Madison Cawthorn keeps embarrassing the GOP

Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has spent almost his entire tenure in Congress making one embarrassing move after another. The Trump wanna-be came right out and admitted his focus is on communications, not legislating. Then he doubled down on that idiotic admission by putting his foot in his mouth numerous times. For example, he foolishly joined that lonely group of Republican lawmakers who showed tacit support for Vladimir Putin at the beginning of his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. As usual, Cawthorn took it one step further, calling Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a thug.”

Comments like those, which run counter to the overwhelming feeling within the Republican Party about Ukraine’s leader, are why Cawthorn has become a pariah within his own party. After more than a year in office, others in the GOP have realized that he is an absolute embarrassment not just to his office, but to their party. And that is really quite the accomplishment when you’re under the same political umbrella as Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Louis Gohmert (R-TX), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

His latest attention-seeking stunt, in which he claimed that he had been invited to cocaine-fueled orgies by other members of Congress, may have been the final straw. Even House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), not exactly known for his political courage, thought Cawthorn went too far and called him into his office to put him in his place. He even said afterwards that Cawthorn had “lost his trust.” With other Republican members expressing frustration with Cawthorn’s buffoonish behavior, it’s fair to wonder what his future in Washington is.

…There might be interest among Republicans in getting this guy the hell out of Congress. And if that’s the case, I would love it. Not because I think him announcing that there are cocaine-fueled orgies would be a reason to kick him out. I don’t. I think his ignorance, dishonesty and radical nature, and the fact that he is completely unqualified and that he doesn’t know anything, would be reasons to kick him out. 

Of course, there is a certain person down in Mar-a-Lago who probably enjoys seeing Cawthorn’s ridiculous antics, and that could help his re-election chances. But if the rest of the GOP is sick of Madison Cawthorn and decides to throw the party’s support behind another candidate, it could mean the end of his brief political career.

And we would all be better off, because he has no business being in Congress.