Grothman Keeps Causing Outrage
GOP congressman's latest: says Democrats support Kamala Harris due to 'her ethnicity.'
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman. Photo by Graham Kilmer.
Another day, another episode of Wisconsin’s Republican Congressman Glenn Grothman sticking his foot in his mouth.
The most recent example came yesterday when he told Channel 58 TV reporter Kathryn Merck that “It is gonna be more difficult to beat somebody who is not Joe Biden. I think it’s going to be a difficult race.”
Republican leaders and the campaign of former president Donald Trump couldn’t be happy with Grothman admitting that Vice-President Kamala Harris will be a tough opponent.
But Grothman was just getting warmed up. He then noted that Harris hasn’t been “the most articulate candidate,” but “apparently, they feel, or a lot of Democrats feel, they have to stick with her because of her ethnic background.”
In short, the Vice President of the United States, who Grothman just admitted will be tough to beat, is only getting support because of her race. When you’re talking off the cuff, as Grothman often does, contradictions come easily. As do the most bizarre claims.
Some years ago the staunchly right-wing Republican argued that the District of Columbia doesn’t deserve statehood because it doesn’t have any local mining.
And he explained his opposition to equal-pay legislation by saying, “You could argue that money is more important for men.”
And he criticized sex-ed classes because, as Grothman put it, some gay teachers “would like it if more kids became homosexuals.”
Last week Grothman generated a huge controversy with a speech on the floor of Congress declaring that the U.S. needs to go back to 1960, before President Lyndon Johnson’s “war on poverty” took “the purpose out of the man’s life, because now you have a basket of goodies for the mom.”
He went to blame government support for the poor, and “the angry feminist movement” of the 1960s for the “breakdown of the family” in America.
“And if we want to get America back to, say, 1960, where this was almost unheard of, we have to fundamentally change these programs,” Grothman declared.
“So I hope the press corps picks up on this,” he added.
They certainly did.
The New Republic’s story offered this headline: “Republican Rep. Goes on Unhinged Rant About Women ‘Emasculating Men.'”
While the Daily Beast went with this: “GOP Rep Delivers a House Floor Speech Straight Out of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’”
Back in the 1990s, when Grothman ranked as the most conservative member from either party in the Wisconsin Legislature, he was seen as out of the mainstream and was particularly disliked by some of the women members of the Republican caucus. But nowadays he is one of the most successful Republicans in Wisconsin and was ranked in 2020 as most loyal Trump backer in the entire U.S. Congress.
So his musings, for better or worse, are a window into the soul of today’s Republican Party.
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Grothman is the Wisconsin version of Iowa’s former Rep. Steve King. Except now the Republican Party has no problem with these views.
I anyone is inarticulate, it is certainly Rep. Grothman. He needs to look in the mirror. I don’t think anyone will pay attention to the demented ramblings of an old white guy who is one of the GOP old guard. I don’t think he even knows what century it is. Ignore him.
how old is this guy?? maybe he should step down because of his mental health and age.
Embarrassing for his constituents (hopefully!)
obviously he can’t read. go to harris’ wiki page and the differences between hers and grotham’s makes you want to weep. he should be so accomplished.
What’s redder? Grothman’s neck, his boozy nose, or his prehistoric politics…
Grothman is 69 (born in July 1955), so he will be serving this R+10 district for as long as he pleases.
kcoyromanao and tornado75: Please don’t knock looney-tunes Grothman because of his age. There are plenty of Gen X, Y, and Z/Millenials who’s inarticulateness and political backwardness are also politicians. It’s not his age; he’s always been that way, first elected in 1993!
–Mark Behar, Commissioner, Milwaukee County Commission on Aging
Of course, speaking for myself, not on behalf of the Commission!
I wonder if he had to miss any sessions in Congress when he attends meetings of the Flat Earth Society.
More proof that RRRs (radical reactionary republicans) are racist, sexist etc. Interesting that Grothman settled on 1960, a time when white men dominated both political parties, most corporate boardrooms, as well as professions such as medicine, engineering, science, higher education, fire fighters, police officers, etc. It’s also a time when poverty was rampid in Appalachia, as well as much of the rural south. Indigenous children were still being forced into Indian Schools, conservators of Indian minerals rights were stealing the profits or selling those rights without tribal approval. Women could not get a credit card without their husbands’ or fathers’ signature. 1960 was also a time when 25% of families consisted of single moms and their children. Most lived in poverty.
The only group that profited in 1960 were white males. They didn’t have to worry about competing with more qualified persons of color or women. Women had no right to the fetuses they carried. Husbands and fathers decided which fetuses were taken to term. If the husband didn’t want the child, all he had to do was assault his wife so she lost the fetus. It wasn’t illegal to assault your wife.
In 1960 the Tuskegee experiment was going on as well as many other unethical experiments performed on children in orphanages, and those living in poverty.
1960 was a bad year if you were poor, uneducated, BIPOC, and women. Why would anyone want to take us back to that time?
Light skin black is very attractive among the liberal white voters and those who fear true African, very dark skin tone.
Monmal Harris is racially black as I am personally Czech 🇨🇿.
Joel –you are starting to put yourself in the same category with Grothman with your ridiculous comments.
BTW–Grothman–69? he looks 79-89 if he’s a day.
. TRUE REALLY UPSETS MOST PEOPLE You are the ridiculously misinformed lamb following the herd into the packaging house.
Didn’t have much of a chance, but now that Kamala has entered presidential race, the candidate against Grothman is getting interest — https://johnzarbano.com/about
Are RoJo and Grothman in competition for possibly the worst congressional elected officials??
Random question – how has he stayed in office so very long? Does he bring a ton of pork to his district? I am really asking this as a serious question.
mr. paplam makes outrageous statements. maybe he is projecting his own uncomfortable feelings around people who are dark skinned. don’t put that on anyone else you don’t know.
We all know about the nonstop nonsense spewing from Goofy Glenn’s oral cavity. But there’s something else about Congressman Grothman. I think he cuts his own hair.
Tornado 75 you never met my accountant that worked for me, Phyllis Mainoo. .The day I met him, he said don’t judge me or compare me to African Americans who never came from Africa. We had a great business relationship for twenty-five years before dieing of throat cancer
A swing and a miss Tornado 75 but don’t get discouraged.
I’m surprised that Grothman only wants the country to revert back to 1960. The rest of his pathetic excuse for a political party seems to want parts of the government to go back to the 1940’s and other parts to go back to the Dark Ages. I
t’s no wonder he was Frump’s most loyal backer in 2020. Fast forward to 2024 and he now needs to share that crown with far too many of his fellow GOP Frump butt kissers.
What a total and complete Neanderthal!
ignorant bigot
Dear Gramps 1315,
Mr. Grothman benefits from extreme gerrymandering in his CD 6. His district has remained gerrymandered. It was not included in the recently re-drawn state maps. He is now a member of the US House of Representatives.