What Would One Million Moms Think of Boebert, Greene, and Noem?

If you’re of a certain age, did you think 20 years ago, let’s say, that the leading presidential candidate for a major party was found liable for sexual abuse and forcibly touching a woman? Or constantly maligning women by calling them "nasty," "dogs," and "slobs" or by bragging about grabbing their private parts?

That man represents an era of men like Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly, and Charlie Rose, all of whom had a warped sense of entitlement that they could get away with sexual harassment and worse.

There seems to be a new sense of entitlement to cavorting, only this time with the most prominent women of MAGA: U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Three of the most prominent supporters of Donald Trump have been caught up in salacious scandals of their own.

Boebert, who in May filed for divorce from her husband, was recorded vaping and fondling her date (the owner of a bar that hosts drag nights) in a theater for a performance of the musical version of Beetlejuice. The couple were eventually kicked out after causing a ruckus. To justify her actions — which included vaping near a pregnant woman, using the one-finger salute, having her breasts fondled in public, and groping her boyfriend's crotch — Boebert claimed her divorce proceedings had sent her into a tizzy.

As news went viral about Boebert, married Trump sycophant Noem made headlines of her own for reportedly having an affair with former Trump henchman Corey Lewandoski — talk about two people who deserve each other. There are numerous reports of the pair, also drunk, all over each other, making out in public places.

This all follows Rep. Greene, another politician who claims to be the arbiter of morality, filing for divorce from her husband, amid infidelity rumors covered by the tabloids.

So what does this all mean? First, these three have broken the hypocrisy meter and then some. They have continually spouted off about their God-fearing, Christian lives — these Bible thumpers who make braggadocio pronouncements are usually hypocrites, so that’s nothing new. These three also loathe our community.

Tying this together perfectly is Boebert, who offered prayers to the victims of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, but only months before the shooting. she went after Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine, not only deadnaming her but saying she was “trying to ‘empower’ children to become transgender.” Boebert continued, ”The word is 'groom,’ [deadname], not empower. You're grooming them, not empowering them.”

And continuing this theme, MTG told Lesley Stahl during a 60 Minutes interview that Democrats are a “party of pedophiles. I would definitely say so. They support grooming children.”

Noem asked the South Dakota education board to prohibit drag shows and pronoun preferences on campus, and has signed some of the harshest anti-trans state laws in the country.

Besides their gamboling and gay-bashing traits, these women have something else that is prevalent among the leaders of MAGA – an outsized sense of entitlement, and that starts at the top of the MAGA marauders.

When you think of the word “entitlement” that is usually reserved for wealthy people who flout rules and decorum and deserve special treatment because they have money or prestige. They don’t wait in lines, fly commercial, or talk about anything but themselves. Their whims and wants should be addressed immediately. They are self-absorbed. The rules don’t apply to them. This sounds like Donald Trump, no?

This characteristic of entitlement has seeped down into the bottom of the barrel by a MAGA crowd that resents the entitlement of the rich, but who somehow think Trump being entitled is okay. He’s “doing it for them” just like his indictments. What has happened is that Trump’s arrogance, brazenness, and defiance has had a trickle-down effect.

While I live in the New York City area, I spend time in New Hampshire, and I’m appalled by the number of trucks and cars I see that fly not one but several MAGA and Trump flags, and flags that say “F**k Biden.” These people feel entitled to shove this in your face. They feel emboldened because the man whose name is on those red flags acts like an ass, so that gives them license to act like him too.

This same sentiment holds true for Boebert, Noem, and MTG. They feel like they can break the rules, be hypocritical, and do as they please because that’s what their cult leader does. When Boebert was being kicked out of the theater, she angrily asked the manager, “Do you know who I am?”

How will voters react to these politicians’ sense of entitlement? Last week, before Boebert’s imbroglio became public knowledge, Politicoreported the politician was trying to tone down her enthusiasm for MAGA. “Boebert won by just 546 votes — it became clear that her rhetorical bomb-throwing was wearing on GOP voters,” Politico wrote. So this latest dustup will likely have an effect.

Noem won reelection last year, so term limits prevent her from running again; however, she’s rumored to be considering a presidential run someday (or being Trump's running mate). And MAGA and Trumpism aren’t going away anytime soon, so if she ditches her husband for a Trump nut like Lewandowski, that could only help her.

And as for MTG, any "immorality" will be forgiven as long as she keeps hurling that red meat to her base.

In 1998, U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston of Louisiana declined the speakership of the House because of an extramarital affair, and he resigned the following year. Since that time, anti-abortion Pennsylvania Congressman Tim Murphy resigned after it was revealed he told his lover to have an abortion. Christian conservative Indiana Congressman Mark Souder resigned because of an affair. Conservative Nevada U.S. Sen. John Ensign resigned after he tried to pay off his paramour and her husband. There’s plenty more where they came from.

And given the corrosive and endemic spread of entitlement in MAGA, rest assured, we’ll hear more stories like Boebert’s, MTG’s, and Noem’s, and more supercilious protests like, “Do you know who I am?”

John Casey is senior editor for The Advocate.

Views expressed in The Advocate’s opinion articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.