Today's Worst Person In The World- Eric Greitens
Today's Worst Person In The World- Eric Greitens
If he'll advocate violence to win a Republican primary, what will he do to win a general election?
Missouri Republican Senate candidate Eric Greitens may be many things, but a prince among men, he’s not. I’ll get to more of that in a bit, but I wanted to begin with one of his latest campaign ads, in which he goes “RINO hunting.” One YouTube commenter called the ad “an explicit call for literal, not metaphorical, acts of violence against a specific group of his fellow Americans.”
And he’s not wrong.
Greitens’ ad certainly isn’t the first example of a Republican inciting stochastic terrorism, but it’s one of the most obvious, if not the most disturbing. Greitens is not so subtly calling for violence against those who are “Republicans in name only” or those not “MAGA enough” to satisfy Donald Trump.
The not-so-implied message, of course, is that Eric Greitens IS willing to take that step. And as a former Navy SEAL, he has the skill set to do what needs to be done.
Not surprisingly, the GOP writ large has yet to condemn Greitens for his ad and seems inclined to accept anything that shows promise of getting them a majority in November.
By any means necessary, eh? It’s not like Greitens is advocating violence…although that’s precisely what he’s doing.
Republican Senate candidate Eric Greitens, who’s credibly accused of physically abusing his ex-wife and their children, released a violent campaign ad this week that depicted him hunting down his political enemies. He was obviously joking, of course, because that’s just the style of humor you’d expect from someone who was also credibly accused of violent sexual assault and blackmail.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:
“I don’t think there is a real person in Missouri who thinks about it literally. Not one,” Greitens said in an interview on KFTK (97.1 FM) radio. “What you’re seeing is a tremendous amount of faux outrage from leftists and RINOs.”
Faux outrage? When you’re advocating for Republicans employing violence against those Republicans you deem insufficiently faithful to the MAGA cause? If you’re willing to do that to members of your own party, what will you do to Liberals and Democrats?
And I’m not sure it matters whether or not anyone takes it literally. The fact that a candidate is airing an ad that employs violence or the threat of violence means that our politics has crossed a threshold no one should cross.
What’s next? Live executions of accused Islamic terrorists to boost a Republican candidate’s anti-terrorism bona fides?
According to Capitol Police, death threats to members of Congress doubled last year after the January 6 insurrection. GOP Rep. Fred Upton received more than 1,000 calls, including death threats, when seditionist Marjorie Taylor Greene labeled him a “RINO” because he voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Political violence is not a laughing matter. Also, jokes have punchlines. Greitens's ad was like Travis Bickle talking to his reflection in Taxi Driver.
“What you’re seeing is a tremendous amount of faux outrage from leftists and RINOs.” As if leftists and “RINOS” are somehow “less than” and worthy only of death? Greitens seems unwilling to acknowledge that politics is merely ideas, and ideas- at least in our democracy- aren’t (yet) valid reasons to kill Americans.
That’s the literal definition of terrorism. And Eric Greitens’ ad would seem to be the very definition of stochastic terrorism, so “winning by any means necessary” presents no moral hurdle for him.
Greitens doesn’t deserve the attention a national forum would provide him. It would be free advertising for his campaign, and the exposure would be invaluable. Hopefully, “Morning Joe” will be smart enough to tell Greitens to pound sand.
The one thing Donald Trump has done for American politics is to unleash bottom feeders and moral reprobates like Greitens upon the American body politic. Eric Greitens shouldn’t be allowed to run for a school board seat in rural Missouri, much less represent the Show-Me State in the US Senate.
There is something deeply troubling about a man who would advocate for violence against “RINOs” and then pass it off as essentially a metaphor, a joke no one could take seriously.
But how could anyone living in America today NOT take Greitens’ ad seriously? When this country is averaging more than one mass shooting per day, how can a Republican Senate candidate airing an ad like Greitens not be taken seriously?
Here's what Greitens said during his appearance on living Dorian Gray portrait Steve Bannon’s show:
The reason they engage in name-calling against me, the reason why they engage in name-calling against President Trump, the reason they engage in name-calling against all the true “America First” candidates and all the true MAGA leaders is they can’t actually debate on the issues.
To call his argument laughable wouldn’t begin to do justice to it. Those on the Left can certainly debate him and other “MAGA leaders” on the issues. We’re not the ones engaging in “name-calling.”
The problem is that when we attempt to debate MAGA politicians on the issues, we get bombarded with false Fox News statistics. We’re shouted down. We’re ridiculed. There’s no attempt made to discuss the issues. “America First” candidates can’t hold their own in a debate because the facts aren’t on their side- and they know it. So they deflect. And argue. And go off on tangents. And, yes, engage in name-calling.
It’s a time-honored technique pioneered by Josef Goebbels- loudly accuse your adversary of engaging in the same behavior you are. Of course, any outrage will be directed at your adversary as you go about your business uninterrupted.
Frank Bruni of the New York Times found Greitens’ ad to be “an act of reckless so extreme that it’s morally perverse.”
Eric Greitens is surely pleased with himself. He’s laughing all the way to the polls. With a campaign ad that a semiliterate adolescent on crystal meth might consider clever, the Missouri Republican this week inflamed Democrats, appalled journalists and for all of 12 hours — an eternity these days — dominated political discussion. That would have been the end of Greitens in a normal country in normal times. In ours at this juncture, he probably just had the biggest spurt of fund-raising for his Senate bid yet. Give decency the finger and count your winnings.
That’s what Donald Trump taught him. It’s what Trump taught much of the Republican Party, which now confuses outrageousness with intrepidness, offensiveness with independence, provocation with cunning and puerility with defiance. If you’re flying in the face of tradition, you’re your own Top Gun, even if the tradition is, say, democracy. If you’re coloring outside the lines, you’re your own political Picasso, even if the line is truth itself.
Greitens survived all of 17 months as Governor of Missouri. He was forced to resign in 2018 after having an extramarital affair and blackmailing his mistress with nude photos of her.
Stay classy, eh?
His ex-wife has accused him of abusing both her and their children. Greitens denies both charges.
Instead of taking time to put his life back together (so much for self-awareness), Greitens has determined that the best course is to double down on his political ambitions.
It’s not a stretch to argue that Eric Greitens is unsuited for political office. However, what might he do to win the general election if he runs ads like “RINO Hunting” to win a Republican primary?
It’s clear that Greitens either lacks the moral framework or was left too damaged by his service in the Navy Seals to function in the civilian world. I won’t speculate beyond that, but his behavior since he resigned as Governor has proven his unfitness for public service.
Republicans need to step up and remove a candidate in no shape, manner, or form fit to serve in the US Senate. Of course, that may be expecting too much from a party paralyzed with fear since the ascension of Donald Trump. Mango Mussolini has the balls of virtually every Republican locked in a jar in his desk drawer.
Eric Greitens might be the future of the GOP. And the future of the GOP may well be the demise of our democracy.
You can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. North Stars and Cowboy Bars is a reader-supported newsletter and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Americans Against Fascism, LLC. I hope you’ll take a few seconds to join the party and support my work via a paid subscription. While you’re at it, why not forward this to a few like-minded friends who might enjoy it!! You can also donate via Venmo (@Jack-Cluth).
