America’s political gridlock and Trump-inspired sabotage just got worse. On October 3, Republican Kevin McCarthy became the first Speaker of the House thrown out of office in history by eight far-right members of his own party and the Democrats. The impact of this strange alliance will be damaging. America’s legislative process will be paralyzed until another Speaker is chosen who can handle divisions. The mutiny was organized by a cocky Congressman from Florida, Republican Matt Gaetz, who leads the House Freedom Caucus of 20 or so radicals. He objected to McCarthy’s success in forging two-party compromises, an aptitude which also happens to constitute the job of Speaker. Gaetz’s my-way-or-the-highway tactics were condemned by The Wall Street Journal: “A gang of eight ousts a Speaker with no plan or replacement in mind,” it wrote on October 4. “They won’t end up cutting any spending, and a shutdown will probably result in more. A handful of holdouts are able to hold the entire Republican House hostage. It’s all so pointlessly stupid, with failure foreordained.”
Clearly, the American system is, in its present incarnation, comprised of checks, balances, and paralysis. Conflicts burden most parliamentary systems, but the others (Canada, Europe) have emergency funds available if the money runs out during legislative roadblocks. America has no such safeguard and now faces a Catch-22 legislative quagmire. The vote to remove McCarthy was proposed by Gaetz to raise his personal profile politically, but the curious participation by Democrats was equally opportunistic and ruinous. The party wanted McCarthy out because he’s a tireless and effective fundraiser against them. But there was also a curious lack of intervention by moderate Republicans to save McCarthy. So as things now stand, no one can reach a majority in the House without the “Gang of Eight” involved: The Democratic bloc has 212 votes and the Republican bloc minus the 8 dissidents has 213 votes. “The institution failed today,” said McCarthy at his farewell press conference. “You can’t do the job if just eight people, 4 percent of the House, must partner with one or the other side. How can you govern?”
The impact will be dire unless a new Speaker can manage his or her way through the fact that the “tail” of eight aggrieved extremists now wags the “dog”. This impedes dealing with the three most important issues of the day – spending, the immigration crisis at the southern border plus the war effort against Russia. All will be impossible to address if Gaetz’s Gang hangs tough. There are also economic ramifications. Market players worry about budget allocations and the enhanced possibility of a full-on government shutdown, averted last week by a deal brokered by McCarthy which is now nullified. “They are not just throwing up the bombs; they are blowing up the party,” said Sarah Binder, a professor of political science at George Washington University. “It is not really clear how to appease them or secure their votes.”
The fact that the next allocation for Ukraine’s defense is now punted indefinitely could also play into Putin’s hands and be trafficked widely in order to try and demoralize the West. Fortunately, the White House assured the next tranche of funds will flow. But stateside, the political impasse may result in a shutdown that cuts off pay to military, police, border, and other federal workers, triggering a deluge of illegals across the southern border. The Mayor of Laredo Texas was quoted as saying that a “catastrophic situation” awaits if spending stops. And market experts say a lengthy shutdown will create uncertainty and stock market volatility. One CNBC commentator remarked gloomily that “I view this Congress as closed until after the [2024] election.”
Behind this chaos is former President Donald Trump who now “campaigns” in courthouses where he appears regularly to fight the 91 criminal charges against him. This week, he libelled a federal judge, prosecutors, and the justice system outside a courtroom in New York City where he faces major fraud charges and complete financial ruin. “This is a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time,” he sneered. His language is increasingly violent, ranging from urging people to go after prosecutors to threats against rivals. But he heads for the “Crowbar Hotel” or parole or millions in fines, and, in his stead is Matt Gaetz, his personal House of Representatives wrecking ball.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it’s "now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War." But until that happens, House business will essentially come to a halt until Republicans agree on a Speaker who can juggle the impossible. Underlying the entire squabble is the fact that Trump’s followers simply do not believe in the majority-rule principle which is the bedrock of its democracy. “I don’t regret compromise or building coalitions,” said McCarthy. “I was raised to solve problems not create them. The country’s too great for the small visions of those eight. They should put the country first. They are not conservatives. They voted against budget cuts. They voted against border security. They are angry and chaotic and not members of the party I belong to.”
But “they” are there.
McCarthy tried to cater to them after the mid-terms by handing out key positions and opening impeachment hearings against President Joe Biden. But it only whetted their appetites. They now play brinkmanship concerning debt ceiling limits, spending, immigration, and Ukraine. And Republicans remain at the mercy of Gaetz or Democrats, to govern the House unless they gird for war. It will be interesting to watch what Gaetz’s other Freedom Caucus colleagues will do who didn’t vote McCarthy out. These include the loopy Majorie Taylor-Greene, gun-toting Lauren Boeberg, and Holocaust denier Paul Gosar, among others. They will likely back one of their own as Speaker, such as Jim Jordan or Steve Scalise, who are both attack dogs for Trump. Each has tossed his hat into the ring.
Karl Rove, Republican honcho and backroom operator, believes the Gaetz gambit and Freedom Caucus shenanigans will backfire. “A stupid, needless government shutdown looms,” wrote Rove. “This Chaos Caucus’s leader, Florida’s reckless Rep. Matt Gaetz, is practically giddy at the prospect of a shutdown…Strategically, it’s foolish. Democrats will insist on significant concessions to reopen the government. The shutdown could go on far longer than its advocates predict, and each additional day will provoke more public anger at the GOP.”
Welcome to Free Dumb.
Who does this benefit? It did not benefit the border states. It did not benefit Americans who will see another mortgage increase and higher gas prices. It did not benefit the grandmother who is in solitary confinement for walking into the Capital. It benefits only Putin and buying 6 Congressmen is not all that expensive.
McCarthy gave the bombers the power and opportunity, the rest of the House GOP can't get out of their own fantasies of power and profits to care. There is a way, it is called bi-partisanship, without that they fail completely. Time to end this all or nothing sickness and re-invent themselves.