Rachel Maddow took a look at the recent events affecting Republicans in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, and Tennessee and painted a picture of a party that is in disarray and growing in extremism.
Videos:
#Maddow He talks about Tennessee Republicans leading the GOP race to the bottom with their attacks on trans people’s rights. pic.twitter.com/CkEuRzNjee
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) July 11, 2023
Maddow said:
But, you know, if we’re looking at the top prize here, like climbing. Ohio is brawling, apparently, Michigan is brawling with their fists again and again at the Republican caucuses. Arizona is apparently grappling with a neo-nazi college Republican speaking tour. But I think if anyone is going to take the cake in current affairs, it’s probably not the Republican parties in either country. Maybe it’s Tennessee.
You may have seen over the weekend that there was a week-long ruling from a federal appeals court in Tennessee. Tennessee Republicans have been going after trans people as much as possible. The Supreme Court this week on Saturday in a 2-1 split decision allowed the government to continue to ban certain types of health care for people who are overweight. And this isn’t some, you know, remote threat or something that’s locked up in the courts now. Because of the decision of the court of appeal, again, on Saturday, this week, for people under 18 years old, that this week’s decision means any care they have been getting in Tennessee, is now not allowed. That decision went into effect immediately. Any such care, ongoing health care you have already received must be stopped immediately.
But this is also happening in terms of what the Republicans are doing in the state of Tennessee. I think they put them at the front of the line right now. Tennessee’s Republican attorney general is using his office to obtain private medical records, all unedited medical records of patients treated at a Tennessee hospital at Vanderbilt Hospital. He is using his office as attorney general to obtain private medical records that have not been redacted for investigation by his Attorney General’s office. Vanderbilt University Hospital said it had no choice but to provide the documents requested by the state attorney general, but did not inform its patients that they had provided their documents until after they had already started providing them.
The descent of the Michigan Republican Party into a Lord Of The Flies type mess is funny, but it shows arrogance and dysfunction. Arizona College Republicans are embracing Nazism, which is a long-term threat that needs to be addressed. Ohio Republicans are trying to keep people from voting against them in an attack on democracy, but what’s happening in Tennessee is troubling.
The old party of small government and private sector is using the largest means of government to violate the rights of people in Tennessee and deny them access to health care.
After the 1/6 threat, it became clear that right-wing extremism was no longer something to be laughed at and dismissed.
Republicans are dangerous, and the more elections they lose, the more extreme their response. Looking at the list that Rachel Maddow provided, it’s clear why Republicans, but what’s not so easy to see is how or if they intend to stop their meddling in power.
Jason is the editor-in-chief. He is also a White House Press Pool and DRM correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in public administration.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association