‘The Republican Party Today Just Can’t Govern’ After McCarthy Ouster
Removal of the speaker deepens political bloodletting
The events which led to Tuesday's historic vote to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House have been likened to some sort of Republican “civil war.”
But in the wake of the first ouster of a speaker of the House in American history, House Republicans — and the wider Republican Party — look like nothing more than a feral cage match leading up to a bloody cannibalistic feast.
A small group of eight House Republicans joined all of the chambers’ Democrats to oust McCarthy after just nine months as speaker.
The final vote was a slim 216-210, and the Republican bloodletting began even before the votes were counted.
Republicans supporting McCarthy openly heckled Rep Matt Gaetz — the chief architect of the move to dismiss the speaker — when the Florida Republican rose to speak in favor of his plan.
“Oh, boo all you want!” Gaetz answered back.
And right-wing Republican lawmakers attacked each other for either backing or opposing McCarthy.
“I had a a good laugh I’ve had a lot of criticism since the time I’ve been here for for 9 years but when Kevin McCarthy said that those eight aren't conservative? A guy from California who doesn’t even know how to spell the word ‘conservative’ as saying that I’m not conservative that’s that’s humorous,” said Rep Ken Buck of Colorado, one of the Republicans who voted to oust the speaker. “I’m sorry but um I voted against Kevin McCarthy for speaker for one set of reasons the Democrats voted against him for another set of reasons. That doesn’t mean we agreed on the reasons.”
On the other side, Texas Republican and right-winger, Rep Chip Roy said, “I would also argue that some of our brothers and sisters, particularly in the MAGA camp, I think, particularly enjoy circular firing squad.
“You want to come at me and call me a RINO, you can kiss my ass. Look, I spent a lifetime fighting for limited government conservatism,” he claimed. “I laid it all on the line. I have not seen my family for two days in the last 30 days. You go around talking your big game and you're thumping your chest on Twitter? Yeah, come to my office, come have a debate, mother.”
That anger spilled over into right-wing media.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, now a personality on Fox News, declared that those fellow Republicans who voted against McCarthy are “traitors,” and that “they should be primaried.”
And another Fox News commentator, Republican Ari Fleisher who worked in the White House for President George W Bush, said: “The Republican Party today just can’t govern. Nancy Pelosi with a five-vote majority, she was able to govern. The Democrats have become the party of discipline and the Republicans have become the party that lacks discipline.
“The reason for that is this internal clash. You have got a Republican base that does want to shut it down, that does want to stop funds to Ukraine, that is angry, that wants to do something about the debt. So they cheer for Matt Gaetz because he has given them the speech they want to hear,” he added. “But then when it comes time to vote, he cannot deliver the votes that he needs to get anything done.
“So, there used to be a party called the Know Nothings, and now I think Matt Gaetz is leading the party called the Do Nothings. That’s where Republicans are,” Fleisher said.
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