All very true , Chris. But it's not just a "House Republican[] problem." It's a Republican problem. The party has been overrun by performance artists in the Trump style. These factions in the House, for example, don't arise out of policy differences, but rather out of mini-tribal warfare based on personalities and petty grievances. Same is true for many Rs in the Senate. One sane R in the House I've heard is Ken Buck. I hate his policies, but at least he has coherent policies, and he refuses to carry on with the bizarre fiction that 2020 was rigged. Both Scalise and Jordan are right wing extremists and peddle in BS versions of reality. The sad truth, however, is that most voters don't pay any attention to the total dysfunction that prevents the House from governing at a time critical to the World at large. Come 2024, the R base will vote for their tribe- no questions asked.
Chris - This is America's problem. The continued dysfunction in the House will only increase the calls for authoritarian solutions. The American people need to let their voices be heard as to how they want to see this dysfunction resolved, and how they want to see democracy work, and not treat the republican issues in the House like it is a slide show. We are all going to suffer if this is not resolved in a workable manner. And America cannot wait until the next election in Nov. 2024...
I would also expect this is exactly what Roger Stone/ Steve Bannon want. The more dysfunction, the better.
Trump also. He was just DYING to say “no defaults in my presidency”. Unfortunately he can’t claim that on shutdowns, because last time I checked he caused one!
We are falling into the trap if we think that Republicans want to elect a speaker and govern. It is the opposite. Trump and Bannon want ongoing chaos under Biden because it will make it reasonable to say that Trump can end this.
We need to inoculate against this strategy.
The solution is a unity speaker that Democrats can join with Republicans in.
If the Republicans resist this, we will all see they don’t want to govern.
Agree. Let us dream: a consensus speaker from the center is the ideal solution - which is a guarantee it’ll never happen. The best choice would be Brian Fitzpatrick (R - PA1)
House Republicans are so bitterly divided it's likely neither Scalise nor Jordan, nor anyone else, will have 217 Republican votes to become Speaker. What happens next is crucial. It's imperative that we not allow the People's House to remain broken and dysfunctional until 2025.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) realizes this as well. That's why last Friday in the Washington Post he explicitly called for Republicans to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition. His plea is elegant and gracious, and everyone should read it:
In his piece, Mr. Jeffries tells us that his team has repeatedly made this offer to Republicans in private over the last few weeks. That he now has publicly made the same offer suggests that he's asking the American people to support it as well. In his words:
"At this point, we simply need Republican partners willing to break with MAGA extremism, reform the highly partisan House rules that were adopted at the beginning of this Congress and join us in finding common ground for the people.”
At least a few of these potential Republican partners have the training, experience and skills to lead in taking that bold step. But they need to have their courage bolstered if they are to break with MAGA extremism.
For those who'd like to help rather than just opine in the comment section and wait to see what happens next, let me suggest calling one or each of these Representatives and urge them to either run themself as a consensus candidate, or to support one of the others to do so.
Don Bacon (R-NE): (202) 225-4155 D.C. or (402) 938-0300 District
Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA): (202) 225-4276 D.C. or (215) 579-8102 District
Mike Gallagher (R-WI): (202) 225-5665 D.C. or (920) 301-4500 District
David Joyce (R- OH): (202) 225-5731 D.C. or (440) 352-3939 District
This is beyond disgraceful. The GOP has gone off the cliff and the American people will suffer, as well as our allies. We have a war that just broke out and none of them can pull of their big boy pants and get it together. Chaos seems to be what the GOP wants and chaos is what we have. This is pure insanity.
Nancy Mace and George Santos epic trolling of Scalise is really funny, albeit counterproductive.
I know you don't think this will hurt Republicans in 2024 Chris, but the House Republicans being unable to get its house in order while the Israel-Hamas war is raging is such a bad optics look and feels like an easy talking point for Biden and Democrats.
Nancy Mace never misses an opportunity to demonstrate that she's even dumber than you think she is. She just found out that Scalise attended that meeting and said he was "David Duke without the baggage" to a meeting of an organization founded by Duke that Scalise says he didn't know was organized by Duke and didn't know it was a white supremacist organization?
With the fall of Steve, IDK why some centrist republican with higher ambitions doesn’t make a play for half the Rs and half the Ds with a promise of functional government.
To me , the very interesting thing about this Republican House contest is that Donald Trump's endorsed candidate{Jim Jordan } LOST. Steve Scalis who refused to endorsed Trump's Presidential ambition WON. That is a good omen for them and the country. Good to know that most members of house GOP congress men and woman have seen through Donald Trump and agree that he is vain . Scalis will win the Speakership with time. Trump may be deluding himself that Scalis is sick and not strong enough to be speaker. What Scalis is suffering from is curable but what Trump is suferring from is not curable, i.e Narcissisim, Pathological lying, etc.
I love the “Big Mad” category. I went to Xitter yesterday to remind all those NY reps trying to have Santos booted that Elise Stefanik is in a super safe ruby red district, helped GS get elected despite evidence he was a con man and doesn’t give a fig about them because she’s busy trying to become Veep.
Could the obvious fractions in the GOP be the opening rumbles of the US transformation to a multi-party state like the rest of the liberal democracies in the world?
All very true , Chris. But it's not just a "House Republican[] problem." It's a Republican problem. The party has been overrun by performance artists in the Trump style. These factions in the House, for example, don't arise out of policy differences, but rather out of mini-tribal warfare based on personalities and petty grievances. Same is true for many Rs in the Senate. One sane R in the House I've heard is Ken Buck. I hate his policies, but at least he has coherent policies, and he refuses to carry on with the bizarre fiction that 2020 was rigged. Both Scalise and Jordan are right wing extremists and peddle in BS versions of reality. The sad truth, however, is that most voters don't pay any attention to the total dysfunction that prevents the House from governing at a time critical to the World at large. Come 2024, the R base will vote for their tribe- no questions asked.
Good point. I think the House GOP is a microcosm of the larger Republican party.
Chris - This is America's problem. The continued dysfunction in the House will only increase the calls for authoritarian solutions. The American people need to let their voices be heard as to how they want to see this dysfunction resolved, and how they want to see democracy work, and not treat the republican issues in the House like it is a slide show. We are all going to suffer if this is not resolved in a workable manner. And America cannot wait until the next election in Nov. 2024...
I would also expect this is exactly what Roger Stone/ Steve Bannon want. The more dysfunction, the better.
Trump also. He was just DYING to say “no defaults in my presidency”. Unfortunately he can’t claim that on shutdowns, because last time I checked he caused one!
We are falling into the trap if we think that Republicans want to elect a speaker and govern. It is the opposite. Trump and Bannon want ongoing chaos under Biden because it will make it reasonable to say that Trump can end this.
We need to inoculate against this strategy.
The solution is a unity speaker that Democrats can join with Republicans in.
If the Republicans resist this, we will all see they don’t want to govern.
Let’s not pretend they really want to solve this.
Agree. Let us dream: a consensus speaker from the center is the ideal solution - which is a guarantee it’ll never happen. The best choice would be Brian Fitzpatrick (R - PA1)
How 'bout Bacon?
House Republicans are so bitterly divided it's likely neither Scalise nor Jordan, nor anyone else, will have 217 Republican votes to become Speaker. What happens next is crucial. It's imperative that we not allow the People's House to remain broken and dysfunctional until 2025.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) realizes this as well. That's why last Friday in the Washington Post he explicitly called for Republicans to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition. His plea is elegant and gracious, and everyone should read it:
https://wapo.st/48DDrsB (no subscription required to read this item)
In his piece, Mr. Jeffries tells us that his team has repeatedly made this offer to Republicans in private over the last few weeks. That he now has publicly made the same offer suggests that he's asking the American people to support it as well. In his words:
"At this point, we simply need Republican partners willing to break with MAGA extremism, reform the highly partisan House rules that were adopted at the beginning of this Congress and join us in finding common ground for the people.”
At least a few of these potential Republican partners have the training, experience and skills to lead in taking that bold step. But they need to have their courage bolstered if they are to break with MAGA extremism.
For those who'd like to help rather than just opine in the comment section and wait to see what happens next, let me suggest calling one or each of these Representatives and urge them to either run themself as a consensus candidate, or to support one of the others to do so.
Don Bacon (R-NE): (202) 225-4155 D.C. or (402) 938-0300 District
Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA): (202) 225-4276 D.C. or (215) 579-8102 District
Mike Gallagher (R-WI): (202) 225-5665 D.C. or (920) 301-4500 District
David Joyce (R- OH): (202) 225-5731 D.C. or (440) 352-3939 District
You can learn a little more about each one here:
https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/if-mccarthys-out-whos-in
.
This is beyond disgraceful. The GOP has gone off the cliff and the American people will suffer, as well as our allies. We have a war that just broke out and none of them can pull of their big boy pants and get it together. Chaos seems to be what the GOP wants and chaos is what we have. This is pure insanity.
Nancy Mace and George Santos epic trolling of Scalise is really funny, albeit counterproductive.
I know you don't think this will hurt Republicans in 2024 Chris, but the House Republicans being unable to get its house in order while the Israel-Hamas war is raging is such a bad optics look and feels like an easy talking point for Biden and Democrats.
Nancy Mace never misses an opportunity to demonstrate that she's even dumber than you think she is. She just found out that Scalise attended that meeting and said he was "David Duke without the baggage" to a meeting of an organization founded by Duke that Scalise says he didn't know was organized by Duke and didn't know it was a white supremacist organization?
Southern ignorance - it's bottomless.
SO WHAT
With the fall of Steve, IDK why some centrist republican with higher ambitions doesn’t make a play for half the Rs and half the Ds with a promise of functional government.
To me , the very interesting thing about this Republican House contest is that Donald Trump's endorsed candidate{Jim Jordan } LOST. Steve Scalis who refused to endorsed Trump's Presidential ambition WON. That is a good omen for them and the country. Good to know that most members of house GOP congress men and woman have seen through Donald Trump and agree that he is vain . Scalis will win the Speakership with time. Trump may be deluding himself that Scalis is sick and not strong enough to be speaker. What Scalis is suffering from is curable but what Trump is suferring from is not curable, i.e Narcissisim, Pathological lying, etc.
I love the “Big Mad” category. I went to Xitter yesterday to remind all those NY reps trying to have Santos booted that Elise Stefanik is in a super safe ruby red district, helped GS get elected despite evidence he was a con man and doesn’t give a fig about them because she’s busy trying to become Veep.
I hope that helps calm them down anyway.
Could the obvious fractions in the GOP be the opening rumbles of the US transformation to a multi-party state like the rest of the liberal democracies in the world?