December 22, 2022 10:47 AM UTC

Lauren Boebert is the MVP (for the Democrats)

• 2 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

To paraphrase the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

The only thing that Lauren Boebert has learned from history is that Lauren Boebert has learned nothing from history.

Earlier this month we considered whether Republican Rep. Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert might have actually learned a lesson in self-preservation after her near-defeat in 2022. Despite representing what should be a safe Republican district — Donald Trump carried CO-03 by 9 points in 2020 — Boebert needed a mandatory recount to confirm her 546-vote victory over Democrat Adam Frisch. In the days before and after the election, local voters spoke to news outlets nationwide to explain that they had grown tired of Boebert’s toxic antics and silly grievances — a form of politics that has come to be dubbed “Angertainment.” Boebert’s political base may be the national gaggle of low-dollar donors who consider themselves “MAGA Republicans,” but she still needs the voters of CO-03 in order to keep her job.

Boebert seemed to understand that her constituents want someone to do the job of being a Congressional Representative rather than focus on slinging mud and silly one-liners at her political enemies. Boebert even talked about “taking the temperature down” in Washington DC and showing that Republicans can lead with “strength” and “grace.”

And then she just went right back to being the old Boebert.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a passionate speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening, thanking the United States for its continued support as it defends itself from a Russian invasion. Boebert and her creepy BFF — “Beavis” lookalike Matt Gaetz — couldn’t even bother to feign interest in what was a significant foreign policy moment for the United States:

Boebert doesn’t seem too interested in the speech pic.twitter.com/grOEaxwtZd

— Acyn (@Acyn) December 22, 2022

Despite visibly not paying attention to the speech, Boebert even had the nerve to post a video on Twitter afterward complaining that she didn’t hear Zelensky account for the money that the United States has already sent to help Ukraine in its war effort.

Boebert has also been making the wrong kind of news for Republicans lately because of an increasingly-nasty spat with fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene related to Boebert’s refusal to voice support for wannabe House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In fact, Boebert has managed to do something that no other person in Republican politics has been able to accomplish: She makes Marjorie Taylor Greene seem like the adult in the room.

Boebert’s antics have provided a useful bludgeon for new House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who wasted little time using Boebert as a prime example of Republican dysfunction in Congress:

Jeffries: House Republicans are attacking Senate Republicans. Marjorie Taylor Greene is fighting with Lauren Boebert and George Santos appears to be starring in the sequel to Catch Me If You Can and it’s not even January 3rd. pic.twitter.com/4aygy3pAF4

— Acyn (@Acyn) December 21, 2022

Boebert is an embarrassing bore as an elected official, but she’s much more of a problem for the GOP than she is for Democrats. Her childish rhetoric makes Republicans look stupid and its leaders weak for allowing her to shine the spotlight in ugly corners.

As we’ve said before, Colorado Republicans would be wise to support a strong Primary challenger for Boebert in 2024. Boebert does nothing helpful for the Colorado GOP — she didn’t endorse any candidates in 2022 and doesn’t dip into her campaign account to help others — and she is an endless source of terrible headlines for national Republicans. Prior to Zelensky’s speech, Boebert was one of just 28 Republicans to vote ‘NO’ on legislation to help victims of child sexual abuse.

What’s the argument in favor of Boebert at this point? Seriously — we’d like to know.

In fact, if there was a Most Valuable Player award in national politics, you could make a decent case for Boebert as MVP…for the Democrats.