The Cult of Insanity
It has been nearly three weeks since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by his own party, and the GOP has burned through two candidates, with no permanent solution and no signs of stopping.
The US House of Representatives has been intentionally frozen from procedural action by the Republican Party since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed by a small group of renegade Trump loyalists. Implementing a continuing resolution and a temporary speaker does nothing to truly fix the issues at hand, as the world has seen an escalating situation in Gaza and an ongoing attack on Ukraine, and both need immediate attention and funding.
Despite this increased urgency, the Republican majority has not been able to agree on anyone to lead their party out of the chaos unleashed by a select few with too much power. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan were not viable leaders for the GOP, so conservatives have wasted three weeks arguing. This has prevented the House from passing any bills and/or providing any funding, including those related to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Following the last failed vote on the House floor to elect Jordan, the GOP held an internal, secret-ballot vote. The result was that 86 Republicans were happy to support Jordan, while 112 said that they wanted to move on from him and go with someone else. Somehow, Jim Jordan only succeeded in losing support as he continued his bid for House Speaker.
But an odd dichotomy, much like the trend observed in the last Midterm Election, has re-emerged. No Republican can get a strong foothold on a leadership position without Donald Trump’s support, yet no Republican who is openly backed by Trump can succeed in getting a majority vote to win an election. This kind of conservative political gridlock means that Trump continues to perform as the puppet master of the GOP, but more than two-thirds of the puppets are in complete revolt.
The definition of “insanity” includes the premise of continuing to participate in the same path or actions, while thinking the outcome will somehow be different. This week, the US House continues to display their chaotic antics by starting all over again, despite making no significant changes to the process, thereby giving their cult of insanity a full endorsement.
The GOP has scheduled yet another candidate forum at 6:30 pm/ET on Monday. Following that, an internal conference vote will occur at 9 am/ET on Tuesday morning. Speaker Pro-Tem Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has publicly said his intention is to move to a floor vote “as soon as Tuesday,” but considering the number of people now vying for the position and the inability of Republicans to coalesce, this deadline hardly seems reliable.
Nine Republican candidates have put their names forward for nomination as Speaker: Jack Bergman (MI); Byron Donalds (FL); Tom Emmer (MN); Kevin Hern (OK); Mike Johnson (LA); Dan Meuser (PA); Gary Palmer (AL); Austin Scott (GA); and Pete Sessions (TX). Rep. Emmer, the third Republican in line for leadership, officially announced his bid on Saturday, and quickly picked up an endorsement from ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Speaker candidates Jack Bergman, of Michigan; Byron Donalds, of Florida; Kevin Hern, of Oklahoma; Mike Johnson, of Louisiana; Gary Palmer, of Alabama; and Pete Sessions, of Texas, all objected to certifying the 2020 election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Rep. Dan Meuser, of Pennsylvania, voted only to object to his home state's results. Reps. Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, and Austin Scott, of Georgia, are the only two in the running who didn't object to the 2020 election results.
A few of these candidates have received scattered support in the last few weeks and some have even directly challenged the previous contenders, but no real front runner is clear at this point. What has been established is that no candidate for speaker will have any success in overcoming the 6-8 votes from staunch Trump supporting members. Moreover, anyone who is able to garner Trump’s support will likely be someone who publicly supported Trump’s election lie, which will take them out of the running with the rest of the caucus and any Democrats who might consider lending support.
Perhaps the most telling sign of what is yet to come can be discerned from the latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll on Oct. 17-20, which found that 67 percent of 1,000 registered voters said the House should elect a speaker as soon as possible. However, one quarter of respondents said they do not care whether a speaker is elected because the situation curbs congressional spending of taxpayer money. The same push and pull that is on full display amongst House Republicans is being mirrored by the public response.
USA Today noted some participants in the poll expressed concerns over the House’s inability to function without a speaker, while others argued the lower chamber does not do much anyway. This split in opinion about how Congress actually functions is not only alarming, but it is reflective of the ongoing struggle playing out again in the Halls of Congress. It seems as if the Republican Party has sold their home-brewed cult of insanity to the American people, and a slim majority of citizens, with enough power to stop the legislative process altogether, has gulped the nonsense down by the barrel without a second thought.
Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter, is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines, and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
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WHATEVER they do, please GAWD, do NOT elect Jack Bergman Speaker of the House. We will go to hell in a handbasket if that unlikely event takes place. Srsly. The man is a die-hard Trumper and follower, NOT a leader, and NOT of a mindset to help anyone but himself and DJT. My U.P. relatives are all-too-familiar with Mr. Bergman & I've heard stories that would curl the straightest hair.
PLEASE tell me there is a way to continue governing when insanity completely consumes one party. This is truly horrific.