Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos
The leaders of the Republican Party—Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—have been touring the nation. Whether this is part of Gaetz's plans for expanding his sex trafficking ring, Greene's recruiting drive for terrorists, or simply a cash grab by both, isn't clear (except for the part where it definitely is a cash grab). What is clear is that it's a keen demonstration of the GOP is making a "star" out of anyone who is merely willing to be disgusting on a regular basis.
As a quick reminder, Greene was taken off her House committee assignments for continually promoting the Big Lie in a way that encouraged violence, and downplaying the events of January. 6. Meanwhile, Gaetz is under investigation for his involvement in a multi-state scheme to recruit young women, provide them with fake IDs, and jet them around the country for sex in exchange for cash and prizes—a scheme that is complicated by the fact that at least one of these women was underage. Both these things together, and you have the makings of a modern Republican dream team.
The two have been touring the country making appearances that allow their followers to own the libs by showing that they don't care about details like rape or insurrection, so long as they get to hear jokes about Nancy Pelosi and watch Gaetz sputter on in his obsession with AOC. They also have been talking up a proposed political caucus to defend "Anglo-Saxon" culture by strictly limiting immigration.
But a funny thing has happened when it comes to the West Coast edition of the Gaetz and Greene show. Funny in the "ha ha" sense. Because nobody wants them. For the third time in a week, venues have put out the Not Welcome mat, leaving the pair looking for somewhere to gestate their hate supposedly right on the eve of their next appearance.
The plan was to slide into Orange County, home to John Wayne Airport and a Republican Party that regularly plays up ideas that everyone who is not from Orange County is descending into a morass of immigrant-fueled crime. So … not the worst possible fit.
Then, as the Orange County Register reported, the Laguna Hills event center found out who was actually going to be heading up the "America First" rally slated for their venue, and cancelled. That was strike one.
With the event scheduled for Saturday, July 17 (as in yesterday), Greene's team scrambled and found another venue in nearby Riverside. Only that proved to be a very short-lived booking. On Friday evening, the Riverside Convention Center said "no thanks".
That left Gaetz and Greene with less than 24 hours to find somewhere that could hold all their hate. How madly they worked the phones isn't clear, but they found a place wiling to take them in Anaheim. And then, less than eight hours before show time, that connection went up in smoke.
Just think. Whenever and wherever Gaetz and Greene actually find a place willing to let them in, they'll have so many more cancel culture jokes to tell. Maybe they can just go straight to Mar-a-Lago. They should feel right at home there, for so many reasons.
