Why is Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaker Pro Tempore?

Marjorie Taylor Greene is back in the headlines though this time it’s actually in her capacity as a member of the House of Representatives. The controversial politician is well known for her outlandish remarks and her active subscription to the conspiracy group known as QAnon. Greene was the first member of Congress to declare her allegiance to the conspiracy group and has pushed several of their theories ranging from former president Barak Obama being a secret Muslim (yes, they are still on about that) to a Jewish cabal that can control space lasers to start fires in California.

It was her vocal support for the outlandish conspiracy theories that led to the Democratic party — under then-House Leader Nancy Pelosi’s direction — to ban Greene from serving on any committees. With the recent appointment of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Greene has been seeing a resurgence in her career, and her appointment as the House Pro Tempore is just one of the ways she is weaseling her way back into the political spotlight.

When and why she was appointed

March 8 is International Women’s Day and to mark the occasion the Republican-led house has decided to present Marjorie Taylor Greene the gavel so that she may open the House. With all the women in the GOP it does call for some speculation as to why Greene was given the position rather than someone more qualified and less vitriolic. Some Twitter users assume that the position was given to Green in an effort to “Own the Libs” or as a way for McCarthy to buy some goodwill with the representative.

One thing is for certain, when Greene is involved, events become spectacles. During her appointment Greene could clearly feel the gravitas of the moment, she walked head held high through the lukewarm reception and couldn’t have looked more proud as she tapped her gavel — like a real public official — on the rostrum.

What does it mean?

Fortunately, it means very little. The appointment is temporary and doesn’t grant Greene any actual power, at most she can serve for three days and then it must be put to a vote. The full rules and regulations for an appointed Speaker Pro Tempore can be found here under Sec. 6: The Speaker Pro Tempore Appointment or Election. Whenever the Speaker of the House is absent it is up to them to appoint a temporary speaker. Yesterday, Republican Ben Cline was House Speaker Pro Temporum. With Greene’s temporary appointment she gets to do exactly what she has already done; strut her stuff and bang the gavel. Unsurprisingly the senator is well-versed in making loud noises. The lack of real authority comes as a relief for the communities the Republican regularly attacks.

The Senator is an avid opponent of the fundamental right to life and liberty for the LGBTQIA+ community and has an unhealthy obsession with eradicating health care for trans folk. Despite her repetition of unfounded conspiracy theories, Greene is still a popular member of the modern G.O.P. and manages to shake controversies like water off a duck’s back. A recent study done by Harvard University looked at Greene’s ability to rise above it all and found that even if voters disagreed with her allegiance to QAnon, the Republican was seldom marred by the connection to the group. Her status as a controversy magnet doesn’t seem to be slowing Greene down, which puts the onus on citizens and their representatives to ensure her delusions don’t continue to spread.  Even if Greene didn’t get power this time, it’s only through vigilance and a willingness to vocalize distaste that we can tamp down her rhetoric for good.