Look, it’s no surprise that as Republicans are growing louder about made-up “culture war” issues they’re also simultaneously renewing their push to give more money to the rich at the expense of everyone else. The marriage of conservative Christian social activists and Republican moneymen goes back, in its current form, at least to the 1970s, and arguably to the 1950s. Of course, the same dynamic, expressing itself in different ways, goes back much further. It’s one of the most stable features of American politics.

But sometimes the flagrant sanctimony gets to be too much, even by the low standards set by the modern GOP. This is one of those times.

Across the country, Republicans have made keeping kids “safe from transgenderism” one of their top priorities. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has said the GOP needs to “protect children” from trans people and their supposed nefarious agenda. Greene, who is one of the Republican Party’s ideological leaders and a key bridge between Donald Trump and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is far from alone. So far eight anti-trans bills have already become state law in 2023, with more to come. Republicans consistently justify such bills with innuendo about protecting children from trans predators or “groomers.”