Fascists Like Gosar Don't Really Joke

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Republican Paul Gosar will probably "face no consequences" for his disgusting tweet in which he's depicted, in an altered, animated video, killing her because Kevin McCarthy "cheers him on with excuses."https://t.co/v0v6gAKqbU

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 9, 2021

Of course, we've seen another political figure Tweet a video with figurative violence for the LULZ: remember Trump pointing us to an "amusing" video of mass violence against liberal politicians? Why, that was just Trump being Trump, after all! Joking! Why, how was that different from the photoshopped CNN-logo video he posted just a couple years ago?

Well, it was no different, and they were both incitement. One of Trump's merry little fan club sent apparent pipe bombs to multiple public figures, including CNN on-air journalists and politicians. And then, of course, January 6th happened. But that wasn't at all the entire story of the violence wrought in the wake of Trump's apparent endorsement of it--not at all! It is still in fact, ongoing. Quite ordinary people have become motivated to issuing death threats to people just doing their jobs for perceived slights or infractions against the MAGA cult. 

Thirteen Republican representatives voted for the infrastructure bill. Rep. Fred Upton, who was one of them, shared a death threat he had received. Death threats for votes one disagrees with should simply not be acceptable in a free and democratic society. But I drive past a house in the suburbs of PA which has, over the past year, had signs posted up: "Trump Won", "Biden Lied", "Save our Schools". And this week: "Fitzgerald = Traitor". Rep. Fitzgerald was considering the needs of Bucks County residents with his vote, not handing Joe Biden a "win"--who the hell thinks like this? A congressional vote isn't about "wins" for a President, it's about making laws--the actual business of doing a job in congress. (I definitely wonder how the neighbors feel about this house.)

And yet, it's the thirteen GOP House members who decided that childcare and drinking water and transportation and high-speed internet might actually benefit their constituents, who are in actual threat of some kind of censure. For doing what they reckoned to be their actual jobs in Congress, as opposed to just being partisan signifiers. 

Now Gosar can claim all he likes that he's just posting a meme all in good fun ha ha. He responded with a Soyboy vs. Chad meme. Totes MGTOW. 

I've noticed before his socials have gone deep on manosphere BS lately. And yes, indeed, this a special kind of violent little fuckshittery, because while I always had Gosar nailed as more of a Bowl Ganger, the Eliot Rodgers fan club is a whole world of upfuckedness. No wonder he targets AOC. (And is not the first at all.) 

Fascists pretend they're are being funny: "Why have you no sense of humor?" and so on--but they mean it. People thought Hitler was a clown as well. How are people so obviously dysfunctional causing the problems they do? They are laughable enough that we don't knock them down. We show the compassion they never would because we fail to grasp the depths of their fuckery. And their followers have elevated ironic detachment into psychopathic abandon.

But for what it's worth, we can all appreciate the humor of spouse-strangler Sean Parnell alleging that strong men were once valued, not because they hunted mammoths, but because they saved women from dinosaurs which is why we need strong men in office even if they are wife-throttlers.  This is a goggle-eyed goober (and I'm sure Josh Hawley was taking notes about masculinity from this beard-capable jerkwagon) but let's not laugh, because abusers like this aren't even being shunned by Nice Polite Republicans anymore. 

You can be a celebrity if you run for office, and they will let you do whatever. And it is like a joke, but it isn't really. They will let you do whatever. Over and over again. To anyone, ever. Because morals and compassion mean nothing! Hooray! Freedumb! And weaklings comply just so it isn't themselves--today.

And see? All Kevin McCarthy has to do to let Gosar prosper and let absolute morons like Boebert, Cawthorn and Greene punish the actual handful of sane members of his party is nothing. He abdicates to the freshmen class. He leads by following a crowd to do evil. So banal. 

The sad thing is, even if censure took place, the damage is done. The incitement occurred. Gosar is so unfit six of his siblings are set against him, but his district is so red any unfit fuck could win if they were hateful enough. Do his constituents know he's sick in the head? Care even? Is he their kind of sick? Do they realize he isn't representing their needs, so much as making us wonder who they hell they are for sending him to congress? Do they laugh at this? Because his staffers helped him here. Are they proud of their important service here? 

This is not a joke. This is about our democracy and our actual freedoms being threatened with the potential for mob violence by careless chucklefucks. This is individual consciences being put to the screws of random terror. People simply don't notice until it is too late.