The party of no government should have been careful what it wished for. Having torpedoed Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, they have succeeded in blocking The House of Representatives from having a new government.
Yes, John Boehner will continue to be the lame duck Speaker until Republicans find a sucker…er…Speaker to fill his shoes but that may only exacerbate the civil war inside the GOP and make finding a Speaker that all House Republicans will support even more impossible.
The mantra right now from Republicans is that they will find a new face who will bring the Repubs together. Nope. The reality is that whoever is foolish enough to become Speaker will be ruled by the 30-40 Tea Party extremists who offer only ultimatums in exchange for their support. And those ultimatums would likely include a requirement to shut down government and refuse to raise the debt ceiling unless Obamacare is killed and Planned Parenthood is cut off from receiving government funds.
Paul Ryan is being urged by Boehner and many Republicans to step in since he is seen as the only candidate that may be able to get full Republican approval as Speaker but he knows that he would be a prisoner of the Tea Party extremists and would have the albatross hung around his neck of destroying the U.S. economy through extortion when The House shuts down government and refuses to raise the debt ceiling. His hopes of a political future, that is, one day running for Governor or President would be blown up. But…perhaps he will be surrounded by enough voices in denial of reality and he’ll buy in and take the position.
The same ultimate and dismal fate awaits whoever takes that position so it sure seems unlikely that any half-way sensible Republican who imagines a national political future for themselves would volunteer to have their career dead-ended. Again, unless they buy into the blue sky BS pumped out by those desperate to get a particular Republican to say yes.
Whoever becomes the new House Speaker must be okay about being subservient to the Tea Party and using a government shutdown and refusal to raise the debt ceiling to try and extort passage of bills that most Americans would oppose.
The House under the control of the Tea Party in a more profound way will sure provide American Voters with a stark vision of what Republican control of national government would be like.
There will be no greater anti-Republican ad than what we will soon see from The House under whoever their new Speaker is, with extremism on the loose and no restraint in sight. This will directly damage whoever the GOP candidate for President is because voters will have no choice but to recognize what would this country would become with a Republican President signing every crazy bill Tea Party Republicans sent his way.
Will any Republican candidate for President state that he or she won’t support the Tea Party’s bills and actions if they are elected? Definitely not in the primary and if they did so in the General Electiion, it would be too late, just seen as untrustworthy pandering.
Americans generally prefer divided government. There have been periods of one party controlling both Congress and the Presidency but in general, voters lean towards checking the power of a party. When looking down the barrel of a Republican controlled federal government with an extremist minority calling the shots, it sure seems that the odds against the next President being a Republican just grew a lot longer. And if the Democrats are smart about this, they will use a barrage of ads next year pointing out that a Republican President will unleash the extremism of the Republican House on the nation.
Optimistic people may look at Boehner and his lame duck status, hated by that Tea Party faction and on his way out, as being an opportunity for him to actually turn things around, get some bills passed that the nation wants with the support of Democrats and force the Republicans, like it or not, to prove that they can govern and give them some wins that the American public would applaud them for.
That seems unrealistic though in light of the greater and greater power the Tea Party Republicans are flexing.
It is a perfect storm for the Tea Party destroying the GOP and perhaps even assure their descent to permanent minority party status (if the census in 2020 could change their warped gerrymandering). With anti-government Tea Party types elevating Trump, Carson and Fiorina to the top of their Presidential primary polls and the establishment Republicans all sinking to the bottom, with Boehner forced to resign and McCarthy blocked from Speakership, the Tea Party Republicans have become emboldened and ready to unleash their angry, extremist, radical agenda on the American public under the GOP banner and the authority of The House of Representatives. It will mean a destructive and difficult year for the nation but in the end, it will result in real and profound destruction to the GOP.
This is now like watching the Titanic from the iceberg’s point of view, The Republicans, helmed by the Tea Party, are cruising slowly but steadily towards destruction and all on board are completely helpless and clueless to change their course.
Louis Buller “Louie” Gohmert Jr. should be made the next Speaker just to show murikkka what the Repubelieklan party has become under the teabaggers. He truly represents everything that party is now.
Rumors are all over the web about some kind of affair between McCarthy and another House member. I have no proof but rumors do seem to come true often with these politicians.
Paul Ryan has quickly said he didn’t want the job! Why? The Republican party can’t seem to get their act together. As AdLib said, this is good in the long run. It will probably mean that the party self destructs, in my opinion.
This is interesting just like a train wreck is.
Nirek, I did hear about that rumor and whether it was true or not, the Tea Party Slime Machine was behind it. It’s kind of amusing to see them using their dirty tricks against themselves!
Paul Ryan may end up saying yes but I’d think he’s not suicidal enough to take the job of Speaker. So it should be real chaos as the Freedom Caucus, the Tea Partiers in The House, refuse to compromise and insist that the new Speaker do their bidding.
Pop a lot of popcorn, this is going to be entertaining for some time to come!
As much as I enjoy watching the GOP thrashing itself to bits, it’s still worrisome, in the same way that the popularity of Trump is worrisome. I don’t like it when the hysterical screamers silence the rational voices, or in this case, apparently make them disappear entirely. Are there really no moderates left in the GOP? If there are, they sure are hiding under their beds. When they do speak up, they pay lip service to the extremists because they are cowards. Maybe that’s the problem — moderates are cowards and extremists will “do or die” for their ideology. Remember how much damage Joe McCarthy did. It can happen again. And it’s embarrassing.
Escribacat, You took the words right out of my mouth. I’ve been thinking that all the select Committees on Benghazigate and Emailgate are as corrosive and political as the McCarthy hearings about ‘Reds under the Bed’. And we saw how that finished. But are there any strong enough voices to call a halt to the stupidity? I doubt it.
PPO, I don’t think there is anything resembling leadership left in the GOP, just many spineless cowards afraid of being primaried by the backers of the TP (The Kochs, Adelson, etc.).
Kind of funny that the impact of Citizens United was to strip leaders in the GOP of any real power. Wonder if any will wise up and fight with Dems to get rid of CU? At least out od self-preservation…or preservation of their spines?
Hi Escribacat!
My first response to hearing McCarthy was not going to be Speaker was a bit of concern but the more I thought about it, there was no way he wouldn’t go along with whatever the RW Tea Party wanted anyway.
So the net difference between McCarthy and whoever the Speaker will be, is nothing. Except, as you say, if it is a loud and hostile character. But in that case, while such a person would excite the RW, it would alienate indie voters who strongly dislike that.
I think it would be better for us and worse for the GOP to have a Speaker who was openly reflective of the horribleness of the GOP. What could be a better ongoing advertisement for voting Democrats into power?
I say this with all seriousness, we are in store for a rough year, with extortion being the main tool of choice by the TP and the shutdown of government and refusal to raise the debt ceiling likely disasters they will cause.
Unfortunately, there are too many Americans who are uninformed about how destructive today’s GOP is towards this country and because of that, we’re going to have to go through some tough times where Repubs prove their animosity towards most of the country.
We’ll recover from it eventually, down the line and they will lose so much when this year is over. How voters could even consider electing a Republican President when they see what anarchists Republicans have become, would be hard to imagine.
So if this sets up a more probable Dem Presidency (likely nominating SCOTUS judges), a Dem controlled Senate and a smaller Repub majority in the House, things will get better for everyone except Repubs.
No, the moderates aren’t cowards, they sold their souls to the devil when they accepted the tactics of the horrible Tea Party crowd, and now the devil has come to collect…and it’s about time if you ask me. 🙂
Why not “both of the above”? I agree with you about the establishment GOP having sold their souls to the TP and paying the piper now but I also think they’re cowards. Look how fearful they are of standing up to that minority of TPers in The House and running for President.
How about, unprincipled, scheming cowards?
Monica, you misspelled Tea Potty.
What a mess. Remember the “Young Guns” that helped get the crazies that are now destroying the party into office. This is a perfect time to say “Be careful what you wish for.”
And look where they are now…talking about poetic justice. 🙂
monicaangela, it is indeed a case of their Frankenstein monster turning on them and destroying them. McCarthy was a big supporter of getting them elected and now? They crush him.
I do find all of this very gratifying. Yes, we will likely see a government shutdown and even a refusal to raise the debt ceiling but those were likely to have happened anyway. At least now, it’s a full throated GOP that will push its leaders to damage the nation and when things go very bad, with the election on its way, I think we’ll see huge losses for the GOP all the way around.
Not much sane people can do at this point anyway, might as well prepare for some bad times over the next year and look at the big picture of destruction of the GOP for satisfaction.
Maybe the electorate, yes, including some republicans will wise up and realize just how damaging the republican party has become. If they shut the government down again, and continue to get elected to the House and Senate, I will be the first to cry foul, because what that will mean is…the problem is not gerrymandering, but actually stealing elections. And of course, I believe the common cry should be therefore…..investigation of the republican party NOW!!! 🙂
monicaangela, I think there can be multiple causes for some moderate Repubs voting Dem this upcoming year. The Repub Congress causing a shutdown or even a refusal to raise the debt ceiling and causing economic havoc.
And if Trump was to win the primary? Many Repubs have told pollsters they would never vote for Trump. If it’s Carson, Fiorina or Cruz? Same thing.
Repubs are promoting themselves as The Repugnant Party and I don’t think we’re going to see that change. There’s no place for most Indie voters…and moderate Repubs to go other than to the Dems.
No matter what kind of glorious Paradise is promised to the next potential Speaker of the House, it’s not going to be easy to talk anyone into putting that suicide vest on and wielding the Big Boehner gavel.
I wonder if Boehner’s enjoying a little schadenfreude schnapps in the country club bar right about now…?
As the news analysts said this evening — “We’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetimes…”
If I’m not mistaken, though, someone here on the Planet predicted a civil war within the GOP a looooog time ago. Possibly the crystal ball reader who wrote this post…?
Kes, I think there were several here (including yours truly) who have seen this GOP Civil War coming, the elections since 2008 have all pointed to it and the ongoing cowardice of Establishment Repubs, including Boehner, when faced with the lunacy of the Tea Party Repubs.
I doubt Boehner’s enjoying anything now, he looks stuck in the torture chair as Speaker so far and he’s wrestling with Paul Ryan to take his place.
So much pressure on Ryan now sacrifice himself, being misled that he’ll bring the GOP together while the reality is he’ll only become Speaker to then have the Tea Party turn on him or force him to walk the plank with them.
It’s a lose-lose for Ryan if he agrees and a lose-lose in any case for the GOP no matter who the Speaker ends up being.
This may indeed be the day that marks the permanent or semi-permanent decline of the GOP to minority party status…but there’s an entertaining civil war that’s the engine of their destruction and will be in overdrive through this election season and far beyond!
Who knows, maybe if the Estab Repubs wrestle control of the party back, the Tea Party will split off and start their own party, truly reducing the GOP to a minority party.
Kes, the following post from 2013 seems very timely:
[img]http://planetpov.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Boehner-End-is-Near.jpg[/img]
http://planetpov.com/2013/09/30/the-end-is-near-for-john-boehner-and-the-gop/