down, little girl?” So, she does not appear to be toning it down. In fact, she’s doing the opposite.
(Via Denver Post, Associated Press & CNN)