The first GOP presidential debate brought with it an array of reactions. Some were good, others bad, some thoughtful, and some not. Most of them, at this stage, continue to align themselves along the party/candidate lines.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., raised eyebrows with her response to the events during the debate. She shared her views in her post-debate comment alongside Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Chris Christie attacked Vivek Ramaswamy after Ramaswamy used a quote from former president Barack Obama during his opening remarks.
Here’s what Ramaswamy claimed that caused Christie to react:
🔥@ChrisChristie absolutely wrecked @VivekGRamaswamy last night as new side-by-side video released based on Christie’s comments showing Obama/Vivek and their eerily similar messaging.
— Cryptid Politics 🇺🇸🐊 (@CryptidPolitics) August 24, 2023
Christie said that Barack Obama was the last person to stand in the middle and ask, “What is a skinny guy up here with an odd name doing?” “I am afraid that we have the same amateur on stage tonight.”
The most accurate interpretation of the Christie/Vivek conversation, in my opinion, is that Christie’s remarks were “racist”.
Greene’s solution is exactly that.
Greene, a surrogate for former president Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and a staunch supporter of Christie, said: “I was disgusted by his racist comment toward Vivek Ramaswamy.” “He compared Obama to him.” “I thought that was pretty racist.”
Watch:
Greene: I was pretty disgusted by Chris Christie and his racist comment towards Vivek Ramaswamy… He compared him to Obama. I thought that was pretty racist pic.twitter.com/iz41OgJVqh
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 24, 2023
When I first saw this, my first, second, and final thought was “Huh?” I don’t like Chris Christie at all, but if this is “racism”, pointing out Ramaswamy’s nearly identical statement to what Obama said once, then the meaning of the word has been completely lost and there’s no hope for it ever to be recovered.
MTG (possible defense) is just that she didn’t pay attention to the conversation. This photo is evidence.
I’m sitting directly behind @RepMTG at the GOP presidential debate and her attention appears to be at least…. divided. pic.twitter.com/KYdJQkBJPx
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 24, 2023
She may have been distracted and said what she said. Maybe it was deliberate for another reason.
Erick Erickson stated that “Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed Chris Christie was ‘racist,’ for pointing Vivek’s stolen line about Obama being a thin kid with a funky last name.” “They’re pretty open about Vivek being a proxy for Trump rather than actually running for president.”
The true meaning of “racism”, however, has been purposefully diluted in the past few decades by opportunistic Democrats who have used the race card to silence their political opponents.
I understand that MTG supports Trump and that by attacking Christie in this way, she hopes to damage the campaign of one of Trump’s loudest Republican critics. Christie isn’t going to need anyone else to do that. History has shown that Christie is quite adept at self-destructing.
I don’t think Republicans should be playing along with Democrats who throw around the word “r” with such reckless abandon. Although I believe that sometimes the GOP must play by the “rules of the left” and use their tactics to make a statement, the race card is something that should only be used when it’s necessary. When it does not, it only victimizes the victims of racism.
