“She has to do something with all that hot air.”
On February 7, as American eyes turned towards Congress in readiness for President Biden's 'State of the Union' address, Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor-Greene did everything possible to gain attention for herself,. She was seen wandering around the halls of Congress, with a large white helium balloon trailing behind her.
It was an apparent reference to the recently resolved drama involving a Chinese surveillance balloon that President Biden had ultimately dealt with by shooting it down once it was safely over the ocean.
Biden was criticized by numerous Republicans for not taking action sooner, even though it was seemingly shot down once diplomatic efforts had been completed and it was safely over water.
Commenting on the stunt, Bonnie Watson Coleman - a Democrat from New Jersey made a pointed criticism of MTG and her actions:
“She has to do something with all that hot air.”
MTG seeking publicity by any means possible
It was quite apparent that in wandering around with her balloon, the controversial Georgia Republican was clearly doing what she could to get the media eyes upon her, and to remind the nation of the recent drama that had unfolded. Her actions on February 7 followed a week in which Taylor-Greene had attracted media attention for the very public fight between her and New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In recent weeks, the Georgia Republican appears to have stepped-up her media campaign, as a means of growing her profile as a possible running-mate for Donald Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign.
Her publicity stunts have been gaining her almost coverage in recent weeks as the sizeable defeats received by some of the amendments that she has introduced for consideration by the House.
A recent amendment proposed by Taylor-Greene intended to prevent the Biden Administration from selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was subjected to a landslide defeat, receiving just 14 votes in favor and 418 votes against.
Disrupting the State of the Union
It's not clear whether MTG actually intended to take the balloon into the chamber where President Biden was giving his address, but in any event her stunt seemed to serve its purpose, gaining attention for the Georgia Republican.
Later, when President Biden was giving his address to the assembled audience, Taylor-Greene could be seen heckling and shouting in response to some of the points made by the President. On multiple occasions during his speech, Taylor-Greene could be seen yelling "Liar!" towards Biden.
She later broadcast a video on her Twitter page in which she shared her impressions on the State of the Union address, and it's fair to say that her assessment wasn't universally positive.
Some of her more committed fans may feel that MTG scored points over the Biden administration through her most recent stunt. Her constituents in Georgia who voted her into power for a second term, may well find themselves a little confused and concerned as to whether the Republican is prioritizing their issues or simply trying to build her own profile.
Do you think that Marjorie Taylor-Greene is more focused on getting publicity for herself over resolving the issues that are of most importance to her constituents? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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