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It was once implausible that a comment about trees could spark headlines around a midterm electoral race. But the year is 2022 and the MAGA mob are in no way toning down their uncontrollable word vomit. Herschel Walker, Georgia's Republican senatorial candidate vying to succeed Raphael Warnock this November, is the blundering culprit who made the remark about trees. The former NFL running back has brought Trumpism to the tight race but with a revolting aftertaste.
When decrying the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act that passed this summer, hailed as an appropriate step toward a carbon-neutral future, Walker complained that the transformative bill is likely to see money "going to trees." Money doesn't grow on trees, if that what he's getting at, but he may be referring to the radical measures implemented in the bill to alleviate the burning planet. Sadly, there isn't enough trees to go round, particular when rampaging wildfires have continued to blaze through the American West impacting many communities, so Walker may want to rethink his gestures to the MAGA base. It doesn't end with tree-gate for Walker, though.
There have been recent reports that the ardent pro-lifer paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion, which adds to the already surfaced allegations of domestic abuse toward his former spouse. Even Walker's son has denounced his father's run for office by tweeting that the family disapproved of his political ambitions from the outset.
However, Walker and his litany of indiscretions are what defines the Republican Party today. The Trumpian cult are like an annoying swarm of flies that won't leave politics alone. Take South Carolina's humble charmer and flip-flopper-in-chief, Senator Lindsey Graham, who has pushed for a federal abortion ban of up to 15 weeks in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe. It's common knowledge that Republicans are less prone to self-flagellation compared to discordant Democrats, but could someone please explain the countless polls to Graham that show 62 percent of Americans dislike the Supreme Court's ruling?
Furthermore, it would be unwise not to mention CrossFit junkie Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose regular release of fitness-infused happy endorphins does not mean her word vomit on racist, homophobic and despotic causes is likely to falter. Greene is Trump but tenfold, blaming Californian wildfires with the antisemitic trope that space lasers approved by a cabal of elites started the fires. It's funny how the Trump-backed Greene is considered an asset to his movement, particularly when the former president is supposedly an arch-defender of Israel and the Jewish community.
The list is endless when it comes to the gaffe-prone and highly delusion Republican candidates running in the midterms this fall. While they espouse bogus conspiracy theories and reveal their dictatorial tendencies, the progressive flank of Democrats has inspired the incumbent president to be bold. President Joe Biden has passed the largest climate bill in U.S history and has provided some relief via student loan forgiveness. His administration is busy getting stuff done for the majority of Americans struggling with economic uncertainty under rampant inflation and soaring gas prices.
His most scolding opponents, on the other hand, are all too preoccupied embracing extremism. They're banning books on the topics of race and LGBTQ+ equality, playing with the lives of the most vulnerable by sending migrants by plane to "liberal" states, and, they're proving themselves to be the true snowflakes amid the discourse by cancelling anyone who contests the Trump kingdom. Their tactics are outrageous, divisive and indecorous. Silencing opposing views altogether is not the best way to solve issues.
This is because the GOP's act of political suicide is giving Democrats ammunition in the run-up to the midterms. Last year it was almost inevitable that the former would recapture Congress and imperil Biden's agenda. However, when voters turned out in droves in 2020 as the stench of Trump became too much to bear, it's deemed unlikely they will allow the skunk and his pals to return to the garden party. Post-Trump, solidly conservative Kansas has voted to protect abortion rights at state level, and the notorious Sarah Palin was defeated for a House seat when Alaskans voted in a Democrat for the first time in 49 years.
Anything can happen in the next few weeks. Although, continuing to give a platform to the likes of Walker and Greene will surely prove to fair-minded voters how dangerous the party has become. Even Democrats know this. They have gambled their electoral prospects by funneling money into races to ensure a MAGA candidate wins, betting on this tactic to secure an easy feat for them in the coming weeks. It may come back to bite, but at least there's a consensus that silencing the most reprehensible officials in politics could also be a losing game. Like the magnificent poet Maya Angelou famously said, "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time."
Liam Barrett is a freelance politics and culture writer based in London. His Twitter is @LiamMBarrett.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
