Although Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) keeps attracting positive attention in Trump’s circles thanks to his essentially never-ending antics, opposition continues growing.
Protesters against Gaetz showed up outside a Saturday campaign rally for him in northern Florida; he’s running for re-election but first must win a GOP primary. “Indict Matt Gaetz Now,” one demonstrator’s sign said. “Vote For Pedo,” another’s added, referring to the ongoing federal criminal investigation into Gaetz’s potential involvement in child sex trafficking. “Women have had enough of him and had enough of his mouth speaking derogatory to women who are simply expressing their rights,” Samantha Hope Herring, one of the demonstrators outside Gaetz’s rally, remarked. During a recent speech at a Turning Point USA event in Florida, Gaetz spoke in obnoxious, demeaning terms about those advocating for abortion rights.
“Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions?” Gaetz said. “Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb.” Besides the glaring lack of basic decency, those comments don’t even begin to address the situations in which someone who’s a victim of sexual assault or suffering from serious medical complications may be seeking an abortion.
It’s part of an apparent trend of conservative leaders sticking to what’s basically nothing more than being atrocious. In recently circulating remarks, Ohio Senate pick J.D. Vance seemingly suggested individuals in “violent” marriages avoid divorce for the ostensible good of any kids involved, and in a post to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump himself mocked Biden’s recent bout with COVID-19: “[Biden] instead has Dementia, but is happily recovering well. Joe is thinking of moving, part time, to one of those beautiful Wisconsin Nursing Homes, where almost 100% of the residents miraculously, and for the first time in history, had the strength and energy to vote – even if those votes were cast illegally.”
As for Gaetz, Herring — one of the protesters outside his weekend rally — helped create a Facebook group to organize opposition. Presumably, future protests could be on the horizon. “By speaking up, we can organize together to vote him out,” Herring said. “That’s the number one thing we want to see happen. And we also are going to be asking Congress to censure Matt Gaetz.” The Congressman himself “was brought into a side door on the other side of the building,” according to a report from a northern Florida ABC affiliate. “Hundreds of women for Matt Gaetz showed up to rallies today in real life,” a statement from the Gaetz campaign said. “Woke activists sharing hate online aren’t our focus. Matt Gaetz is pro-life and wouldn’t have it any other way.” One of the ways that seems ridiculous is protesters were, in fact, physically there, even if they organized their efforts online.
At least a couple of anti-abortion leaders criticized Gaetz’s remarks at that conference for basically going too far, but he obviously doesn’t seem concerned. Individuals involved in the weekend protests against Gaetz indicated they’d be reaching out to Nancy Pelosi this week to push for censuring the Florida Congressman.
