Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert have long been political allies, perhaps best illustrated by their collective outburst during Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address. That dynamic appears to be on the rocks, though.
Greene took to Twitter on Monday evening, slamming Boebert over comments the Colorado congresswoman made during America Fest 2022 (a Turning Point USA event).
In them, Boebert takes a shot at Greene over her prior “Jewish space lasers” comment while answering a question about not supporting Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House. Greene has endorsed McCarthy after receiving guarantees about future congressional investigations.
Put that down as not being on my 2022 bingo card. Greene and Boebert have been close for so long that I didn’t expect a break like this could ever happen. Given where the grassroots currently sits on the topic of McCarthy, I think Greene isn’t going to gain much support here either.
I can see both sides, though. On the one hand, who cares if Boebert hasn’t endorsed Donald Trump? It’s December 2022 and the primary season hasn’t even started. Why would anyone be rushing to endorse someone for president before even seeing what the dynamic will be in late 2023 heading into the first primary elections? As I shared recently, it’s likely Trump is under criminal indictment by that point, and early endorsements at this point just reek of political dealmaking. Boebert has been smart to avoid that.
On the other hand, I understand Greene’s concern about the battle over Speaker. There is no alternative. I wish there was, but no one viable stepped up to run, and that’s really the key. You can want someone different, but if no one is willing to offer an actual challenge, none of it matters. In the current reality, it’s either going to be McCarthy or a “unity” candidate voted on by Democrats in conjunction with moderate Republicans. The latter would be a disaster given McCarthy has already committed to stripping Adam Schiff and others of their committees while allowing vast investigations into leftwing malfeasance.
As to the shot about Jewish space lasers, on the one hand, it’s kind of a low blow by Boebert given the setting she brought it up in. On the other hand, Greene has had a habit of saying stupid, easily-ridiculed stuff over the years. I’m content to call it even on that front.
I suspect the two will eventually kiss and make up. For now, though, there’s definitely a schism within the “America First” caucus, mostly centered on McCarthy. Greene trying to hash things out on Twitter probably isn’t the best idea, but we’ll see what comes of it.