Lauren Boebert is a political newcomer, an incoming Congresswoman representing the geographically large and conservative Third District of Colorado. She ran on what was largely a pro-gun platform, and she owned a pro-gun restaurant called “Shooters” in, of all places, Rifle, Colorado, where she encouraged her customers to “open carry.” (For you non-Yanks, that means you can tote your gun or rifle out in plain sight.) The waitresses all open carry as well.
Here’s Boebert open carrying in Shooters, handgun strapped to her thigh:
Boebert is a hyper-conservative who herself has open-carried for eight years. She’s also sympathetic to QAnon. As a New York Times article reported:
Appearing on a radio program last month, she said of QAnon: “I hope that this is real because it only means America is getting stronger and better, and people are returning to conservative values, and that’s what I am for.”
“If this is real,” she added, “then it could be really great for our country.”
If you know what QAnon is, you’ll realize what a loon she is.
So far she looks to be amusing, though possibly dangerous. She’s insisted that, for protection, she’s going to carry her Glock into the Capitol and into the House chamber. That’s apparently legal for concealed carry, as the news report below notes. Twenty-one Congressional Democrats have asked Pelosi to get guns banned from the Capitol, but even more of Boebert’s fellow Republicans have defended her “right” to carry guns. Such is America.
All in all, Boebert looks to be a cross between Wayne LaPierre and Sarah Palin. It’s going to be an amusing two years—and let’s hope that’s her total tenure—with Boebert in the House. But perhaps it will be distressing as well, for several venues, including the Independent and Alternet (click on screenshots) have repeated accusations that Boebert was not only was in favor of the storming of the Capitol last week (she was one of the House Republicans asking for an “audit” of the election results), but was also tweeting out information where Nancy Pelosi was during the siege, ostensibly to help protestors locate the Speaker.
As for the accusations that Boebert was egging on, or at least sympathetic to, the demonstrators, we have this (from the Independent):
Just before the attack, Ms Boebert gave an impassioned speech in which she claimed some of her constituents were among the mob fighting the police on the Capitol steps at the time.
“Madame Speaker, I have constituents outside this building right now and I promised to be their voice,” Ms Boebert said while challenging the results of the election in Arizona. “It is my separate but equal obligation to weigh in on this election and object.”
Ms Boebert is no stranger to far-right extremist groups.
ABC News reported that her former campaign manager, Sherronna Bishop, had praised the Proud Boys, an SPLC-designated hate group that travels the country starting fights at protests and espouses a neo-fascist ideology.
The Proud Boys were among those who attacked the US Capitol.
. . . and a tweet that Boebert issued the morning of the siege.
Today is 1776.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 6, 2021
Now what on earth did she mean by that? 1776 was the American Revolution, and did she simply think that the protest itself outside the Capitol was “1776”? That doesn’t make a lot of sense. Was she complicit in incitement? You be the judge.
As for the claim that she was helping the protestors locate Pelosi, I don’t see much evidence. What’s adduced is this pair of tweets:
The Speaker has been removed from the chambers.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 6, 2021
Which gave rise to these accusations:
After announcing the morning of the insurrection that she is part of the revolution, she literally tweets the potential location of the Speaker as the terrorists break into the Capitol. Please investigate @FBI @FBIWFO @CBI_Colorado pic.twitter.com/SKpTLyPjTu
— Lynn (@LynnInTheHouse1) January 9, 2021
@FBIWFO please arrest @laurenboabert for aiding and abetting those who were hunting down @SpeakerPelosi on Jan, 6th by tweeting the Speaker's whereabouts.
She's 5ft tall, 100 pounds and carries a Glock (and won't stop telling everyone).
— Ibrahim (@ialhusseini) January 10, 2021
I can’t force myself to conclude that Boebert was using these tweets to help the insurrectionists find the Speaker. She could simply have been reporting what was going on with her group of fellow Representatives. But she really should have kept her fingers off the keyboard. You don’t tweet when a crazed mob is bent on breaking into your chambers. Clearly, like Trump, she’s going to use Twitter as a political weapon.
But this isn’t the last we’ll hear of Lauren Boebert. Trump may be on the way out, but we still have an unhinged government official with a love of tweeting running loose in the Capitol. And, unlike Trump, she has a Glock. I smell trouble.
_______________________
UPDATE: Boebert issued a statement in response to calls for her resignation, which you can read here. Note that she quotes Johnny Depp and Madonna as real instigators of violence.
UPDATE 2. One website says this:
Lauren Boebert has had numerous brushes with the law herself (pdf) for petty offenses including disorderly conduct, fleeing law enforcement, speeding and careless driving, driving with expired plates, failures to appear in court, and other offenses.
Check out the rap sheet. Read about her husband, too, as there’s one funny quip about her future husband exposing himself in a bar (before they were married):
Two females described the incident to Garfield County Sheriff officers and signed witness statements leading to Jayson’s arrest. Jayson told the officers that he had “displayed his thumb pretending it was his genitals in a gesture of fun,” according to the report, but one of the victims wrote in her statement, “I know that wasn’t his thumb, because thumbs aren’t 6 inches long.”
h/t: Woody
I have two thoughts on Boebert. First, I watched her speak on the House floor that night – and her oratory style is, well, bananas to start, but religious in execution. It’s revival speak. And makes the ears bleed.
–
Second, regarding her glock, I don’t know if anyone else saw her commercial stating that she’d be wearing it in congress, but apparently that was a lie, and she did not. If I were one of her colleagues I’d be mightily concerned the day she does indeed bring it within those walls. She’s a dangerous loon.
See the video in my post. She says she will indeed be concealed-carrying her weapon into the Capitol. That’s not a lie as far as I know.
Thanks- appears I was mistaken. From what I can see, she has yet to carry, but will.
Isn’t it illegal to carry a firearm in DC? Are Congress critters exempt?
ETA: Forget it, I have done the research and found I must have been thinking ng about open carry only.
You can see here full speech here:
https://www.9news.com/video/news/politics/colorado-congresswoman-lauren-boebert-full-house-floor-statement-jan-6/73-6b8ce8eb-2eda-4720-ac8a-1aad9dc6a1e5
She does seem unhinged. . .
If only evangelicals would just let ladies be pastors, maybe she wouldn’t have turned to politics. That said, she’d likely be just as dangerous and unhinged at a pulpit as she is in congress.
Firearms are prohibited in the Capitol.
https://www.uscp.gov/visiting-capitol-hill/regulations-prohibitions/prohibited-items
She aided the insurrection. The House should expel her.
What “insurrection”? Maybe 50 people got into the Capitol building through a broken door — others were actually let in by the police — after the Senators had already left. The demonstrators mostly walked around taking pictures, and then left. The vast majority of the pro-Trump demonstrators stayed outside, on the Ellipse or the overflow area, doing nothing but waving flags and chanting slogans. At the six o’clock curfew, they walked away. Where’s the “insurrection”, outside the propaganda of the Dems and the media?
There wan’t much killing either. Almost negligible, one might say – or fail to say, as the case may be.
Ludicrous. I hope they get guns banned from the Capitol!!
Yeah, it seems entirely reasonable to restrict people from bringing firearms into the halls of Congress, unless one is a member of the Secret Service or similar. Even then, it’s iffy. This is a place a lawmaking, and it’s supposed to be a place of reasoned debate. How unbiased can a person be when arguing with someone who’s packing?
I did not know Congress allowed open carry in the Capitol. Three thoughts:
1. Seems very likely, but utterly hypocritical, that this applies only to Congresscritters and maybe staff, not visiting public.
2. Guns are generally not allowed in federal buildings (exceptions for officers, FBI, etc.). This is your brain (points to Supreme court building)…this is your brain on NRA campaign contributions (points to Capitol).
3. AIUI open carry is illegal in D.C., so she’d better store that thing before walking out of the building. While her position probably insulates her from police overreaction, I doubt very much the Capitol or D.C. police are in the mood to ignore her illegally walking the grounds with a gun on her belt.
No, Congress allows CONCEALED carry, as the video at the top explains.
One word :
Fantasyland
Second (and last) post for now, per da roolz:
Non substantive question: did I miss the second tweet?
Substantive comment: were I USSS, and a mob was in the building looking for my charge, and I’m moving them around so as not to be found, I would absolutely consider this tweet ‘helping them locate her’. It eliminates not just a possible search area, but probably their first choice of search area, thus speeding up the process.
There are two “lock her up” tweets.
She’s probably already preparing her bid for the 2024 nomination!
I wonder whether she really is a loon, i.e., mentally ill. Perhaps just the product of a loony environment. Whichever it is, she is both ridiculous and scary.
She said Biden has dementia
Boebert is crazy but nothing new in the halls of Congress, after every election you get a few loons in the House, be that Boebert, Marjorie Taylor-Greene (another QAnon follower), Louie Gohmert, Michele Bachman (remember her?) or that Democratic congressman who was afraid the island of Guam would tip over into the ocean. What’s more worrying is that a majority of the House Republicans voted to overturn the election.
NOPE.
Prohibited Items on the U.S. Capitol Grounds
Pursuant to the United States and District of Columbia Criminal Codes, firearms, dangerous weapons, explosives, or incendiary devices are prohibited on U.S. Capitol Grounds.
Federal law prohibits flying Unmanned Aircraft Systems, such as drones, anywhere in the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Capitol Grounds are designated as a NO DRONE ZONE.
Prohibited Items in the U.S. Capitol & U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
Bags exceeding the size of 18” wide x 14” high x 8.5” deep.
Firearms to include replica guns and ammunition.
Weapons (to include but not limited to): Black jack, sling shot, sand club, sandbag, knuckles, electric stun guns, knives of any size including razors and box cutters, martial arts weapons or devices. Staff may possess knives with blades 3″ or less.
Pointed objects to include but not limited to knitting needles, letter openers, and other pointed objects deemed a possible threat. Pens and pencils are permitted. This restriction does not apply to staff.
Explosives and explosive devices to include, but not limited to, Molotov Cocktails, components of a destructive device, and fireworks.
Are Representatives somehow immune from those restrictions? If so, then the news report above is wrong–and Boebert even crazier.
Maybe she will shoot her eyes out.
Boebert, and her ilk, certainly are funny, at least in the sense of that word that is typically considered to be derogatory. But I think it is a mistake to not take these people as the serious threats that many of them have shown themselves to be already. She, and her ilk, are fanatics. Serious bloodshed could be committed and instigated by these silly people given the right circumstances, and at the moment the potential for the right circumstances is high.
I see no reason to give Boebert the benefit of the doubt regarding whether or not her intent with her tweets was to aid the insurrectionists. I don’t think there is much room for doubt. Due processes of the law should be followed of course, but when it comes to threat assessment she very much merits being considered a real and potentially serious threat.
That Boebert is a Congressperson is disgraceful. She merits being expelled from Congress.
+1
“…a cross between Wayne LaPierre and Sarah Palin.”
That’s about right, with a sprinkling of Louie Gohmert for good measure. I consider “The Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the Obama administration” Gohmert to be one of the worst politicians in Washington…and probably the stupidest. Oh Texas, why must you elect the absolute worst human beings as your President and state representatives? Hopefully that’s changing though.
Gosh, she looks awfully good wearing that pistol and isn’t it great that, should she need to shoot someone, she can. (Sarcasm.)
Hey, if I ever *needed* to shoot somebody, I’d make sure that I could. Why do you think that the big cities with the strictest gun-control laws have the worst violent-crime rates, while places like Kennesaw, Tucson and El Paso have vanishingly low violent-crime rates? She’s making a big point about an actually important point.
If she climbs Mt. Elbert can she see Russia?
🐾🐾
It’s just maddening to me that past infractions that would make it hard for a person to be licensed as a hairdresser (or a doctor) are no impairment to getting elected to Congress. I know it’s nothing new, but it sticks in my craw.
If there’s one thing I wish all of us on the centre/left could do consistently, it’s to stop acquiescing in people like Boebert’s self-description as “conservative”, which makes them sound far more respectable than they have any right to be considered. Even by US standards they (the Trumpy wing of the GOP) are far-right fanatics (“loon” is apposite). These people conserve nothing. Their only talent is for destruction and chaos. Same goes for the “Conservative Party” in the UK, which Thatcher remoulded as a radical right-wing vehicle to ride roughshod over the post-war social democratic consensus, and which has now reached its logical conclusion forty years later in becoming the party of Brexiteer fantasy politics.
Right on the money as usual, Mr. Dore. They’re not conservatives, they’re fanatics.
D.A.
NYC
I’m a bit behind here, but Jonathan’s point is one that I was going to make – she is not a conservative, or a hyper-conservative. I doubt that she could give a cogent statement about positions taken by truly conservative politicians and commentators. She is more a shallow libertarian who believes that being a conservative means wrapping yourself in the flag and packing heat so that you can take aim at anyone who is not a straight, white, Christian Republican. I am convinced that she would never have won if she was an overweight, less-than-attractive teller at Alpine Bank in Rifle. She hitched her get-along to Trump, and hopefully that will sink her as it did the two Senators from Georgia. Hopefully the Republicans in the Third District will put forward a sane candidate in 2022.
Wonder what prompted the moderation…….
I wouldn’t want to have to dispute the bill in that restaurant. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t want to be in that restaurant if somebody else is disputing their bill.
I bet the waitresses get the best tips.
From CNN International News:
“House members will now need to be screened through metal detectors to access chamber floor
From CNN’s Daniella Diaz
Following last week’s attack on Capitol Hill, and concerns among members that some colleagues have been ignoring House rules and bringing firearms into the Capitol building, the US Capitol Police have set up metal detectors outside the House floor.
CNN has confirmed that all House members, staff and aides will need to be screened before being allowed on the floor, a Democratic aide tells CNN. Separately a US Capitol Police source confirmed the measures are in place as well. “
From NYT:
House Republicans balk at new rules requiring all members to pass through metal detectors
When we do emergency drills at school (eg. fire, earthquake, intruder), the students are instructed that they are not to use their cellphones during the drill or a real emergency. This will serve to be a useful example as to why we have that rule.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0535/6917/products/mistakesdemotivator_grande.jpeg?v=1416776264
In the long-ago musical “Finian’s Rainbow”, there is a song about a place in Ireland like Ms. Boebert’s image of the House of Representatives. It is called “Glocka Mora”, referring no doubt to her favorite weapon and fashion accessory. Here is a representative verse.
How are things in Glocka Mora?
Is that willow tree still weeping there?
Does that lassie with the twinklin’ eye
Come smilin’ by and does she walk away,
Bear in mind that QAnon was started as a prank by a bunch of students. Then they saw that a lot of actual nuts signed on with them, so they turned over the website to the police — who have since used it to watch and tweak the real nuts. It’s interesting that the media are now using QAnon as a tar-brush to besmirch anyone they don’t like. I’d take these accusations against Boebert with a large grain of salt.
WOW! That’s some plumb loco loon there. I do like “6 inch thumb”. “Disorderly conduct” is a catch all charge, usually code for (often drunk) being an asshole and causing a kerfuffle.
I don’t think her tweet about the speaker was a location thing, more reportage. Still. If not what is alleged, it is certainly disorderly.
CO is an interesting place, isn’t it? Part of the state is ultra lib (they legalized psilocybin there last year – huzzah!) and yet the less peopled areas are… well places who’d elect this fine specimen. And gun crazy – Quick Draw McGraw style. (I haven’t been there).
Still…. she’s probably better than Sarah Palin, a well known emetic.
D.A.
NYC
There wan’t much killing either. Almost negligible, one might say – or fail to say, as the case may be.