Greene tells audience inflation is 'a punch in the gut' to the elderly

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Oct. 28—U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, spoke to an enthusiastic and, at times, raucous crowd for almost an hour and a half Wednesday night in Tunnel Hill.

Some 170 people packed the historic depot to hear Greene, who represents Georgia's 14th Congressional District, which includes Whitfield and Murray counties.

"We've got 13 days, 13 days, and then we are going to start taking this country back on track," she said, referring to the Nov. 8 general election.

Greene faces Democrat Marcus Flowers in that election. The 14th District is heavily Republican, and Greene is expected to win. But she urged the audience members to turn out to support not only her but other Republican candidates, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker.

"I want to thank all of you for choosing me and sending me to represent you in Washington," said Greene, who was first elected in 2020.

A frequent target of her speech was President Joe Biden, a Democrat. The mere mention of his name resulted in loud boos and some calls for him to be impeached. Greene has introduced articles of impeachment against Biden but they haven't gone anywhere.

"Did you know Joe Biden has been in office longer than I have been alive?" she said.

Greene was born in 1974. Biden won his first election, for the New Castle, Delaware, county council in 1970 and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972.

Greene said U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. has been in Congress since 1987. Pelosi's name also drew loud jeering.

"These people have been there for decades and decades," she said.

She said Biden's record as president has been "devastating."

"We have record high inflation, the highest since Jimmy Carter was president," she said. "Jimmy Carter was the second-worst president in U.S. history. We've got Joe Biden. Joe Biden is the worst president in the United States' history."

That statement resulted in loud cheers of agreement.

She said inflation has hurt senior citizens and others on fixed incomes.

"I find that to be appalling and insulting," she said. "It's like a punch in the gut to our parents and our grandparents. It shouldn't be that way. These people have worked their whole lives. They have paid their taxes. They paid their Social Security. They worked hard to have other retirement set aside."

"Some people I have talked to are deciding between whether to buy their groceries or paying their rent or other bills or their medication or other expenses," she said.

She blamed inflation on "the overspending in Washington."

Greene also attacked Biden for border security.

"Five million people have entered the United States (illegally) since Biden took office," she said.

She said Mexican cartels are shipping fentanyl, a powerful narcotic, across the border.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports Mexican cartels are responsible for the majority of fentanyl in the United States.

Greene said her speaking out on such issues has put her life in danger. She noted her home in Rome has been "swatted" six times since she was elected, most recently this week.

Swatting is making a fake 911 call to get a police response to a location. Some such calls have resulted in innocent people being shot and killed by police.

In one of the swatting attempts against Greene, someone later called police claiming responsibility and saying it was because of her stance on transgender issues.

Greene has introduced a bill that would ban surgeries and other procedures to change a person's gender on people under 18.