So tomorrow at noon?
On one side of the aisle, anyway. Pelosi (the only Speaker the Democrats have had since Bill Clinton was POTUS) may have faced some issues and the Dems have had more conservative members whose votes weren’t always guaranteed but nothing remotely like this kind of public fight for the Speakership or outrageous discipline issues have happened among them in at least a generation or three.
Yes, lather,rinse,repeat.
Here’s one of the things killing Kevin (zero tears of course): the old political saw that an honest politician is one who stays bought.
For all the R crowd hated Pelosi, they trusted that if they made a deal, it would go through. Thus, even when she had slim margins, she could get those who disliked her to be willing to make a deal (in both her own party and the opposition). Which made her an exemplary politician, and honest at least by the standards above, and certainly beyond that.
NOBODY likes or trusts McCarthy. Over a decade of entitlement, and waving in the breeze of expediency, and fully endorsing the whole ‘What if we Didn’t’ mentality is coming home to roost. And similarly, almost any Republican who was honest by the tongue-in-cheek definition above has been primaried, retired, or moved on to other things rather than put up with the current feces-flinging insanity.
I honestly can’t think of anyone left in the house, even including those who reluctantly supported impeaching Trump, that aren’t so tainted by the last 4+ years that a Democrat could trust them to simply stay bought. It’s just that bad. Those that left, while still politically abhorrent in most of their decisions, would be the only ones I would consider if I were making a pragmatic lesser-of-evils option.
[ as an example, Kasich, who I’ve always had a sneaking respect for, despite the fact that he’s still much further right than I care for, but by daring to work with CNN and the like, are likely even less acceptable than any of the other retired statesmen ]
So TL;DR, the leaders of the Democrats have zero reasons to trust any of the current crop of Republicans (for good reason), and that same crop can’t even trust each other. Which is freaking terrifying when we’re talking about those who are theoretically running the damn government.
One way out for the Republicans at this point (but they won’t take it)
Rip the band-aid off. Cauterize the wound.
Throw the 20 out of the party, and deal with the consequences. Yes, this would throw the house to the Democrats. Fine - The R’s have no actual plans for bills or governance anyway.
Regroup. Make it known that they are now throwing the idiots out of the party. Let them form their own “Freedom Party”. The remaining Republicans can then let it be known that they act in the interests of the country.
Yes, this will lead to a time in the wilderness for them. They will be in a rebuilding phase. This will be tough for a number of years. But it would lead to a long term better outcome that the death by a thousand cuts by the moronic far right that is currently sucking the life out of them.
Won’t happen of course. But they need to get rid of these crazy loons at some point.
I agree, but they had a chance to try that when the Tea Party became super obstreperous. And they blinked. And now the tea party seems like a genteel reminder of kinder times by comparison. They keep embracing the radicals to get power, and therefore keep having leopards eat their face.
I envision a time when the MTG’s the Boebert’s, the Gaetz’s will be the “old guard” of the party, and the new radicals are elected members who openly call for insurrection against the country, throw literal bombs, assassinate other members of congress and work tirelessly on their social media channels and grifting opportunities, while never setting a foot in Washington.
Fucking Slacker!
They still get to vote, so why would it throw votes to the Democrats?
I’ve been saying this for years now, but have never had a Republican actually agree with me. The notion of losing elections for a decade while they sort their shit out is an insurmountable deal-breaker to them.
I have no idea how they picture things getting better in their own heads, but it clearly doesn’t involve admitting their party is entirely dysfunctional, and should spend a decade in the wilderness.
Because those 20 are the most self-centered, most petty, most Trump-like, most insane, most stupid people in the party. Cast them into the outer darkness, and it’s a pretty safe bet that they’ll just vote “no” on absolutely everything, no matter who proposed it, just to throw sand into the gears.
No, they won’t. They live for the limelight, so they would continue to carry on just as they are doing now.
Yeah. People hoping that Republicans will do the right thing are fundamentally misunderstanding American politics.
Right now, something like five Republicans could talk to Democrats and choose any Democrat they like to throw their support behind, and be kingmakers. They could choose the most conservative Democrat in the House, and make that person the Speaker. They could probably choose one of the less conservative Republicans, possibly including themselves, and make that person the Speaker.
That hasn’t happened.
The reason it hasn’t happened is the reason why Democrats can’t rely on Republicans to do anything that Democrats would find acceptable.
How would, “Caving in and voting for mainstream Republican initiatives” keep them in the limelight? Their whole schtick is based on being contrarians, and grifting their idiot supporters. They’d make serious bank off being “The only ones standing up to those RINOs who capitulated to Nancy Pelosi.”
And yes, they’d try to act like Pelosi was still the Speaker. Because the stupidity is the point.
… for two years, before being primaried in 2024. And if by some miracle they survive re-election, the rest of the Republican party will never speak to them again. Scapegoats, the lot of 'em!
Sure, you can chair a committee. But Republicans on ‘your side’ will have no compunction voting against you, and it’s not like Democrats are going to suddenly become your new best friends.
They would be effectively relegated to third-party status with no caucus.
~Max
Great stuff!
Heh!!
Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties 'cause it’s cooooold out there today!
Welcome to vote…… what number again? What day is it today? Groundhog Day?
I think we’re up to round 12. That’ll be tomorrow.
You’re not the only one who thought of Groundhog Day–the CNN commentators remarked on that too.