Two years after the Capitol uprising, Republicans have taken the House hostage

Those who have followed the development of the Republican Party for a few years probably won’t be surprised.

For Kevin McCarthy, it was meant to be the role of his life: Speaker of the House. But, unable to muster the 218 votes needed to win the coveted seat, Mr McCarthy suffered the wrath of his own party members who turned his dream into an illusion.

After 11 votesAgain and again, 21 elected insurgent Republicans do everything they can to put a blaster in his wheels. What is remarkable is that he nonetheless made important concessions to these 21 dissidents. Such as promising seats on important House committees, or even allowing one elected official to put forward a motion to vote on impeaching the Speaker.

But none of the rebels backed down. Did Kevin McCarthy really think he would survive this? Doing this political striptease would bring him nothing but another humiliation.

Bad vote counter

Republican bully Nancy Pelosi has always had an ability that Kevin McCarthy never had: counting his votes. The former Speaker of the House did not dare put anything to a vote without knowing that she had enough votes to pass it.

In the case of Mr. McCarthy, perhaps it was because he had no other choice, some might say, that he preferred to delve into the problems, in the hope that some of the rebels would give in to the pressure and line up behind him.

However, those who voted against him did so knowing full well that their candidates Andy Biggs, Byron Donalds, Kevin Hearn, and all the obscure elected officials, or even Donald Trump (suggested by Matt Gaetz, only got one vote) had no chance of being made. Chosen by the majority of the party.

But the goal seemed above all to defeat Mr. McCarthy and to show his scalp as a victory over what these elected officials want to denounce, that is, Washington and all its troubles.

Political terrorists?

If Republicans, in opposition, are often seen as obstructionists, these 21 rebels are seen rather as destroyed. They don’t seem interested in how the government works, but they are eager to prove the futility of something in Washington.

No wonder some of them are 2020 election result deniers who, moreover, participated in instigating the Capitol Rebellion on January 6, 2021.

The American system is far from perfect. But judging by the saying they do it for PeopleThese politicians’ selfish petticoat begins to emerge. As evidence, one such elected rebel took the opportunity to launch a fundraising drive in the midst of a crisis in Congress.

Among the 21 swingers is Matt Gaetz, who has even suggested that Donald Trump be Speaker of the House.

Photo: ap via getty Images / MANDEL NGAN

Denver Riggleman, a former Virginia Republican-elect, doesn’t treat these 21 rebels as hostage-takers, but terrorists. Because according to him, even when we agree to their requests, they don’t even care and continue their campaign against Kevin McCarthy.

Humiliation after humiliation

For the Republicans, it’s an abysmal failure, because the party’s elected officials tried as best they could to boast that, even with the somewhat disappointing midterm election results, they were going to take control of the House of Representatives, broadcast with their political platform and, above all, attack with investigations, At the first opportunity, the Bidens and the Democrats.

Four days later, we are still awaiting the swearing in of all the elected members of the chamber, which is impossible as long as there is no elected president in circulation. If ever a major crisis breaks out, no bill or budget envelope can be introduced or proposed.

Dawn of the fourth day without the Speaker of Parliament.

Photo: Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker

It might seem surprising to see Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and other Chip Roy slay Congress at the expense of someone’s president. But this kind of elect of extremist movements has always existed within the party. others combat system In the past, they succeeded in removing a more moderate number of former Speakers of Parliament. Think Eric Kantor, Paul Ryan, and John Boehner.

By eliminating the beliefs of Republicans who are part of the Washington establishment but are able to run a group that brings together politicians from all walks of life, the party now finds itself unable to elect a president, compromise and compromise.

In short, Donald Trump’s passage within the Republican Party also left its mark, allowing anything and everything into its ranks. So we should not be surprised at the situation we find ourselves in today.

This poses a real problem for the party that wants to take over the White House in November 2024. It is also an opportunity to see how far only a more far-right part of the base can lead the Republican elephant by the end of its trunk.

Who really wants this job?

If Kevin McCarthy is finally elected, which seems less likely, some have already found a name for him: Spino! ” Name speaker only (Who has a boss in name only). Somewhat like RINOs, the Republicans In name only. for at the slightest jest he would have paid for the new measure which he would have accepted, viz., expelled by a motion of one elected official, who would go to vote.

How many failed votes is Kevin McCarthy willing to take before stepping down?

Photo: Getty Images/Win McNamee

By selling everything he has in store at a discount, Kevin McCarthy has made this situation less and less attractive. If he decides to withdraw, who is tempted to run in such a context? And above all, who will be able to elect him?

One day, there will actually be a Speaker of the House elected, but imagine the next two years! These 21 elected rebels will not disappear overnight.

And as they just pointed out, those MAGA loyalists (Make America Great AgainDonald Trump slogan) no longer listen to their political mentor who twice asked that they line up behind Kevin McCarthy. This does not bode well for the man from Mar-a-Lago, who sees his influence over his Republican flock diminishing further in this crisis.

The good game for the Democrats

In contrast, the Democrats can only show broad smiles, but above all an indissoluble unity. Ted Liu, an elected representative from California, was very proud to post a photo on Twitter with a bag of popcorn, on his way to the House floor, knowing full well that defeating Kevin McCarthy would be an avowed disaster.

Hakim Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, gets 212 votes each time from members of his party, even if it is symbolic.

Photo: Getty Images/Nathan Howard

While Republicans over the past two years have wallowed in setbacks for Democrats and Joe Biden, who has been held in the Senate by Kirsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, who have dictated their demands to soften the White House’s massive transformative bills, the roles have reversed, prompting Republicans. to center stage and expose their inner divisions.

Since Tuesday, the 212 House Democrats religiously vote for their nominee, Hakeem Jeffries. He received 212 votes on every ballot, which is a purely symbolic result, since the Democrats are in the minority.

Mais imagine, with the fatigue that s’installed on the same chambre, that he might arrive with certain republicains decidaient of s’abstenir, sans trop faire attention au calcul: ils pourraient très bien se retrouver à laisser M. Jeffries l’emporter , unintentionally. He can be elected with his 212 votes and leads the Republican House majority. Obviously it would be very surprising, but at the point where we are…

Two years ago, the Capitol was stormed by supporters of Donald Trump who wanted to annul the results of the 2020 election.

Photo: dpa via getty Images / ROBERTO SCHMIDT

Democracy is messy, we often hear these days in Washington. Democracy is sometimes a mess. Especially when threatened, remember those who faced the crowd that wanted to storm this famous Capitol. Two years ago, and look where Americans are today, with this Republican insurrection crippling everything.