Just when the GOP solidifies its lead over the socialist Democrats in every major matrix including crime, taxes, spending, Ukraine, and inflation, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz demonstrated with acuity earlier this month how the tail can wag the dog and how best to neutralize a lead.
The recent turmoil within the House GOP, resulting in the removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is a dumbfounding development. Led by Mr. Gaetz, this cabal of eight GOP representatives’ decision to oust Mr. McCarthy may well be suicidal to any effort to sway independent voters in 2024.
With the Pandora’s Box opened, the House GOP is unable, or unwilling, to act decisively and with clarity in installing a new Speaker of the House. And you can hear the champaign corks popping in the West Wing and Senate Leader’s and Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jefffries’ offices.
Engineering the coup is one thing, but to do so without any kind of follow up plan is, well, dumb.
At this writing, two House votes have been taken in an attempt to get the horse back in front of the cart, both without success. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, something of a firebrand from the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich mold, has thus far failed in those 2 votes to win a majority of his own caucus which would make him speaker.
Whether or not Mr. Jordan makes it, or some other name is selected by press time, is anyone’s guess. But the process has demonstrated a stark contrast between the ruling parties in Washington.
A single line in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article reporting after the first vote says it all: “Democrat Hakeem Jeffries received support from all 212 House Democrats.” Moderate Democrats (assuming they exist), the “Squad,” and socialist Democrats gave Mr. Mr. Jeffries their unanimous support.
Let that sink in.
Do all 212 House Democrats agree with Mr. Jeffries on every issue all of the time? Probably not. Did all House Democrats agree with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi one hundred percent of the time? Assuredly not.
But what these House Democrats do agree on is divisiveness in the face of adversity is certainly no virtue. They understand that power can only come from strength and strength can only come from unity.
They also understand that power abhors a vacuum and that where there’s a vacuum a power, from whatever source, will fill it. In this case, that power is vested in the people of the United States, and they also abhor a vacuum: although naïvely demonstrated in past elections yielding less than stellar results, Americans do not like indecisiveness and they will show those with that trait the door in the next election.
Mr. McCarthy’s conservative, yet pragmatic and surgical approach to highlighting the issues that matter most to Republicans, recognized the realities of divided government, where the Democrats control the White House and the Senate, and the GOP has such a slim majority in the House. Although mostly successful, this did not sit well with the Gaetzites.
This asinine act of removing Mr. McCarthy, with absolutely no game plan following that removal, followed by multiple ballots to find a replacement, achieves nothing other than weakening the national GOP at a time when the party is leading in public opinion on key issues.
Republicans outside of Washington understand this. The GOP just won the Louisiana governorship, after eight years in the wilderness, when Jeff Landry won the post in a general primary with nearly 52% of the vote over 14 other candidates. This gives the Republicans their 23rd state where they control not only the statehouse but the legislatures as well. Compare this to the socialist Democrats “trifecta” tab of 17 states.
The House GOP clown show only gives pause for the American public when they consider the current state of the Washington GOP: if they can’t govern themselves, how can they govern a nation?
Failure to get this calamity under control, and under control quickly, may well put the Republicans in “Buckle up, buttercup” territory.