If Marjorie Taylor Greene is the future of the Republican Party, I don't want it

It’s time for elected Republicans to get their act together.

Enough with them trying to figure out which narcissist will be the president and which idiot would best be speaker of the House. Politics might be fun if you’re getting paid six figures to hang out on Capitol Hill, but it has real consequences for real people.

If Republicans think conservatism is the best way to govern the country, they need to start electing, nominating and appointing people who will implement these ideas. Not people like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

Even the mere mention of Greene committing to ousting Speaker Mike Johnson is insanity and proof she and any Republican who supports her don't care about the Constitution, our democracy or their party.

“I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may and so next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate. Absolutely, calling it,” she said at a Wednesday news conference.

Republicans want a functioning House. So why are they always fighting?

Johnson has faced legitimate criticism after he pushed through a massive aid bill for Ukraine and a controversial House bill about antisemitism that some on the right posit criminalizes Christian beliefs.

Republicans enjoy a slight majority in the House but don't act like it. They’re either in chaos, not doing what should be done, or passing laws that are unnecessary or performative.

Marjorie Taylor Greene represents the worst of the Republican Party

At the news conference Wednesday, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said he thought Greene was “the most serious representative” in Washington, D.C. If that's true, it’s time to start over. Republican voters are not sending their best to represent them in Washington. Or, the best people are not running for office. Either way, things need to change.

Greene is unhinged and unfit to be a Republican leader. The way she presents herself now is the way Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., seems unhinged to Republicans, but Greene is twice as destructive.

Greene has a history of incendiary behavior. She has been banned from Twitter and was stripped of her committee assignments in 2021.

She even adopted QAnon conspiracy theories and used violent rhetoric against political foes.

Did MTG go too far for MAGA? Marjorie Taylor Greene breaks MAGA stupidity barrier as Democrats vow to save Mike Johnson

The worst part is her cozy relationship with Donald Trump and her unwavering support of his presidency.

She has, over and over, offered a full-throated defense of anything and everything he stands for, whether it’s that the election was rigged or that there are FBI informants ratting out Trump at Mar-a-Lago who have betrayed the rightful president.

I have to believe Republicans are better than this

It’s not like Greene is the only out-of-touch member in a Congress full of weirdos and incompetent people. Like the Republican choice for president, there are many other viable options for House speaker.

Representatives who are zealous but sound, passionate, but not conspiracy theorists who think the election is rigged and the FBI is spying on everyone.

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Greene is like that crazy uncle at Thanksgiving who won’t stop ranting about UFOs or the military-industrial complex. Do both exist? Maybe? But who talks about it at the dinner table like it’s a normal, regular thing? It’s one thing for the people of Georgia to want her as a representative, that’s their prerogative, but for the rest of the GOP to consider her as a leader in the House is another thing entirely.

I’ve been asking myself the same question since Jan. 6, 2021: Aren’t Republicans better than this? Marjorie Taylor Greene in a leadership position suggests they’re not after all.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seriously, GOP? MTG trying to oust Speaker Mike Johnson is a joke