Matt Gaetz has already won
Attention.
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz went to the House floor Monday morning. Everyone waited with bated breath to see if he would offer a motion to vacate the speakership — beginning the formal process of trying to expel Kevin McCarthy from the House’s top job. They would be disappointed. Gaetz didn’t offer the motion — but promised that he would later “this week.”
All of the coverage — over the weekend and today — focused on the battle for power within the GOP between Gaetz and McCarthy. But, that misses something essential: Gaetz already has what he wants. He’s already won.
To understand that reality, you have to understand how the incentive structure has changed within the House of Representatives over the past decade or two.
In the past, the path to power in Congress involved a lot of waiting and deference. You aimed to be put on an influential committee (Appropriations, Ways and Means) early in your career so that you could begin accruing seniority. Maybe, one day, you would become a subcommittee chair. Heck, if you waited long enough — and sat in a district where you didn’t need to worry about reelection — you might become chair of the full committee.
At which point, you would have it made. Committee chairs were demigods in Congress, with almost unlimited power in their fiefdom.
That all changed with the arrival of 24-hour cable networks, social media and online fundraising. Suddenly, you could become a star in Congress without, well, ever really doing anything.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s stunning upset victory in a 2018 primary against a member of Democratic House leadership (as well as her compelling backstory) made her one of the most famous members of Congress before she was even sworn in.
On the Republican side, the elections of Gaetz and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — to choose just two — signaled this change in incentive structure. Neither Gaetz nor Greene had any real interest in building up seniority or landing on a key committee. They were there for the fame — and the fundraising dollars that went with it.
The ur-example of this focus on attention over, well, everything was North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who famously/infamously sent a letter to his new Republican colleagues that proudly declared: “I have built my staff around [communications] rather than legislation.” In other words, Cawthorn was all about going on TV and getting known nationally. Delivering for his district via policy and legislation? Not so much. (Cawthorn lost a primary in 2022.)
McCarthy represents the old incentive structure. Gaetz the new.
Which is why debating whether Gaetz or McCarthy will emerge a winner from this week’s confrontation misunderstands exactly what the Florida Republican wants.
For McCarthy, this week is purely about survival. He will succeed if he remains Speaker — no matter how it happens. (McCarthy’s most likely path to keep the speakership involves Democrats supporting him or voting “present” to lower the number of votes he needs for a simple majority.)
Gaetz’s calculation is different. He doesn’t, really, care if McCarthy survives or not. If McCarthy is ousted, he will claim it as a pelt on his wall. But, if McCarthy survives, Gaetz will simply blame it on Democrats who sided with him — proof positive that only Gaetz is still fighting the good fight for “true” conservatism.
The truth is that Gaetz doesn’t even really care — not really — about how all of this affects his standing in the House. And, to the extent he cares at all, he is probably rooting for McCarthy’s allies to continue to run him down in public — so as to further cement his reputation as an outsider.
See, Gaetz has his eye on a bigger prize — the governorship of Florida when Ron DeSantis is term limited out in 2026. (Or when DeSantis is elected president. HA!)
“Many did encourage me to consider running for governor one day,” Gaetz said at a recent Republican event in the state. “But we have an outstanding governor who will be in that position through 2026.”
And what better mantle on which to run for the Republican nomination for governor than as the guy who fought, Trump-style, against the swamp in Washington? (An endorsement from Trump himself couldn’t hurt either.)
Gaetz then already has everything he wants out of this fight over McCarthy’s future. He is the center of attention. Every move he makes is covered by dozens (if not hundreds) of reporters. He’s a sought-after guest not just on conservative talk shows but on mainstream media outlets like CNN and ABC.
Attention is the currency in the new Republican economy. And Gaetz is winning — bigly — in that regard right now.
What’s remarkable is that whether or not he wins this fight with McCarthy is almost besides the point. He’s already achieved his goal: Being the name on the tip of everyone’s tongue.
Gaetz is probably one of the most arrogant beings that I have had misfortune to observe in my 84 years on the planet. I say being rather than human being because I don't believe there's anything human about him.
And therein lies THE problem with our political system, where achievement means nothing and media hits mean everything (that goes for a fair number of Democrats too, to be fair).