Madison Cawthorn needs some help

Rep. Madison Cawthorn

Under normal circumstances, the notion that a 26-year-old man — a person who had: a) survived a terrible life trauma as a teenager that left him permanently disabled and vulnerable to significant health effects going forward, and b) experienced a rather rocky road thereafter that featured the abandonment of a college career, little in the way of real world job experience and, according to numerous reports, an up-and-down personal life — was exhibiting some rather strange behavior patterns, would not be at all surprising or newsworthy.

Unfortunately, in the case of Madison Cawthorn, it is news because he also happens to be member of the United States Congress.

As you’ve probably heard, the latest news came yesterday. This is from WRAL.com:

"Shelby, N.C. — U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina is facing a charge of driving with a revoked license.

"The Republican congressman was stopped by a N.C. Highway Patrol trooper Thursday in Cleveland County for driving outside of the designated lane on U.S. 74, highway patrol officials said….

"…Cawthorn, 26, from Hendersonville, was cited in October for traveling 89 mph in a 65 mph zone in Buncombe County and cited again for speeding in Polk County on Jan. 8, state highway patrol said.

"Each time Cawthorn was stopped, officials indicated that he was driving a different vehicle.

"It’s unclear when Cawthorn’s driver’s license was revoked or why.

"A spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Transportation said that 'driver records are protected under the Federal Driver Privacy Protection Act.' ”

The news of Cawthorn’s repeated run-ins with the law when it comes to operating a motor vehicle, of course, comes on top of a seemingly endless series of outrageous acts and statements during his brief tenure in politics. Whether he was making claims about his personal life that trustworthy sources debunked as fabrications, uttering false and outrageous claims on the floor of the U.S. House, or even, in the eyes of some very credible complainants, helping to incite an unlawful insurrection against the U.S. government, Cawthorn has almost certainly hit several new lows that would have previously been considered beyond the pale for a high elected official. A new report that Cawthorn referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “a thug” is the latest such outrage.

How this all will impact young Mr. Cawthorn’s political career, however, remains at this point uncertain. While such repeated and deeply troubling acts would have almost certainly ended the career of any North Carolina politician a few decades ago, in this era in which a Trumpified right-wing media occupies what amounts to an alternative universe, Cawthorn still has a large number of devoted followers who hang on his every word and see every attack or criticism directed his way as part of a monstrous commie conspiracy.

The bottom line: Whether Cawthorn manages to remain in politics or is forced (either by the courts or voters) to abandon that world, it seems clear that it would be good for everyone involved — him, his friends and loved ones, the people of western North Carolina — if he were to seek and access some professional help.