If ever women are kicked out of politics, it won’t be because misogynistic males stage a revolution to chain all women to their kitchen sinks. It will because certain women in politics become so hysterical it becomes unbearable to have them around. We saw shades of this in the US House of Representatives last week, in a now-infamous House Oversight Committee markup that started out well, but devolved into a high school cat fight.
The Committee was discussing potentially holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to release audio recordings of Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur. During the hearing, Republican Congresswoman from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene (aka MTG) asked Democrats whether any of them were employing Loren Merchan.
Ms Merchan is the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is currently overseeing Donald Trump's hush money trial, and is the head of a digital advertising agency that works with Democratic candidates. However, the mention of Ms Merchan seemed to confuse Democratic Representative from Texas, Jasmine Crockett, who facetiously asked MTG, "Do you know what we're here for?"
This condescension from Crockett displeased MTG, who responded, “I don’t think you know what you’re here for, I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”
I love a bit of theatricality in politics; one of my favourite political episodes was One Nation Leader Senator Pauline Hanson striding into the Senate wearing a burqa in 2017, to demonstrate that allowing the garb was a security risk. However, in the case of MTG, making a petty personal crack about Jasmine Crockett's fake eyelashes, regardless of the provocation, did not make a pithy political point; it only made MTG look bad.
It did not end there. Democratic Congresswoman "from the Bronx" Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (aka AOC) vociferously called a point of order, to which MTG replied, “Are your feelings hurt?”
This caused AOC to flare up, and shout, “Oh girl, baby girl, don’t even play!”
While it’s understandable for AOC to call a point of order on this issue, buttoning it with what I’m sure she thinks is ‘the language of the streets’ is the epitome of cringe.
Alas, the cat fight continued. AOC and MTG continued to sling mud at each other, with MTG calling across the chamber, “Why won’t you debate me?”
AOC contemptuously replied, “I think it’s pretty self-evident.”
Not to be outdone, MTG hit back with, “Yeah, you don’t have enough intelligence.”
So, what of Jasmine Crockett the subject of the eyelashes jab? Did she recognise this whole episode was a waste of time and taxpayers’ money, allow the proceedings to continue uninterrupted, and make a pointed public statement about MTG's words afterwards? No, she did not.
When the episode looked to be over, she escalated the argument by asking, “If someone on this Committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleached blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?
That insult was clearly aimed at MTG. The justification Crockett gave for uttering it was that she was making a point about a certain House rule. Namely, members are not allowed to "play personalities"; that is, make personal insults. Prior to Crockett's comments, there had been a failed vote to strike MTG's words from the record. As such, Crockett said she was seeking clarification as to what constitutes playing personalities, by saying MTG has a "bleached blonde bad built butch body".
This is an odd choice of words for a leftie. When looked at through a woke lens, using the word "butch" as an insult when referring to a woman's body is surely some shade of transphobia or homophobia, considering the woke emphasis on androgyny and gender fluidity, and of course body positivity. However, as we know, all pretence at adhering to the left’s own lofty principles goes out the window when speaking to or about conservative women.
That's not to say MTG didn't ask for the clapback; she knew what she was doing when she mentioned Crockett's false eyelashes. As did Crockett with her tacky alliteration; she's been doing the interview rounds insisting that MTG's quip about her eyelashes was somehow racist.
As I mentioned, I love a bit of theatricality in politics when it advances the argument and makes a policy point. And yes, I'm a Donald Trump supporter; goodness knows he lays into his opponents in very personal ways. However, Trump attacks politicians telling outright lies about him to trick the American public into voting Democrat. That, or he admonishes journalists for asking him deliberately obtuse, ideologically loaded questions under the guise of being impartial. Generally, it takes place during press conferences and online, not during official proceedings in Congress.
This episode sullies the reputation of women in politics, and reveals a bigotry of low expectations. What would happen if a male politician said to a male colleague, "Boy baby boy, don't even play"? He would be laughed out of office. However, because MTG, AOC, and Crockett are women, they will get away with their bad behaviour.
As such, I have one message for Majorie Taylor Greene, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and Jasmine Crockett; ladies, please, for the sake of women everywhere, do grow up.
