The 2020 election saw Democrats retake control of Congress, but it also saw a wave of far-right Republican lawmakers elected to the House of Representatives.
Among those are prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, firearm fetishist Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and Christian fascist Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina.
Others have been in Congress for years, such as Paul Gosar of Arizona, whom Congress recently stripped of his committee assignments after he posted a bizarre cartoon featuring him killing Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Exacerbating the violent rhetoric of these representatives is House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's refusal to emphatically condemn their actions and get his caucus back on track. Meanwhile, McCarthy has eagerly rebuked Republicans like Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming for dissenting with former President Donald Trump and what has become the platform of today's Republican party.
Now, New Hampshire's Republican Governor Chris Sununu is calling the party out for "ruining America" with its vilification of anti-Trump Republicans and dismissal of disturbing rhetoric from the party's rightmost wing.
Watch below.
"I think that it says we have our priorities wrong," says GOP New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu when pressed about Republican lawmakers wanting to punish colleagues for supporting the bipartisan infrastructure bill." https://cnn.it/3HHfbIl\u00a0 #CNNSOTUpic.twitter.com/jsptYNazld— State of the Union (@State of the Union) 1637511426
Sununu, pointing to blowback toward Cheney and GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for their votes to censure Gosar, recently said:
"That's kind of that social media mob mentality that's built up in this country where we don't agree with one issue so we're going to attack them, we're going to vilify one person or one individual. We've got to get beyond that, because culturally, it's really, really ruining America."
He continued:
" Politics in its entirety on both sides of the aisle in Washington is screwed up. They got their priorities all wrong, they focus on the wrong things. They don't talk about balancing budgets, fixing healthcare, immigration reform, social security and Medicare … instead we spend all of our time focusing on these nitpicky things."
Some were pleasantly surprised by the takedown.
Principled Republicans continue to separate themselves from the pack of MAGA hyenas. This is healthy for our Democracy. https://t.co/t2QeTWVxHB
— Michigan GOP Watch (@MiMagaWatch) November 22, 2021
OMG! A Republican with a heart and some character? Who knew? How long will it last???? https://t.co/iJAkWuWWiH
— Edward Tomnay (@unclejim1947) November 21, 2021
Nice to see one NH GOPer not afraid to tell the truth. Wonder if the congressional candidates have the same guts. Im betting the answer is no. https://t.co/6W2Y93e8sW
— John Marchetti (@Jmarchetti1863) November 21, 2021
He's absolutely right! https://t.co/MteopWujTX
— Beth Holbrook (@beth_holbrook8) November 21, 2021
🚨🚨 #PrinciplesFirst alert:@GovChrisSununu is cutting through the partisan talking points & standing on principle when it comes to Gosar.
Thank you for defending decency, Governor. Principled Americans stand with you on this one. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/yrAldbhBFK
— Principles First (@Principles_1st) November 21, 2021
Others took issue with Sununu blaming "both sides" for the problem.
Yeah, one side wants to help the American people, the other side made a killer their new hero. "Both sides."
— D Villella ❄️ (@dvillella) November 21, 2021
Both sides? pic.twitter.com/5CTsGr0vba
— tim scott (@timmy2legs) November 21, 2021
Speak for your own side buddy
— Hugo (@HugoLakeshow) November 21, 2021
Blames politics when it is only the republicans. Ug
— 🇺🇸patriotic cats 🇺🇸vaxxed 🗽 💉 (@stand4sumtin) November 21, 2021
Sununu is considered a potential contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.