
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) made quite the spectacle of herself during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. Between her inexplicable choice of outerwear for the annual delivery — a white coat with fur trim — and inappropriate behavior by booing and shouting at the president, many made the comparison to Disney’s Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians.
Recommended VideosAnd over on MSNBC, political analyst Matthew Dowd, who previously served as chief strategist for the George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign, described Greene as “Tonya Harding in a fur coat.”
Dowd made the remarks on Wednesday evening while discussing the State of the Union with Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace.
“Well I think this is an important topic, because what I think it underlines is the Sarah Huckabee thing, as well as Tonya Harding in a fur coat last night screaming at Joe Biden,” Dowd said, as Wallace burst into laughter. “Yeah, there she is. I’m surprised she didn’t have somebody go after somebody with ice skates.”
The camera then cut to the rest of the talking heads on the panel, who were likewise in stitches over his remark.
“It underlines the idea that they don’t care about leading the American public, they have given up on that,” he explained, as Wallace continued giggling. “And Sarah Huckabee Sanders speech — I think she intently did what she did because they don’t care about where the majority of the country stands. They only care about this cave of crazy that they live in.”
"It underlines the idea that [Republicans] don't care about leading the American public. They have given up on that… most of the Republican Party has decided to jettison that traditional idea that you're supposed to lead everyone" – @matthewjdowd w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/KPCgBekXfW
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) February 9, 2023Dowd was referring to the newly-elected governor of Arkansas, who delivered an unhinged rebuttal to Biden’s speech late Tuesday night. Harding, of course, is the former Olympic figure skater and subject of the 2017 biographical comedy I, Tonya starring Margot Robbie, who was notoriously involved in the attack on her U.S. skating rival Nancy Kerrigan in 1994.
At any rate, it didn’t take long for Dowd’s comments to go viral, as people clearly resonated with the comparison.
Just about spit out my water when @matthewjdowd called @RepMTG the "Tonya Harding of the House!"@SpeakerMcCarthy is in for a rough ride. It's an apt comparison. pic.twitter.com/quKNSw6mfx
— Hawaii Shira (@HawaiiShira) February 8, 2023“Tonya Harding in a fur coat.”
—Matthew Dowd pic.twitter.com/LNyZBP914f
#GQPClownShow
Tonya Harding? I thought it was a yowling shIt gibbon that escaped from the zoo. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/swXUlmuDB7
LMAO ‘Tonya Harding in a Fur Coat’ https://t.co/txNrhn1S4O
— Mark {Mac} Cassady🌊🍀💙 (@EagleMacCassady) February 9, 2023Yet, others defended Harding, pointing out that despite everything else, the skater was more accomplished than Greene could ever hope to be.
It's really not. Tonya Harding was talented, tough, and unwittingly cast as the villain in a media circus. MTG is just a freelance clown. https://t.co/HLHMXJJB7k
— andi zeisler (@andizeisler) February 9, 2023Tonya Harding is a lot of things but how DARE anyone compare the triple axel queen to MTG that is so rude pic.twitter.com/7zV3LdDNGB
— Sarah Dvojack (@sarahdvojack) February 9, 2023This is an unfair comparison.
Tonya Harding had talent. https://t.co/G801nivlyt
— Azathoth's Daddy (@AquaVelvaBoy) February 8, 2023Unfortunately, with Greene and her ilk in Congress — unlike the 1994 U.S. Olympic figure skating team — everyone in America loses.
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