COMMENTARY: It’s not about you, Marjorie Taylor Greene

What a good week it should have been for Republicans.

Dozens of campuses from UCLA to Columbia University were wracked by pro-Palestinian protesters who set up “Gaza Solidarity” encampments, spewed antisemitic hate speech, took over buildings and intimidated Jewish students. The protesters demanded their schools condemn Israel’s invasion of Gaza, come out in support of Palestinians or divest themselves of any Israeli investments.

The riots were so heavily covered by the national media and criticized by conservatives that some spineless “progressive” university presidents were finally shamed into calling in the cops to clear the campgrounds and restore order.

The campus riots of the past two weeks should have been a sweet political bonus for Republicans. They should have been another issue to hang around the necks of Democrats, a party that will never criticize any part of their base no matter how criminally or idiotic they behave or hatefully they chant.

But instead of pounding President Joe Biden, Sen. Chuck Schumer and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the media for their cowardly silence over the pro-Palestinian riots, what did the Republican Party do to get into the headlines? Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she was going to go through with her attempt to oust Mike Johnson as speaker of the House this week.

A narcissist who always wants the media spotlight on her, Rep. MTG is the leader of the GOP’s right-wing fringe. She and her ilk think now is a great time to try to get rid of Johnson. But it isn’t the right time, and she’s apparently too much of a narcissist to know better.

What all Republicans should be doing is ripping into the blue-state governors for their failure to address and end the college riots.

They all should be blasting Biden for waiting until Thursday to wake up and tell the American people what he should have been saying a week ago — violent protest is wrong.

And by the way, does anyone think Biden would have stayed quiet for so long if white supremacists had rioted on Columbia’s campus?

Biden would have ordered in the National Guard in 30 seconds, and Gov. Hochul would have been leading them — wearing a helmet and carrying a carbine.

Hochul, like Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Gov. What’s-his-name of Illinois, has been MIA since the campus riots began spreading. Can’t they tell students that although peacefully calling for the death of all Jews is protected by the First Amendment, it’s not a good or moral or American thing to do?

And can’t blue-state governors tell students that violent protest that hurts people and destroys property is never protected by law — no matter how holy or woke the cause?

Of course, we know from what happened during the BLM riots and the bloody and destructive riots in dozens of cities following George Floyd’s death that some violent protesters get a stay-out-of-jail pass under Democrat justice. We also know that the 1,000 college kids who’ve been arrested will be free in a couple hours, won’t have to post bail and are likely to never be prosecuted.

There’s only one way to stop this madness and return the country to sanity — vote these dangerous Democrats out of office in November. There’s no hope for the future of the country unless there’s a massive Republican wave in the fall.

And one of the best ways to help ensure a Red Wave happens is for MTG to sit down, shut up and realize it’s not about her, it’s about America.

Michael Reagan, the son of President Ronald Reagan, is an author, speaker and president of the Reagan Legacy Foundation. Contact him at reagan@caglecartoons.com and follow @reaganworld on X.