The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has not exactly brought out the best from Republicans, their allies, and their base. Around this time 24 hours ago, for example, a Fox Business host was trying to draw a connection between the disaster and border policies.
In the hours that followed, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Utah blamed the bridge collapse on “diversity” programs. A Republican congressional candidate in Florida made the same argument, as did a variety of far-right media figures.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, meanwhile, raised the prospect of the disaster being the result of an “intentional attack,” while Steve Bannon told his audience the collapse could’ve been the result of terrorism.
As the day progressed, the avalanche of weird theories and offensive finger-pointing intensified, tied together with a common thread: “The official line shouldn’t be believed,” conservatives effectively argued. “There are other nefarious truths out there that will bolster the right’s preconceived ideas.”
It is, of course, discouraging to realize that too much of the GOP base will find this compelling, but just as unsettling was seeing Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt tell Fox News’ Laura Ingraham last night that all of this should probably be blamed on the Biden White House.








