Reacting to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's performance before a Senate committee earlier in the week, feminist columnist Amanda Marcotte suggested it was likely an act –– but questions will rightfully linger.
In a clip that went viral, Noem missed defining what habeas corpus means by a mile, which earned her not only a schooling from Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), but a flood of derision on social media.
According to Marcotte, Noem appears to have willingly and comfortably slipped into a role that she defined as a "MAGA bimbo" which, in may ways, was foreshadowed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) whose career floundered after her 2008 vice presidential bid as the running mate of the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
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Marcotte suggested, "I'm not so sure that Noem, who has been neck-deep in this debate about basic human rights for months, is as dumb as she seemed in that moment. Those who keep watching will notice that Noem doesn't act embarrassed when she's corrected, like normal people do when they get something so terribly wrong," adding, "It suggests that she knows full well what the actual legal battle is about."
With that in mind, she burrowed into what she believes it takes to survive in the MAGA world.
"Stupidity is a badge of honor for both sexes, but the heads of women need to be thoroughly empty," she wrote before suggesting, "Intelligence gets in the way of the true duties of MAGA womanhood: keeping up your highly artificial appearance and, crucially, defending the man you serve with your whole heart and soul."
That would be Donald Trump whom she accused of being "dumber than a box of rocks."
Digging into the history of what it takes to be referred as a "bimbo," she used Marilyn Monroe as an example whose public persona was wildly contradicted by her more introspective private life.
Which brought her back to Noem.
"Is she smart enough to know better? Is it all an act? Is she really this brainless?" she asked before positing, "It's hard to say, but in a sense, it doesn't matter. During her Senate hearing, Noem was perfectly clear on one issue: Trump has an absolute right to rule like a dictator, and lock up whoever he wants without regard for laws, evidence and especially human rights," and then adding that what Noem is doing in public serves her well.
"It works like a shield, deflecting serious questions about her sociopathic behavior into a discussion about her IQ," Marcotte asserted before pointing out, "After all, no one expects higher moral reasoning from someone too stupid to learn what 'habeas corpus' means before testifying publicly about it."