The schadenfreude watching Rep. Lauren Boebert appear on national television shows to explain her opposition to (Not-Yet) Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has not gotten old.
So far I have probably watched Fox News host Sean Hannity grow increasingly apopleptic with Boebert over the course of a 10-minute interview no less than five times. Same for the interview she did with MSNBC talking head Stephanie Ruhle.
The cherry on the top was delivered by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — Boebert’s erstwhile crazy caucus co-founder:
“I’m not sure how Lauren Boebert on one hand can demand so much out of Kevin McCarthy but then demand nothing out of someone else and be willing to vote for them to be speaker. That’s not serious. I don’t think that’s leadership and I really see it as more obstruction than progress.”
After I got up off the floor I had been rolling around on as I laughed, I began thinking about the ramifications for our Colorado embarrassment. Surely someone in her inner circle has to have told her that the rope she is pulling on is directly attached to the guillotine dangling above her head.
Or maybe she doesn’t. The only Colorado Republican I see cheering her on is Jenna Ellis. Given that Ellis failed to win arguments to overturn the 2020 election — she had no proof and no cognizant legal theory — that might not be the best person to have Boebert’s ear.
Boebert “won” re-election in the closest race across the country last year. She squeaked out a 546-vote margin from more than 325,000 cast. That is roughly 0.07%. Ruhle pointed this out to Boebert, and that former President Donald Trump handily won the district in 2020 by 5.5%, noting voters’ desire to end hyper-partisanship in contrast to Boebert “blocking her own party.”
Meanwhile, Hannity looked beside himself as Boebert refused to answer questions, continued to speak over him and engaged in dinner-sized word salad responses. At one point, Hannity pleaded, “Congresswoman, I’d ask you not to filibuster.”
Boebert, for her part, kept blurting out that her position was based on the “Constitution.” I have always wondered whether Boebert has read that document. Her comments make it evident she has not.
The only thing the Constitution says about the speaker is in Article I, Section 2. It says the House of Representative will choose one. If anything, Boebert’s antics have been in direct conflict with that constitutional mandate.
It does not take much imagination to see these interviews running on a loop as campaign ads in 2024.
You have to imagine that there must be at least 547 Republicans who voted for Boebert who have watched this play out and began pounding their heads on a nearby wall. Boebert has not even been sworn in to her second term and has raised the level of embarrassment she has heaped upon her Western Slope district.
Those voters will either sit out the 2024 election or even take another look at Adam Frisch (assuming he runs again). Combined with increased Democratic turnout that traditionally occurs in presidential years, that could sink Boebert.
Of course, endangered incumbents can usually count on help from national caucuses. You know, the one that will be led by Speaker McCarthy. It could be that he just might have a few other districts he will decide he needs to spend the money in next cycle, though.
