Online fame and infamy can, at times, give people unwarranted confidence and a false sense of importance.
That certainly seems to be the case with Ron Watkins, the QAnon-linked congressional candidate in Arizona who — despite being a popular figure on far-right message boards — apparently has no real-life charisma whatsoever.
Watkins is suspected by many to be “Q,” the central figure in the fascist QAnon conspiracy theory (though he’s denied the claims). He appeared at his first primary debate on Wednesday alongside two other Republicans, and if Watkins’ performance is any indicator, he’s the most likely to flame out.
Take this intro, for example:
Ron’s biggest mistake: thinking his ability to con Trump supporters into believing he was a secret agent would somehow carry over into the real world.
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) April 28, 2022
But Ron has the charisma you’d expect from a guy who collects samurai swords & spends all day on 8chan.pic.twitter.com/r2E2IYbWOY
OK, so that was a rough start. But maybe Ron was just workin’ himself into a rhythm. Let’s see how he fares when it comes to specific policy matters.
Here’s Ron whiffing on what prompted Russia’s attack on Ukraine:
The question was about military aid to Ukraine. Ron Watkins tries to blame the Keystone Pipeline for the invasion, which elicits a response from Rep. Blackman that leaves Ron with no option but to go “he’s right.”😭 pic.twitter.com/CEnfIz76As
— Arizona Right Watch (@az_rww) April 28, 2022
The answer was so bad Ron allowed his decidedly right-wing opponent, state Rep. Walt Blackman, to sound relatively lucid (even as he pushed debunked claims about the Keystone XL Pipeline).
Let’s try another. Here’s Ron claiming the biggest issue in his would-be district, one of Arizona’s northernmost districts, is the incomplete border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ron Watkins claims the “biggest issue” in the district is the border wall, despite CD2 being nowhere near the US-MX border. Ron talks about his recent trip to the border wall and laughably claims to have scared “coyotes” off by simply looking them in the eye. pic.twitter.com/ng7xj93499
— Arizona Right Watch (@az_rww) April 28, 2022
Who needs a border wall when Ron can just scare off migrants with a cold stare?
Let’s try one more. Climate change! That’s an issue of tremendous import. And surely in a state like Arizona, where climate change is and will be a particularly troubling issue for years to come, Ron has thoughts on how to curb its most devastating impacts. Right? Let’s ask him.
The final question is about climate change. Ron Watkins brushes the question off saying “I think we should not even talk about climate change. Not even address it. We should just get rid of the entire idea.”
— Arizona Right Watch (@az_rww) April 28, 2022
The moderator: “Alright, that’s an interesting way to end a debate.” pic.twitter.com/zH8rnLF1Yu
Welp, we tried.
Speaking to his horde of far-right followers from behind a computer screen, Watkins could pitch himself as someone deeply attuned to politics. That image shattered in hilarious fashion the moment he was actually forced to explain his stances in the real world.
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Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.