The Republican Party has become a sideshow act that is not interested in actually legislating, but only performing grievance politics for the red-state mindset of the MAGA cult.
Madison Cawthorn is a prime example of this petty behavior. His local paper, The Mountaineer, has had it up to here with his juvenile antics, and let him know about it in big bold letters. More specifically, in an scathing op-ed.
In a 24-hour span from Tuesday into Wednesday, Western North Carolina experienced flood destruction on a level not witnessed for 17 years. Yet, as the floodwaters rose with fury — destroying homes and businesses in their path — and finally receded in the late morning hours of Wednesday, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC-11) released no statement, no list of resources or shelters for constituents, and not a single tweet in support of the thousands in WNC residents suffering from the flood. On Wednesday morning, more than 30 of his constituents were still tragically unaccounted for, according to the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office.
During natural disasters, even hyper-partisan Republicans used to think that when mother nature struck, they should at last pretend they cared. Not anymore. Cawthorn was more interested in his Fox News schedule.
Primping for the Fox News and Newsmax cameras, making sure his hair is just right was obviously more important than his constituents suffering the floods in Western North Carolina.
Lest we think he was simply off the grid, 26-year-old Cawthorn tweeted or retweeted Republican talking points nine times from his official House account while the raging storm took hold of his district, reaping destruction on towns and rural communities. From tweets about finishing “the wall” to swearing America will never be an “Islamic state,” Cawthorn flatly, and blatantly ignored the people he has sworn to represent. As towns like Canton flooded Tuesday evening, Cawthorn blissfully posted pictures on Instagram (screenshot linked) of smoking cigars and listening to conservative podcasts.
Smoking Cohibas rules, right Madison? Screaming about phony election fraud claims is more important than helping the voters you swore to protect during life-threatening emergencies, isn't that how the oath goes?
Despite what he might think, amidst his endless quest for national headlines, Cawthorn remains our voice in Washington, and his office, a vital lifeline for Haywood County residents in need. We deserve a voice that actually cares about us rather than his own celebrity — a representative who can put down a partisan quest for stardom when our community is in crisis.
