Stupidity & Ignorance Aren't Even The Worst Of Madison Cawthorn's Many Problems

You think the lunkhead congressman in the video, North Carolina Nazi embarrassment Madison Cawthorn doesn't understand the Constitution? OK, you're right; he doesn't. Not even a little. He was home-schooled and then flunked out of an unaccredited Bible college after a semester of harassing women students and getting the worst grades in every course he took. In a court deposition, he stated that "You know, suffering from a brain injury after the accident definitely I think it slowed my brain down a little bit. Made me less intelligent." And then the hillbillies north, south, east and west on Buncombe County decided to elect him as their representative to Congress.

Riding Trump's coattails in the backward counties of the district, he won 54.5% of the vote against a highly qualified Democratic opponent. Trump scored 55.4% and in the really redneck parts of the district, way higher. (The state is 48% fully vaccinated-- but not, for the most part, the Trump counties):

• Burke Co.- 69.5% Trump (fully vaccinated- 39%)

• Caldwell Co.- 75.0% Trump (fully vaccinated- 39%)

• Cherokee Co.- 76.9% Trump (fully vaccinated- 43%)

• Clay Co.- 74.2% Trump (fully vaccinated- 32%)

• Graham Co.- 79.5% Trump (fully vaccinated- 40%)

• Hayward Co.- 62.5% Trump (fully vaccinated- 48%)

• Henderson Co.- 58.5% Trump (fully vaccinated- 48%)

• Jackson Co.- 53.0% Trump (fully vaccinated- 44%)

• Macon Co.- 68.5% Trump (fully vaccinated- 34%)

• Madison Co.- 61.0% Trump (fully vaccinated- 41%)

• McDowell Co.- 73.4% Trump (fully vaccinated- 39%)

• Mitchell Co.- 78.4% Trump (fully vaccinated- 40%)

• Polk Co.- 62.2% Trump (fully vaccinated- 38%)

• Rutherford Co.- 72.3% Trump (fully vaccinated- 35%)

• Swain Co.- 58.9% Trump (fully vaccinated- 44%)

• Transylvania Co.- 57.0% Trump (fully vaccinated- 47%)

• Yancey Co.- 66.2% Trump (fully vaccinated- 43%)

Buncombe County, where Trump and Cawthorn were badly defeated, is 55% vaccinated, 6th best out of 100 counties. Neither Trump nor Cawthorn reached 40% in the county.

But the sad story here is that Americans tend to have nearly as much ignorance about the Constitution as Cawthorn (and Trump). This year's Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, released this week, found that Americans misunderstand basic facts about how government works. For example, more than half of Americans (61%) incorrectly said Facebook, which blocked Trump from the platform after he instigated the 1/6 coup, is required to permit all Americans to express themselves freely on Facebook under the First Amendment. "Half of Americans (49%) said it was accurate to say that arresting those who entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to disrupt the certification of the presidential election violated the Constitution because they were exercising their constitutional right to petition the government for redress of grievances. An equal number (49%) said the statement was inaccurate, and arresting those who entered the Capitol did not violate the Constitution." Cawthorn's with the first 49%, the 49% who got it wrong.

An analysis found that taking a high school civics class continues to be associated with correct answers to civics knowledge questions, including knowledge of the three branches; knowledge of First Amendment rights; the term of a senator and representative; the meaning of a 5-4 Supreme Court decision; the Supreme Court having the final say on the constitutionality of the president’s actions; and knowing that Facebook is not covered by the First Amendment.

In 2021, nearly 6 in 10 (59%) respondents said they had taken a civics course in high school that focused on the Constitution or judicial system, about the same as in previous years we have asked this question. Half (48%) said they had taken a college course that focused on the U.S. system of government and the Constitution, more than in 2019 (38%) and earlier years.

It wasn't for nothing that Republicans have been steadily cutting back on funding of public schools and eliminating civics classes. They're created an entire base of voters for the party, who get their basic educations, not from school, but from Fox News, deranged preachers and Hate Talk Radio. And America gets members of Congress like Madison Cawthorn, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Traitor Greene, Yvette Herrell, David Valadao, Jerry Carl and Matt Rosendale.