'MTG' spells problems for the Jews

Marjorie Taylor Greene has just been elected by the Republican Party to a position right behind Party Whip Kevin McCarthy. This puts an avowed “Christian Nationalist” and outspoken antisemite in a power position within the Republican Party.

She is a wealthy Georgia citizen who is now being divorced by her husband of 27 years. She has, among other outrageous acts, made loud noises and “fooled around” like a belligerent child during the President’s State of the Union address in January of last year.

She has claimed in public that the forest fires in California were started by ”Jews flying space ships.” She believes fiercely that the 2020 election was “rigged” and other forms of “Trumpism” should prevail.

As the fortunes of Donald Trump in the political world are waning, this pompous, somewhat deranged woman has honed to a far-right philosophy with many of the trademarks of Hitler in the 1930’s. Her power in the Republican Party continues to grow as the far-right wing of the Party continues to become more powerful.

Living now as I do in the State of Louisiana, I have become familiar with a character by the name of David Duke, a former head of the Klug Klux Clan here in Louisiana who almost won the race for governor here some years ago.

There are unhealthy similarities between Mr. Duke and Ms. Greene. The difference is that Duke lost and has faded into dark history and Greene has taken her place as the second most powerful player in the Republican Party.

Her goal is to further divide the country. She probably would form a Third Political Party if no one paid attention to her ravings and dangerous attitude. But she didn’t have to. The Republican Party has recognized her “charisma” and taken her to their bosom even as the specter of Trumpism continues its retreat.

One of the recurring themes of the PBS series by Ken Burns on the Holocaust is how Hitler was not taken seriously by most of the Political Powers if the 1930’s. Ms. Greene seems to have his same attitude towards Blacks, Jews and other more moderate thinkers as we move further into the twenty first century. Is she as paranoid and dangerous as Hitler? Thank God — not so far. But, when her voice and her standing reach beyond her small North Georgia District, it is time to face the danger she could become.

It wouldn’t matter if the Republican Party would reach into its past and stand-up guys like Wendell Willkie and Robert Taft were leaders in the Party … but they are missing, long gone in Republican memory.

We are at a point in our history where our Nation needs strong leadership with a clear agenda that reflects what Americans are supposed to be. It is not happening.

Democrats? They chose and the people elected an octogenarian whose fine record in Congress reflects nothing earth shattering and certainly nothing inspiring. To counter an “MTG” they are going to need at least an Obama to come forward.

We are in a time where there is no Babe Ruth or Casey Stengel in baseball, no Knute Rockne or Jim Thorpe in football…and truly no Franklin Roosevelt or Dwight Eisenhower in politics. America is in serious need of a leader who can articulate the danger of Trumpism or the potential disaster of an “MTG” and what he/she can do to lead us in the right direction.

This type of situation is particularly dangerous for the Jewish People. Weak political leadership and no clear picture of where America is headed is a situation ripe for a dangerous character with a dangerous agenda to step forward and peddle the tropes of hate and Anti-Semitism as their agenda to all of America. When things are not going well or if there is uncertainty about where we are headed — the opportunity is there for such a character to come into play. No? We elected Donald Trump, didn’t we?

America’s “Master Plan” as the Statue of Lady Liberty says: “Give me your tired, your huddled masses yearning to be free,” that was the Mantra that was supposed to be America.

Well, those “Huddled Masses” did not get together in the sense of joining arms and solving the problems created by basic differences in culture, religion, education and so on.

It took more education, the birth and education of the second and third generation beyond the clannish old-country attitudes of the original settlers — be they the early ones from England, Spain and France or the “Second Wave” from middle and Northern Europe.

It was a long journey — a tough battle — and we have done very well overall. But the battle is not over.The Trumps and the Kanye Wests and the other “MTG’s” are still out there. They probably always will be. We have to draw them into the spotlight — but at the same time, keep them out of power.