There may not be a caning of a fellow congressman in the current session of the United States House of Representatives, but even in the absence of a physical altercation we may face the most unruly House with which America has been saddled since the eve of the Civil War. This historical rhyme rings true. Because the country is more divided by section, race, and creed than the time when a South Carolinian raised his cudgel against Charles Sumner, the events of this Congress may prove decidedly rough.
Brawling has a rich history in American politics. In the first contested presidential election, Founding Fathers Jefferson and John Adams hurled invective at one another that exceeded even Trump’s in vituperative intensity. Later, John Quincy Adams would circulate a partisan pamphlet emblazoned with the outlies of seven coffins–his opponent Andrew Jackson was said to have condemned living men to be corpses encased within the pictured tombs. So, as a perusal of history demonstrates, the more vitriolic Republicans in the House are not historical novelties. They do, however, represent a step deeper into the terrain of demonology than Americans have seen in decades.
Compared to the Tea Party, Speaker (and I roll my eyes at having to bestow this honorific) Kevin McCarty’s caucus bristles with hardline extremists. Our state has characteristically made its own contribution in the person of Representative Dan Bishop. But Bishop himself resides within an oeuvre of fellow radicals led by 9/11 Truther Marjorie Taylor Greene. According to the New York Times, Greene has surfaced as an intimate confidant of Speaker McCarty.
This cohort is likely to instigate controversies more dangerous even than the gung ho bands of Tea Partiers and 1994 political grenadiers. McCarthy, a shameless and rather unimpressive creature of the Swamp, has ensured this tumult will come to pass by deliberate strategic decision-making. In contrast to the last two Republican speakers, McCarthy has chosen to incorporate the extremists into the deepest circles of caucus authority. He sees them not as a disruptive force to be contained, but as a group of equal partners to be consulted and, in circumstances necessary to preserve his speakership, followed into the arena of crisis.
And these people are far more radical than anything America had to tolerate in the Tea-Party era. Consider: Whereas Tea Partiers wanted to repeal important components of the fiscal state, their MAGA successors have proven willing to overthrow an entire election. They have also magnified the influence of conspiracy politics. Even at its feverish height, the most paranoid Tea Partiers such as Sharron Angle tended to be cut loose by Republican leaders. Marjorie Taylor Greene is an ally of leadership.
We will see the first and most ominous test of how nihilistic Republicans have become during the next several months. Like their Tea Party forbears, the MAGA majority has already begun a crisis related to the breaching of America’s nonsensical debt ceiling. I’m nervous. The last time Repubicans used terroristic gambits to coerce spending cuts, the House was led by responsible conservatives such as Paul Ryan and John Boehner. Kevin McCarthy has never shown such forbearance. Fasten your seatbelts.
Alexander Jones is an original contributor to PoliticsNC.
Sounds like all the bloviating ‘talking heads’ in the Democrat Party have Republicans—especially Trump and Speaker McCarthy—all figured out! Yep!
Kinda hard to make the argument that one party supports treason and insurrection, when it is provably, demonstrably, and unquestionably clear which political party supported and encouraged major riots, arson, and destruction across the country over the last two years. Yeahh—that would be the Democrat Party, now, wouldn’t it?? And, OH! –wasn’t it also the leaders of the Dem Party that supported and encouraged defunding the police?? Yeahhh—those riots were ‘mostly peaceful’, now, weren’t they?? Talk about a party which exudes demented ignorance!
NOW we see that, in addition to all the other sudden disclosures of illegal possession of classified material by Joe Biden, we find that he is also in possession of (get this!) 1,850 BOXES of classified documents, and 415GB of electronically stored classified information!! It’ll be fun watching the Department of Justice and the FBI squirm over how to BS their way out of Biden’s lying, and his completely illegal possession of classified materials that he had no authorization to declassify, let alone possess away from the National Archives, whether as a Senator or as a Vice President.
Dems have a REAL credibility problem with Biden, let alone with the activities and the complicity of his drug-addled son, Hunter Biden. OH—and let’s not forget the REST of the Biden clan, whom we strongly suspect are ALSO ‘on the take’ laundering monies received from China, Russia, the former country aka ‘Ukraine’, and Albania. Biden is a crook—a corrupt, dementia-addled con man, and he needs to be impeached and removed, along with his shuffling sycophants like VP Harris, Myorkas, Blinken, Garland, and too many others to name. Trump and McCarthy are the LEAST of this administrations problems!
Frankly, after listening to their token, empty-headed spokesgirl, Karine Jean-Pierre, I could get more informative answers out of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham’s dummy, named Walter. The dummy does a better imitation of Biden than Biden does of his own self!!!
Donnie and Kevin are not really that hard to figure out! All you need to do is start with facts and move forward. Of course, your statement is sadly lacking in facts, just Fox News created innuendo and alternate reality, therefor reaching a logical conclusion is impossible. You just can’t get there from here!
Where did you get that figure “1,850 BOXES of classified documents, and 415GB of electronically stored classified information”? I seriously doubt Biden would have room for that many boxes in his home, even if he parked his Corvette in the driveway.
Why would China need to launder money, Japan and China currently hold the Lyons share of US Government notes. I suspect you need to do some research into why money needs to be laundered and who would benefit from it.
Those folks who beat up cops with Trump flag poles and vandalized the capital, were just tourists or undercover agents posing as Trump loyalists? Perhaps when they are released from prison a few of them who can read and write will publish details of how their innocent visit to the nation’s capital on Jan 6 resulted in their incarceration.
I am not saying you made these things up, but you seem to lack the ability to separate the BS from reality.
Thanks for your valued input. Put down the bottle and turn off FOX News.
Kevin Owen McCarthy represents an exceedingly small group of voters, who reside in central California. Small in the sense, in that most Californians are Democrats or Republicans who vote Democrat. Kevin would not be elected if were to move just a few miles out of his little Republican enclave. He has proven himself to be a political hack, thriving on the prestige of his office. Absent this he would be just another nondescript member of society. He has nothing to fall back on, he is not a lawyer, physician, super salesperson, or engineer. He is not a talented man. Being speaker, has given him the prestige and power he has desperately sought all his life. For this moment in the sun, Kevin has literately sold his sole. What follows from here can be nothing but bad. His unstable fire breathing insurrectionist could send him packing at any time. Of course, the ancillary damage to this country remains to be seen. Whether his spineless approach results in irreparable harm to the countries credit rating, cuts to social security, Medicare, and veterans’ pensions is highly possible. Republicans are noted for voting against their own best interests, Kevin will do his best to prove this concept true.
This is a critical moment in our democratic republic when one party supports treason, insurrection and the anti-democratic belief that some Americans do not deserve to vote. A large number of Republicans (121) took the anti-Constitutional stance on January 6, 2001, opposing the election of the next president. Republicans in the MAGA cult support the deranged Qanon allegations (that Democrats , among other things, traffick and dine on babies and drink blood.) In spite of more than 60 court cases decided arount the country, the Big Lie that the election was stolen still holds a majority of Republicans. Those Republicans who know better are silent, accepting the support of the ignorant and the demented. Tragically, there are many Repubicans who do not know better and continue to take the country to a dark place.
Will democracy prevail in this moment? Will sanity eventually save the day? McCarthyism was terrible for this country decades ago. It is far worse today. Most Republicans are opposed to the democratic values that make us Americans.