By all accounts, the House of Representatives in the next Congress promises to
be a real mess. Republicans will control the House by a razor thin margin, and
that leaves Kevin McCarthy with precious little room to maneuver. In particular, it
has been widely reported that he will have to make concessions to the most
extreme right-wing elements of the Republican caucus. That will mean, among
other things, spending little effort on legislation that might actually be passed
and signed into law by President Biden. Even more important, it will mean
yielding to every cockeyed proposal to investigate Biden or this or that member of his administration or family.
The determination to cast aside legislative pursuits, in order to carry on a
relentless war on the Biden administration, will not set well with all Republicans.
As observed in Politico:
We’re already hearing from a host of moderate House Republicans who won in Biden districts
who are dreading the prospect of overly aggressive probes. It’s not what they ran on this
election cycle — and certainly not what they want to be talking about after spending their
campaigns focused on the economy.
Therein may lie a solution which could be of great benefit to the country. Suppose that the host of
moderate Republicans were to select from their number a person well qualified to be Speaker
and nominate him or her. While that nomination would fail among House Republicans, it should
command virtually unanimous support from Democrats, more than enough to decide the
Speakership.
Such a bold maneuver would carry risks to Republicans supporting it. They would be regarded as
pariahs by some of their colleagues, but the Republican House Leadership has shown little
ability to rein in or discipline brazen tactics from the Freedom Caucus. Perhaps it is time for
the pendulum to swing in the other direction.
I love it! Too good to be true, of course. But we can dream, can’t we?
It’s refreshing to read of a positive possibility in determining the new leadership of the House of Representatives, however unlikely to happen, or even really solve the serious conflict dividing Congress and the nation, which so blocks effective action in dealing with our multiple national problems. It seems the extremism and divisiveness are becoming all too chronic, not soon to be resolved. I’m seeing all too much in the media, in political ads, and in online interchanges about the Federalist Society and their dominance in controlling Republican Supreme Court selections, the Freedom Caucus control over GOP Congress members, the Heritage Foundation’s promotion of right-wing ideas as ideal Americanism, the power of GOP election donors like Koch, and the control that the Fox News empire has established over major cable news media and over small town and rural media outlets. Extreme conservative political groups have been working hard for the past 40 plus years to develop their dominance over select groups, while political moderates of both parties have apparently been virtually asleep in terms of the hard work of laying the groundwork for the future they desire to see unfold, culminating in the relative absence of political moderates today, and the conflictual and seemingly unsolvable realities we face. Many American people still undoubtedly have a politically moderate orientation, but they increasingly lack political representation and power. Not an encouraging forecast!
Brace yourselves for another two years of vitriol and vengeance as the Freedom Caucus exercises its 1st Amendment right to cripple Congress and the country. For me, it’s time to move on to other things – like furthering gun control and such.
Thanks, Doug. I suppose stranger things have happened, like the election of DT. It’s hard to see how things could be worse if what you suggest happened. But what practical difference would it really make? No matter who is Speaker, I would expect numerous investigations and impeachment efforts (not just of POTUS), the appointment of fringe members to key chairs, the usual divisive rhetoric. Maybe it would be less horrible at the margins. Just don’t see much cooperation on legislation potentially in the public interest. And then there’s the pedophile rule. Oh, excuse me, the Hastert Rule. One certain bonus would be enhanced intra-R party fighting and screeching. And can you imagine the conspiracy theories? Without a doubt, Hunter Biden and Hillary Clinton will be among the accused.
Much as Pelosi had to cave to her progressive wing to get anything done, I think McCarthy will be in much the same position. But the country is hungry for solutions to problems, and I for one, wish those who are endlessly focused on the past, would move on to find real solutions for the very real problems we ALL face.
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