McCarthy’s struggle to win the speakership
As with Dr. Frankenstein, Donald Trump’s demon spawn is turning on him. MAGA Republicans are thwarting the divine wishes of their self-proclaimed savior.
They are blocking the election of Kevin McCarthy, the member he endorsed as speaker of the House. And they are doing so with almost sacrilegious defiance.
Today, House majority Republicans, in turmoil, could not elect a speaker as GOP nominee Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) failed on the sixth ballot. Republican foes have kept him from getting close to a majority in the latest round of voting for speaker that has now stretched over two days.
(The Washington Post, January 4, 2023)
GOP’s Own Armada Sails Against Trump’s Tide
MAGA member Lauren Boebert even mocked Trump. She nominated fellow MAGA Republican Byron Donalds, claiming that Trump should tell McCarthy to withdraw his name and support her nominee.
Yes, Donalds has no chance of being elected speaker. Herschel Walker had a better chance of being elected senator. But being a Black Republican means playing the role of useful idiot whenever called upon.
Mind you, Republicans would be well-advised to finally make US history by seizing this opportunity to elect Donalds as the first Black House Speaker. But their congenital racism is so acute that this opportunity seems completely lost on them.
And so the Republicans are drowning in stormy seas of their own making. McCarthy failed to win the speakership on the sixth ballot. He’s a tragic figure. His suffering through rounds of balloting smacks of the punishment Tantalus suffered.
The man publicly traveled down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump’s ass for his endorsement. He did so because he thought that would guarantee the speakership. Yet it remains tantalizingly out of reach.
Mind you, MAGA Republicans have no viable alternative to McCarthy. So it’s only a matter of time (or ballots) before they put him out of his misery.
Trump Fever or Trump Fatigue?
Former President Barack Obama expressed hope that “Trump Fever” would break. That was six years ago. Instead, it has spread like wildfire among the Republican ranks. Now their political party looks more like a personality cult.
But this MAGA rebellion teases the belated breaking of this once-raging fever. Yet, amid the chaos is a disquieting calm: All MAGA Republicans would still vote for Trump.
He presided over more congressional losses than any other president in US history. He was also the first president to incite an insurrection. Yet none of that has diminished their cult-like devotion to Trump.
Loyalty to party over country
John Bolton is Trump’s former national security adviser. He personifies the triumph of party over country and tribalism over patriotism.
With fire-and-brimstone indignation, Republicans like him warn about a Trump run in 2024. They say that would be a disaster for the Republican Party. Yet they concede they would rather see Trump reelected over Biden or any Democrat.
Such antic devotion usually prevails in banana republics. But self-righteous Republicans like Bolton don’t mind America becoming one. That is, so long as their GOP monkey is the top banana.
Trump is a dangerous and incompetent buffoon. Republican loyalty to him explains the spectacle unfolding in the House.
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