“Gaetz,” came the call.
“Donald John Trump,” came the reply.
“Trump,” the voice confirmed.
And just like that, the circus that was Republicans’ painfully belabored effort to select a House Speaker took yet another decisive turn for the absurd. Or perhaps it was more apt to say that Matt Gaetz’s decision to nominate Trump represented karma come full circle for Kevin McCarthy who, headed into Thursday, failed six times to secure the speakership.
“What the f–k?” Marjorie Taylor Greene, seated next to Gaetz, appeared to ask. Maybe that wasn’t what she said. It doesn’t matter. Both smirked.
If there were any doubts as to whether the right-most flank of the Republican party was serious about governing, Gaetz answered them Thursday. This is performative politics. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s no substance to it.
In a pitiable attempt to pacify holdouts, McCarthy reportedly agreed to lower the threshold for a “vacate the chair” motion to just one lawmaker, virtually guaranteeing that the next two years of Republican House rule would be defined by rolling rebellion.
Despite McCarthy’s pandering, some rebels, including Gaetz, insisted no concessions would be sufficient to secure their votes. As for the rest, McCarthy dangled committee assignments and God only knows what else in a desperate attempt to win over more than a dozen of the most extreme elected representatives in modern US history. According to some accounts, McCarthy promised to let the GOP’s far-right select one third of the party’s members on the Rules Committee, giving them outsized sway over which legislation reaches the floor.
Read more: Trumpism Achieves Its Independence In McCarthy Drama
Some Republican moderates (a group which includes lawmakers who, less than five years ago, would’ve counted as extreme themselves) were reportedly aghast at the lengths to which McCarthy was willing to go to placate his tormentors. I can’t imagine they were actually surprised, though. McCarthy is more concept than man — a vacuous embodiment of the term “horse trading.”
Democrats were both amused and concerned. Plainly, this week’s soap opera was an embarrassment of epic proportions for Republicans and spoke very loudly to the idea that the party of Trump isn’t fit to govern. And yet, if this week was a preview of what to expect when the debate turns to issues of national and global concern, it’s worrisome.
Whatever happens, McCarthy has himself to blame. By enabling Trumpism, he helped pave the way for the theatrics which will be part and parcel of his legacy. McCarthy was instrumental in normalizing the kind of behavior which made him a national laughingstock this week. By the time the House adjourned on Thursday evening, he’d lost a total of 11 votes since Tuesday.
Tempting as it was to revel in McCarthy’s misery, the reality is that his plight was a reflection of America’s. McCarthy, like the nation, was contending with the blowback of a dangerous affair with idiotic autocracy.
Of course, that affair wasn’t spontaneous. Trump had decades of middle-class discontent to thank for his populist appeal. For the most part, the causes of that discontent still haven’t been addressed.
If the gop continues this it won’t end well for them or the country, at least until January 2025
The only good that can come of this is if we can get some GOP members to vote for Jeffries. I am a bit shocked the GOP is no longer in lock step, I thought that the true north of corrupt and evil government was always the easiest path.
Republicans won’t crossover for Jeffries. However, I do like the idea of Democrats brokering a deal with whatever moderate Republicans there are to nominate someone who is at least somewhat moderate. Not sure how realistic that is as that opens those Republicans up to some other blowback, but I would love to see someone nominated who wouldn’t be focused on useless investigations.
I’m hoping to see the Democrats nominate and throw 212 votes to Liz Cheney. If enough weary Republicans vote ‘present’, the crazy caucus of the Republican party is finished, at least for the next two years. Yeah, I know, hope in one hand and s___ in the other. See which one fills up first.
Trump: Vote for McCarthy
Gaetz: I vote Trump
Chef’s Kiss
The American people surely want this to be settled ASAP so we can open investigations into Hunter Biden and take another look at Benghazi.
… George Soros, Anthony Fauci, Bert and Ernie, Ms Potato head, …
re.: Benghazi: In a true turn to the absurd Matt Gaetz of all people stated ” I do not want to re-live the Benghazi experience where it’s just theater pretending to be oversight”
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1610305792376201216
Amazing
Well, I guess the pitchfork crew will have to pivot to investigating Comet Pizza.
I wonder if they changed the title from ‘Speaker of the House’ to ‘Ringmaster’ …would that help Kevin get the votes?
Zookeeper?
Needs to throw red meat to the animals.
As I recall some years back, at the end of a general election in Belgium, parliament spent more than a year trying to agree on its government. We may have a ways to go.