Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene occasionally references the importance of patriotism, which make it all the more notable that the Georgia Republican seems awfully interested in breaking the United States apart. Business Insider noted:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for a “national divorce” between red and blue states amid the escalating standoff over migration at the Texas border. The Georgia congressman responded to a post on X listing Democratic-leaning states that have sided with the federal government in the dispute with Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas.
“When I said we need a National Divorce this is exactly what I’m talking about and a serious example as to why,” the right-wing congresswoman wrote.
If this seems at all familiar, it’s not your imagination.
In late 2021, Greene briefly referenced “a National Divorce scenario” that seemed to allude to the dissolution of the United States. About a year later, the Georgia Republican seemed to predict a “national divorce” in response to the CDC adding Covid shots to its list of recommended vaccine schedules.
Nearly a year ago, as a variety elected officials released statements recognizing the Presidents’ Day holiday, the Greene published a message to social media that read, “We need a national divorce. We need to separate by red states and blue states. … Everyone I talk to says this. From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s [sic] traitorous America Last policies, we are done.”
A day later, in case she’d been too subtle, she wrote a follow-up tweet a day later, adding, “Impeach Biden or give us a national divorce.”
A month later, while continuing to talk up her idea, Greene raised the prospect of individual counties seceding from their respective states.
That was 2023. In 2024, succession remains very much of the right-wing congresswoman’s mind.
Circling back to our earlier coverage, none of this is likely to surprise anyone. Greene has expressed support for violence against Democratic elected officials, and in the recent past, the Georgia Republican appeared at a white-nationalist event. The fact that she’s endorsed a vision in which Americans “separate by red states and blue states” is entirely in line with everything we know about her.
But let’s not lose sight of the larger context: GOP leaders have rewarded Greene with, among other things, a slot on the House Homeland Security Committee. Are Republicans prepared to defend a member of the House Homeland Security Committee openly endorsing the dissolution of the United States?
That’s not a rhetorical question. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his team should let the public know whether they’re comfortable with such a dynamic — and what they’re prepared to do in response if they’re not comfortable with such a dynamic.
Indeed, that’s ultimately what matters most in response to so many of the controversies Greene creates. Her extremism is routine to the point that’s become background noise. Basic American patriotism generally prevents elected officials from endorsing the dissolution of the United States, but we’ve reached the point in our collective history at which members of Congress can publish such messages — which would’ve sparked a genuine scandal up until fairly recently — and much of the political world shrugs, seeing it as somehow routine.
With this in mind, it seems as if the focus should be on conference leaders. Greene’s extremism has become predictable, but their responses to her radical vision are still relevant. How comfortable are GOP leaders with one of their prominent members calling for the breaking up of our country? What are they prepared to do about it?
Can Americans feel confident in the work of the House Homeland Security Committee knowing that Greene is on it — and she no longer wants to live in the same country as millions of Americans?
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
