By Carol Lucas
So our own (I use the pronoun loosely) Nancy Mace is off and running once again. If she were to put half the energy into doing her job in Congress that she does into calling attention to herself, she might actually be worth the position she occupies.
This time it is transgender members of Congress and the use of bathrooms. The first question I might ask Ms. Mace is what she does when she is on an extended plane trip. Hold it? Wear a diaper? Or does she (heaven forbid) use the restroom provided? Even then, does she wait till the line is mostly women and convince herself that no man shall have used it. Ah, the dilemma she must face!
Mace ignited significant controversy when she introduced a resolution this week to bar transgender women from using the women’s restroom at the Capitol. The South Carolina lawmaker’s proposal came days after the first openly transgender woman, Delaware Representative-elect Sarah McBride, was elected to the House of Representatives.
Mace and other far-right Republican lawmakers have doubled down on their support for the proposal in the days since. On Tuesday she posted a video to X that showed her placing a sign reading “biological” above a women’s restroom sign at the Capitol. Gee, Nancy, maybe you want to place yourself near that door to monitor that “biology” as it comes and goes.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, referred to Mace’s prolific posting on X, writing earlier Wednesday that “tweeting 262 times about a bill that applies to, like, 00000001% of Congress in 36 hours is definitely about protecting women. It’s certainly not just a ploy for media attention.”
How is that for rationalization? But then, hardly a surprise, given all the more actual legislation the House has addressed this past year under his guidance.
Asked to comment on Johnson’s posts, a spokesperson for Mace responded, “lol.” You, dear reader, can assess that one for yourself.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also backed Mace’s measure, referring to McBride as “a man” and “he” several times in a video posted to X. I can only say that if I were Mace, I wouldn’t put much stock in that. But then, I suppose any port in the storm will do.
Just a little sidebar of irony here: A former senior staffer said Mace used to trash members like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Gaetz for being in the Capitol just to make noise. Now, the staffer said, “she has turned herself into what she hates.”
When I began my research on Nancy Mace, one of the first pictures I found was that of her at the Republican Convention, with huge crosses dangling from her ears. Her nod to religion? Significant? Hypocritical? You call it!
Ms. Mace has said she plans to introduce even more legislation to ban transgender people from using their bathroom of choice “in every state of the nation. “Mace told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that she was “doubling down” after receiving backlash over her proposal to prevent trans Congress members from using the bathroom.
As I am wont to do, I am going to digress. What is it exactly that motivates these younger Republican members of Congress to flaunt their need to become viral celebrities? When doing so, it never seems they do it for the good for the country but rather by “hook or by crook,”
It should come as no shock when I assert that many of the younger far right Republicans became extremists pretty quickly; new to the ranks, they immediately put “strutting their stuff” ahead of a gradual rise in their party. One need only refer to George Santos, and his antics, all the while proclaiming his innocence, until it was no longer possible, given mounting evidence.
Then there is Lauren Boebert of “theater sex” fame, and MTG of all things ridiculous. Of course the list wouldn’t be complete without adding Matt Gaetz whose actions made him sufficiently favorable to become Trump’s candidate for Attorney General. We saw how well-received that was.
But my focus in this piece is Nancy Mace. One critic asserted that “Mace, in three and a half years, has established herself as one of the thirstiest members in Congress in her unceasing quest for attention.”
This critic went on to say, “In interviews with eight former Mace staffers — of which there are several dozen, because Mace’s Washington office has an exceptionally high turnover rate — the politician’s obsession with getting press was described as her sole motivational force. Mace’s office ignored repeated interview requests from this critic with no response.
One former staffer described how “every move, however incongruous it may seem, is part of a larger effort for Mace to build her brand as a ‘caucus of one,’” as Mace herself puts it. (Instagram)
And so if I had the opportunity to question Nancy Mace, I might ask her this: “Just how do you think McBride will invade your space? Do you believe she will be peeking over the top of the stall, just to see you pull down your panties? Get over yourself, Nancy.
Some Republicans have already indicated that they have no interest in the Mace bill. Bravo! There are so many issues that need attention, that focusing on this is not only a waste of congressional time, but it simply keeps those “seekers of the spotlight” coveting more.
Let’s get rid of the prima donnas, be they male or female, and get on with the activity for which they were elected.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
