On Wednesday, Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs reported that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is headed to the Iowa State Fair on Thursday, August 19, 2021. Of course, any visit to Iowa by out-of-state politicians fuels presidential election speculation, but it is unclear what Greene’s purpose for visiting is unclear.
The Des Moines Register, which typically hosts politicians for stump speeches at the fair, is not offering their soapbox in 2021. There is no word that the freshman congresswoman from Georgia is speaking at a different event.
Since her election to Congress, Greene has become a lightning rod for controversy for sharing conspiracy theories and was stripped of her committee assignments.
State Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, said that Iowa Republicans couldn’t just ignore her visit but need to denounce Greene and attempted to tie Iowa Republicans to her views.
“I’m disappointed to hear that a Republican Georgia Congresswoman who spews racist, Islamophobic and homophobic language that encourages violence against our friends and neighbors is coming to our state fair,” he said in a released statement.
“It’s unacceptable for Governor Reynolds and Iowa Republicans to repeat similar statements that this Georgia Congresswoman has made, including that those who are seeking a better life in the United States are responsible for the spread of the Delta variant, perpetuating myths about the security of our elections, and refusing to acknowledge the severity of the attack on our democracy on January 6, 2021,” he added.
“It’s not enough to just ignore her – Governor Reynolds and Iowa Republicans need to denounce her dangerous ideas and make it clear her radical agenda is not welcome in Iowa,” Wilburn argued.
He is wrong. Not only is it enough, but it is absolutely vital.
Ignoring Greene would be the best thing for Republicans to do. Figures like Greene thrive on the attention they receive, whether it is positive or negative. It is like giving them oxygen. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Republican Party of Iowa should deprive Greene of the oxygen she craves.
Unfortunately, the media feeds this line of attack by Democrats. Any time a fringe Republican says something crazy or controversial, journalists ask for Republican responses. You rarely see news coverage like this when a Democrat says something crazy or controversial.
Gov. Kim Reynolds and other mainstream Republicans are not even remotely on the same plain as Greene. To suggest otherwise is just hyper-partisanship.
Update: Apparently, Greene is headlining an “America First rally” with U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on the 19th (no one reported that before the publication of this editorial).
Meanwhile, coming soon to Des Moines … pic.twitter.com/DCogfajo7R
— Niels Lesniewski (@nielslesniewski) August 8, 2021
