Performative Peril

 Republicans love to put on shows to stoke the fears of their non-plutocrat constituents, and this past week has been no exception.  The particular tactic they have been using is the pose that they are in danger... I mean, look at them arming themselves and taking a gunboat voyage on the Rio Grande:

A not-so-swift boat. https://t.co/ulTw7naHaH

— David Neiwert (@DavidNeiwert) March 28, 2021

This is nothing more than Apocalypse Now cosplay, calculated to convince their voters that Mexicans are a threat to these here United States... Christ, I wish these assholes would never get out of the boat, their pointless drifting on the river is less offensive than their pointless drifting in Congress. To make this stunt even more ridiculous, these are the sort of people who denigrated John Kerry's very real experience of danger on a swift boat in Vietnam... I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Republicans love stolen valor, and will choose a fauxrior over a warrior any day. 

 The other big display of performative bravado in the face of nonexistent peril was Lindsey Graham's 'Rambo' fantasy (well, his other Rambo fantasy) about defending his home from 'gangs' with an AR-15:

"I own an AR-15. If there's a natural disaster in South Carolina where the cops can't protect my neighborhood, my house will be the last one that the gang will come to, because I can defend myself." -- Lindsey Graham pic.twitter.com/PYTkLzvK1J

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 28, 2021

This is a guy who has a security detail, and in any case of natural disaster and cibil unrest, protecting his house would be a priority for local police. In the real world, despite hus racist framing of a gang assault, the biggest threat to Graham come from deranged Trump dead-enders who don't think that his callow obsequiousness constituted sufficient loyalty to the Former Guy. 

Unfortunately, cringeworthy displays like this seem to play well with the Republican base, despite how laughable they are. Hopefully, as the pandemic subsides and the economy rebounds, these fear tactics will be laughed away as genuine hope becomes a viable campaign strategy.