The GOP Greenes Out
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is perhaps the most powerful QAnon believer in America. Source: Erin Scott / Reuters.
One lingering effect of the Trump administration on American politics is that of baseless and extremist ideology, often rooted in terms such as ‘Fake News’ or ‘Drain the Swamp.’ This year, however, saw violence come into play as a result of these ideologies. The Capitol riots arose particularly from conspiracy theories such as QAnon or claims that the election was stolen from Trump.
What makes such forms of extremism dangerous is how widespread they can become in the age of the internet. QAnon, in short, is a conspiracy theory that dedicates itself to the belief that “a group of Satan-worshiping elites who run a child sex ring are trying to control our politics and media.” Using social media, QAnon members have spread harmful and misleading information about pressing matters such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests.
Most Americans reject the beliefs of QAnon — yet seventeen percent believe in it. Most members of the government have openly denounced such forms of extremism, although a few politicians in the Republican Party seem to embrace them, most notably Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of GA-14 — the leading face of QAnon in the American government.
Known for wearing politicized masks on the Congress floor that say “Censored” or “Ban Abortion,” Greene has become a staple of far-right extremism. Before Greene was elected into Congress, she shared multiple social media posts in which she claimed that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in government, while also comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan. Several of her posts have a deep undertone of violence, one even containing a photo of herself holding a gun with members of ‘The Squad’ edited in, encouraging “offense against these socialists.”
The House of Representatives held a hearing pertaining to Greene’s social media posts and voted to remove her from House Committees. In response, Greene has tweeted multiple times on the issue, saying “the Democrats can’t stop me.”
Four Republican members of the House voted alongside Democrats to remove Greene from her committee roles, yet there are many members of Congress who share similar views with Representative Greene. In fact, many Republicans are in support of Greene, with their key arguments being the right to free speech along with combatting media censorship. However, Marjorie Taylor Greene is not alone — there is also Madison Cawthorn of NC-11 and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who have both encouraged violence which led to deaths upon the U.S. Capitol.
The Republican Party itself is pressed for time. If it does not openly denounce right-wing extremism in the names of QAnon and fraudulent election claims, more will inevitably follow. It must address how such forms of extremism are reflected off the party platform, such as pushing baseless claims of election fraud. This, of course, will not end right-wing extremism in the country, but it will stigmatize it — something that the Republican Party has not yet done with QAnon. Without a proper leader or movement, the base will lose its members and therefore prohibit people with harmful beliefs such as Marjorie Taylor Greene to obtain positions of power.