The Week in Tweets and Memes

Thanks to the generosity of Democracy Defenders and paid supporters, I’m able to continue to offer this weekly round-up to all my subscribers. If you’re a free subscriber, consider upgrading to paid today to support my efforts!

This week saw an annual pilgrimage of deplorables to CPAC, which has pretty much become Trump-zone, so much so that DeSantis and Pence declined to even show. Good call. But also, rather funnily tragic.

I Smoked Rupert Murdoch's Lies @BlackKnight10k

I love how Mike Pence thinks he's running for President in 2024 but cant go to CPAC because he's afraid he'll be murdered.

The conference has been rocked by scandal (including credible allegations of sexual assault by its founder Matt Schlapp against a Herschel Walker male staffer), and it seems like it’s losing its luster. But don’t take my word for it. Take that of the attendees, or lack thereof. Here’s the audience to see Don. Jr.:

BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ @mmpadellan

LMAOOOOO there are more empty seats than people turned up to see Don Jr at CPAC. 😆😆

I liked this rebrand of the logo a lot:

The Lincoln Project @ProjectLincoln

Fixed it.

Republicans in general are having a hard time with their brand these days, because it doesn’t comport with reality. I suppose they’re used to cognitive dissonance from watching Fox News and learning to fear migrants and trans people they’ve never encountered. This sums up the GOP’s messaging disconnect well as the party comes for reproductive rights, bans books, and wants to permit nothing but heterosexual missionary position, non-contraceptive sex:

Jon Favreau @jonfavs

Some exceptions may apply: - Your doctor’s office - Your library - Your classroom - Your bedroom

GOP @GOP

Government should be so small you don’t even realize it’s there.

There were some amazing self-owns by members of the Chaos Caucus. Let’s start with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who tried a gotcha on the Defense Department Inspector General that fell on its face pretty quickly. Video of his embarrassing stunt starts at 3:14 in if you want to watch it unfold:

CSPAN @cspan

Rep. Matt Gaetz asks about Global Times Investigative report. @DOD_Policy Kahl: "Is this the Global Times from China?" @RepMattGaetz: "No, this is well...yeah, it might be. Yeah..." Kahl: "I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value." Gaetz: "Fair enough."

Political genius Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tried to blame two fentanyl poisoning deaths in July 2020 on President Biden’s alleged failure to secure the border. Um, date check please? Who was president at the time again?

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona

Not clear why you are blaming Biden's handling of the border on the deaths of this woman's sons, which occurred in July 2020.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @RepMTG

Listen to this mother, who lost two children to fentanyl poisoning, tell the truth about both of her son’s murders because of the Biden administrations refusal to secure our border and stop the Cartel’s from murdering Americans everyday by Chinese fentanyl. https://t.co/HRD5SX0Td8

This gave me lots of “Where was Obama on 9/11? And Katrina? We need to look into that!” vibes.

But wait! Her office wasn’t quite done. Asked by CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale to explain her tweet, her spokesperson lashed out instead with a bonus vulgarity:

Daniel Dale @ddale8

I asked Greene’s office last night about her tweet blaming the Biden administration for these deaths in 2020 under Trump. Spokesman Nick Dyer responded by saying lots of people have died from drugs under Biden and “do you think they give a fuck about your bullshit fact checking?” https://t.co/BwKCM5TYjc

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @RepMTG

Listen to this mother, who lost two children to fentanyl poisoning, tell the truth about both of her son’s murders because of the Biden administrations refusal to secure our border and stop the Cartel’s from murdering Americans everyday by Chinese fentanyl. https://t.co/HRD5SX0Td8

Former Trump physician, Covid conspiracy peddler, and often high or plastered Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) tried to cue up questions with his followers for the upcoming testimony by Dr. Anthony Fauci before a GOP controlled committee, and that also blew up pretty badly. This one left a mark, and he really should seek medical intervention:

stuart stevens @stuartpstevens

Will you please accept my apology for betraying our profession by contributing to death of hundreds of thousands for political gain? I have a history of drug & alcohol abuse & have never received the help I need.

Ronny Jackson @RonnyJacksonTX

What would be the ONE question you’d ask Fauci?

Speaking of Covid conspiracies and the extremist GOP, Marjorie three names likes to post frenetic workout videos of herself, like this one.

Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 @mtgreenee

Body, mind, and spirit.. Be unstoppable.

This brought back shades of those fake Covid shake videos that flooded TikTok recently. This rock FTW:

slate @PleaseBeGneiss

glad to see she finally got vaccinated 🙏

Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 @mtgreenee

Body, mind, and spirit.. Be unstoppable. https://t.co/fLDksFFPTD

Speaking of TikTok, the owner of right-wing troll account Libs of TikTok, who regularly posts hate about trans people, came out with a children’s book to promote her bigoted views. Yup, shameless. There’s just one small problem:

Eli Erlick @EliErlick

Far-right terrorist grifter @ChayaRaichik10 released a children's book to encourage anti-queer violence. In a hilarious twist of irony, the illustrator made the mother sheep a ram. That's right, Libs of TikTok has a protagonist TRANS SHEEP in her book! 🥳

The baby ram’s “mother” here speaking indeed has the curled horns of a male ram. One commenter noted that the religious right often puts gay animals into its children’s books. Should we ban them?!

My name is Greg it rhymes with egg @gdizzle_344

@EliErlick @ChayaRaichik10 Openly gay lions in another children’s story popular with that crowd.

While we’re on the subject of bans, the state of Florida is trying very hard to control every aspect of education in the state. But the people in charge, surprise surprise, don’t seem very educated themselves.

Jesus Freakin Congress @TheJFreakinC

The Florida Department of Education releasing a list of approved books, but spelling “ninth” and “twelfth” wrong on the document, is the most Florida thing I have seen…

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is preparing to run face first into Donald Trump for the GOP nomination, but with friends like these it might be a tough race.

Adam Parkhomenko @AdamParkhomenko

The DeSantis presidential campaign takes another hit

Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 @RonFilipkowski

Jeb Bush endorses Ron Desantis for president. https://t.co/qBF0YGHcG4

The GOP is desperate to get Trump to sign a pledge that he will support whoever is the ultimate nominee. Because that worked so well last time he promised. Here’s what one former GOP strategist had to say about that:

Rick Wilson @TheRickWilson

1/ Let's be clear about the RNC loyalty pledge Ronna wants Trump to sign. Hahahhahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahahhahahahhahhahahahhahahahhahhahhahahahahahahhahha <breathe> hahhhahahahhahahahhahahhahhahhahhahahhahahahahahahhahahahhahhahhahahahhaha.

Scott Adams, the cartoonist of the “Dilbert” comic strip, has been canceled by most major papers for his incredibly racist rant on YouTube where he advised white people to just move far away from African Americans. He’s posting about the experience, and it’s rather satisfying:

Never willing to waste a moment to lose more advertisers, Elon Musk put himself into the midst of this by wading into the Adams controversy, eventually settling on the broad idea that the media is racist. That got this quick response:

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan

Did you say this to Rupert Murdoch when you were sitting next to him at the Super Bowl the other day?

Elon Musk @elonmusk

@monitoringbias The media is racist

On the subject of billionaires, this one hit home with me.

Sabrina @NerdyAndQuirky

billionares are so weird. what are you saving up for? hell?

That’s it for the week! Have a terrific weekend, and I hope it’s started off with a smile.

Jay (and Hudson)