There are lots of names you can call Oklahoma congressman Markwayne Mullin. You know, things like rube, liar, silver-wrenched trust fund kid, etc. But the one the usually fits best is a hypocrite.
For example:
When the U.S. House of Representatives approved voting by proxy early in the pandemic last year, Rep. Markwayne Mullin accused Democrats of a “power grab,” while Rep. Kevin Hern scorned it as a “scam” and Rep. Tom Cole joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality.
“Our frontline workers across the country are showing up to do their jobs so why shouldn’t Congress?” Mullin said in a tweet on May 15, 2020, the day the rule was adopted.
The Oklahoma Republican has become much more comfortable with the practice.
In fact, Mullin has cast more than 70 votes this year by proxy. He hasn’t been in the House to vote since mid-May, relying on two home state colleagues to cast his votes over 14 voting days in May, June and July.
In all fairness to Markwayne, you can't blame him for taking advantage of the new rules that he openly decried. Let's be honest – he is the same dude that shit himself while trying to engage the mob he openly courts, enables and panders to when they stormed the capitol back in January in an effort to overthrow America's flawed democracy. That would be enough to keep me away from work, too!
I wonder what Markwayne's excuse for not showing up to work is?
Mullin, of Westville, was recorded as absent for about half of the 253 roll call votes in the House last year because one of his sons suffered a traumatic brain injury. In most cases, he entered a statement into the Congressional Record citing his son’s recovery as the reason for his absence.
This year, Mullin began voting by proxy in February, with Lucas casting 12 votes on three separate days for him that month. According to the Congressional Record and the House clerk’s office, Lucas and Cole cast votes for Mullin in May, June and on July 1.
Okay, now I feel kind of bad. Although he's still a hypocrite, that's actually a pretty decent excuse to miss work. I genuinely wish his son the best and hope he makes a full recovery.
As The Oklahoman article mentions, Markwayne isn't the only hypocrite serving in Oklahoma's congressional delegation. Despite his objections to it, the reasonable by today's right-wing standards Tom Cole has also taken advantage of proxy voting:
Though the lawsuit, led by McCarthy, is ongoing, many Republican members have opted for virtual voting this year.
Cole voted by proxy on eight roll call votes on April 15, while Hern voted by proxy on four roll call votes on Feb. 26. Each designated Lucas to cast their votes.
Cole, one of the Republican leaders who joined McCarthy in the lawsuit challenging the practice, said in a statement, “Even when I fundamentally disagree with the Rules of the House, there is nothing inconsistent with following those rules as they currently exist while actively working to change them.”
He is correct. There is nothing inconsistent with being a hypocritical politician. In fact, it's the only consistent thing in politics.
