Rep. Nancy Mace and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have given Democrats exactly what they wanted with their pointless Twitter slap fight. Namely, a news cycle in which the media can proclaim the existence of a new GOP civil war.

Why do they want that? Because it’s the only scenario by which they can justify even pretending Democrats have a shot at retaining the House of Representatives in 2022. Multiple news outlets have now rushed out reports on the “infighting,” with several Republicans doing their part by giving comments to biased journalists that want to see them defeated. Some people just never learn.

“If Kevin McCarthy does not get Marjorie Taylor Greene in line somewhat, either through the conference disciplining her, or privately, it is going to undermine our efforts," R lawmaker says. "And I think if he doesn't, you're going to have a bit more of a civil war on your hands”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 1, 2021

“Have you ever seen a team where they should be winning, and you'll just look on the sidelines and then coach is yelling at a player, players yell at the coach and it doesn't show they're on track to win," said Rep. Brett Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 1, 2021

While I’m not surprised that some Republicans are already rushing to feed a false media narrative that hurts their own party, consider me not here for it. I don’t buy this idea that such “infighting” matters at all. I certainly don’t buy that it will be an issue in 2022. Even if Nancy Mace faces a primary challenger that is a real threat to her future prospects, so what? There are going to be lots of Republicans facing primary challengers. There will also be lots of Democrats facing primary challengers because that’s part of the process. When the dust settles, it’s not going to be Nancy Mace vs. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the latest COVID hysteria and draconian restrictions from Democrats will only hurt their case.

Instead of projecting weakness, Republicans should be laughing this stuff off and pointing out the absurdity of the media’s hot takes. All the actual metrics, including recent election results and polling, plus historical trends point to the GOP not only being in the driver’s seat for 2022 but being the odds-on favorite to win by a large margin. This isn’t the time to bend the knee to CNN hysteria. It’s the time to act like you are winning by three touchdowns (because you are), stay aggressive, and not settle back into a prevent defense as we enter the 4th quarter of the game.

I shouldn’t even have to be writing this article, but the GOP is full of people who seem to enjoy losing. Stop talking to CNN. Stop making a big deal of two marginal caucus members taking shots at each other. It will be forgotten in a few days if you let it be forgotten. But if you freak out and help the media build a false narrative, this kind of stuff can linger.

In short, this is a GOP civil war that isn’t. Don’t make it one. None of this matters. Not even a little bit.