Bernie Sanders Challenges Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to a Fight

The MAGA guy you see on the left is United States Senator Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma’s Cherokee Nation American, martial arts enthusiast, elected in 2020 to fill retiring Senator Jim Inhofe’s final four years. And that picture on the left is on his campaign site, prominently displayed at the top of his “Issues” page. He’s demonstrating that armed with an arsenal that could mess up a company of Green Berets, he would make an excellent senator. He won. It’s Oklahoma. So, apparently, to improve on his constituents’ expectations of a well-armed MAGA fanatic, the senator rather pointedly invited a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee witness to a fistfight, in the committee room, no less, based upon a beef he had with the witness over a social media dispute, no less.

His intended target was a tough cookie himself, International Brotherhood of Teamsters president Sean O’Brien. Yes, he challenged a Teamsters boss, a former rigging industry heavy-equipment driver. But Mullin knew he had an advantage, a condition which the MAGA-man looks for in every physical confrontation, like outnumbering an opponent by five to one. Mullin’s advantage here was his status as a former professional mixed martial arts fighter with a record, he claims, of five wins, no losses, back in 2006-2007, although official records indicate three wins, no losses. Brief career, but martial arts is a moveable feast. Nonetheless, he believed he could easily beat down Mr. O’Brien.

He also believed someone would intervene. It was a committee meeting, in a splendid committee room. He would not have challenged O’Brien if he didn’t 1) believe he could smack him down, and 2) believe some external agent would intervene before a single blow was launched. Thus the MAGA-man. Tough talk, big hat, no cattle. Well, someone, a singular entity, did intervene, the anti-MAGA rough and ready supernova, Bernie Sanders. His voice was all he needed, and the brouhaha was aborted:

“Stop it,” Sanders said. “Sit down. Sit down.” The would-be combatants continued chirping at one another while Sanders, 82, sternly pointed for Mullins to return to his seat, which he did reluctantly. “You’re a United States Senator,” Sanders chided. “God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress,” Sanders said. “Let’s not make it worse.”

Apparently, a fistfight with Sanders using the weapon of language was something that overawed and outmatched Mullin’s. He sat down. MAGA-man. This is how they threaten. This is how, most often, they follow through.