The Call Is Coming From Inside The House
Nineteen Republicans decide to hold Congress hostage. And for what?
Well, the House Republican “Majority” couldn’t get the job done in electing a Speaker of the House on the first or second ballots today. And there is a very simple reason why.
Lunatics like Matt Gaetz are running the asylum.
What an absolutely dumbass thing to say, especially when you consider the differences in a political positions that Pelosi and McCarthy have.
Now look, I am on record in saying that I think Kevin McCarthy is an opportunist and a careerist who wants to be Speaker more than he wants anything else in life. But the idea that Pelosi and McCarthy are similar is like saying there is little difference between strawberries and battery acid.
At least Pelosi could keep her caucus in line…
On the first ballot today, there were nineteen Republican members who cut loose their party's own leader, most of whom are the usual suspects with no real accomplishments to speak of. And for what? What did they accomplish with this vote, other than showing the American people that they are unfit for serious governance? Republican activists and candidates across the country fight tooth and nail for a Republican majority and this is how the mouth minority thanks them?
Congratulations guys; nineteen Republicans made sure that a Democrat led on the first two ballots.
Who do Matt Gaetz and company think they are serving here? Do they think they are serving the interests of the American people? Do they think they are serving the interests of the House Republican Caucus? Do they think they are serving the interests of their home districts? Because none of those people are adequately served by a protracted Speakership fight that distracts from the real problems that Republicans elected to Congress have allegedly been elected to address.
Instead, clowns like Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Scott Perry were trying to play these games.
This isn’t about principals. This isn’t about conservatism. It’s about a bunch of yahoos who are more interested in trolling than in leading. They would rather burn the House Republican Caucus to the ground instead of taking a back seat and ensuring Republican control of the House. All to ensure that their perceived base can see them “own the libs” and “take it to the establishment!” Oh, and to fundraise off of it.
Then on the 2nd Ballot we got the backdoor “Jordan for Speaker” movement:
It is this attitude, more than anything else including Donald Trump himself, that has created the electoral problems Republicans currently face in the suburbs and in swing states.
Brendan Buck, who worked for two Republican Speakers, points out this important nugget about why this fight is such an embarrassment for House Republicans:
A failed vote would badly weaken Mr. McCarthy or whoever the new speaker will be. The House is a majoritarian institution, and a speaker’s power is ultimately derived from the ability to produce the 218 minimum votes needed to do business. If Republicans are unable to muster the votes for a speaker, it will make very clear from the outset they cannot be counted on to fulfill the body’s basic responsibilities, such as funding the government and preventing a credit default by lifting the debt ceiling, both of which will be required this year.
House Republicans were given a majority in the House and a chance to govern. Instead, they are likely making sure that no conservative progress can be made during the next two years and increasing the likelihood of Democrats retaking the House in 2024. And there is nothing that would protect the rebels’ so-called conservative principles less than that.