P.M. Carpenter perfectly understands the TGOP mess:
To survive, the GOP must kill a part of itself So far, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer are saying precisely what they should be saying: that electing a new speaker is a Republican problem, and a Republican problem it shall remain.
Would that Pelosi and Hoyer remain steadfast, for Democratic help in resolving Republicans' acute problem will only perpetuate the nation's biggest problem, which of course is the chronic problem of modern Republicanism.
The House (and to lesser extent the Senate) isn't divided in the traditional sense of that word. The House, rather, is divided and then divided again; it is subdivided within the majority, which is to say, there is no majority. And that's not the minority's problem.
Divisions within majorities, whether Republican or Democratic, are common enough — but not like this one. This Republican divide is irreconcilable and thus unending. It is, as everyone can see, a civil war — and there is no war so violent as an internal one. In all their inglorious infighting, Republicans have not only paralyzed the American political system, they have betrayed and converted that system into a "banana republic" (Republican Peter King's words).
This has got to stop, it has got to stop now, and that's where Democrats come in — or rather shouldn't, not for a while. Saving Republicans from themselves is what has perpetuated the abomination of modern Republicanism.
Even Kevin McCarthy now recognizes that. In an interview yesterday with National Review Online, he rejected proposals for a bipartisan election of a new speaker. "We’ll find a Republican," said McCarthy. Asked further if his caucus is "governable," he replied, "I don’t know.
Here's the TGOP's obsession with BENGHAZI! and the facts behind their Committee to Get Hillary!
17 comments:
With the house gop in disarray and not a mature and effective leadership candidate emerging it is time to stock up on a good craft IPA and pretzels and enjoy the tragic comedy as it unfolds.
This current state of the house is the natural result of a dysfunctional political party and the inegfective governing body it is supposed to lead.
Interesting report, RN, on how the House Republicans may need help from House Democrats to elect a new Speaker:
WASHINGTON -- If Paul Ryan can't save the GOP, could Democrats?
Many Republicans have been turning toward the Wisconsin representative as their best shot of electing a House speaker to replace John Boehner (R-Ohio), who wants to leave his post at the end of the month.
But Ryan has so far said he’s not interested.
The problem for Republicans is that they need a speaker candidate who can attract at least 218 votes -- the majority needed when the full House votes for a leader. From HuffPost:
"There are 247 Republicans in the House, but Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) abandoned his bid when it was clear he couldn’t get enough of them to reach the magic number, because several dozen members of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus wouldn’t back him. Aside from maybe Ryan, no one else is yet positioned to secure that tally, either.
“At this point, it’s almost any leader that you put in in our conference is going to have the same difficulties with the makeup of our conference,” said Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.)
And that has some Republicans looking to Democrats."
Should the Democrats help? YES! We have to show the TeaPublicans and the American people that cooperation is the key. Will the Democratic membership agree? Who knows. The extremists in the TeaPublican Party have poisoned everything with their "all or nothing" approach to any sort of compromise. But wouldn't it be ironic if it took the Democrats in the House to help solve the colossal mess the TeaPublicans have made?
I hope saner heads prevail and that the Dems and the Repubs work it out together. But don't miss the larger point: The Tea Party has wrecked the GOP -- what has happened in the House is proof.
As Nancy Pelosi accurately stated, it is the republicans problem. Democrats cannot "fix" stupid, wilful or otherwise.
It is ironic that the very tea party movement that was going to take America back and remedy its ills has in reality played havoc within its own party and the disarray in our congressional leadership is approaching critical mass.
I'm going to enjoy the IPA and pretzels.
"The Tea Party has wrecked the GOP"
And the Tea Party couldn't be happier. Remember one of their leaders wants to drown government in a bathtub, and part of that plan would be to destroy a once viable political party. One of their particularly dumbass members in the House Maark Meadows said in 2012 that America should send President Obama back to Kenya or wherever he was born. That's the sort of stupidity that's at the heart of the Tea Party crazy. And those people want to run the country? Their idea of governing is hurling a wrecking ball at all our institutions. They're not fit to be doggie pooper scoopers, never mind government leaders.
Shaw, no matter how many times we read that the Benghazi committee found no scandal, the blockheads will continue to push the lie that there was one. You've pointed out that facts don't matter to these people, just the bubble they live in that feeds their craziness.
For the Dems to help, the GOP has got to actually hold elections. The "Freedom Caucus" will never allow that if Democratic help is going to be needed and the rest of the GOP is too timid to force the issue.
At this point it looks as if we have our third party and the results are disastrous...
The GOP will not be able to shutdown the government, but perhaps they can shutdown Congress if they can't elect a leader. But then, given what Congress has accomplished over the last few years, it may be hard to tell if they are shutdown or not.
Anon... the reason folks continue to push Benghazi is, at least in my opinion, two-fold.
1. Hillary has been disingenuous in her responses to questions about Benghazi from the beginning. The server issue issue, which was 100% her decision, has been a disaster and only served to further the narrative that she has, or had something to hide. Or was planning to keep info from the general public. She is not trusted, not only by the GOP, but according to polls by a majority of the larger electorate.
2. You cannot disprove a negative, no matter how hard you try. Prove you have no more e-mails. How? Prove you did not know something. How? Prove Saddam is not hiding his WMD's. How?
If you've already accepted the narrative, the only information you'll accept is info that supports your thesis.
We need a legitimate third party Dave, something the tea party is light years away from being.
I'm not much of an ancient history buff, but I gotta believe this may be how the Whigs ended. Nice fact filled graphic, Shaw.
RN, while that may be true, how does a new party become anything other than a rump caucus?
Well Dave as long as we continue to accept the two party mentality (paradigm) it will never be more than a "rump caucus".
"The blacks hate any black who is successful."
So the moron who wrote that needs to explain why 98% African-Americans voted for one of the most successful black man on the planet, Barack Hussein Obama. Also the nitwit has just condemned Ben Carson to never getting a vote from his fellow black brothers and sisters.
The Stupid runs deep and wild in that party.
RN,
Our "winner take all" system almost guarantees a two-party system. It is virtually impossible for a third party to gain a national foothold unless one of the two main parties is collapsing. The republicans may be at the beginning of a collapse as they become further and further removed for the mainstream voter, but it will be up to the mort mainstream republicans to make it happen.
Dave,
1. Hillary has been disingenuous in her responses to questions about Benghazi from the beginning.
Maybe, but they found no scandal. But more embassies and consulates were attacked while a GOP president in office, and this sort of witch hunt didn't happent. Why?
"The server issue issue, which was 100% her decision, has been a disaster and only served to further the narrative that she has, or had something to hide."
Has everyone forgotten how millions of emails were destroyed during the Bush Adm and no committee to investigate? ?Why is that?
"Or was planning to keep info from the general public. She is not trusted, not only by the GOP, but according to polls by a majority of the larger electorate."
Do you think perhaps the constant GOP noise machine on this has anything to do with it? NO scandal from Benghazi. But other adminsitrations, let's look at the Iran-Contra, for example, have had bigger scandals, yet Reagan is still revered by the people trying to get Hillary.
Don't fall for the propaganda. You're being sucked in. How can anyone look at the Benghazi tragedy and see what the GOP is trying to do to Hillary, but ignore what the Reagan Adm. with what? 140 of his admin. indictefd or cited for wrong doing, but Hillary is "untrustable?"
People are so blind to what a non-stop propaganda machine, led by the conservative media can do to sway people's minds. What the GOP has done is classic, but Hillary will rise above it.
Just watch her. The Clinton's have been through worse.
Anon, I'm not being sucked in at all... Regardless of those other examples, Hillary had been tarnished. She is the one who told the admittedly false story about coming under fire. She is the one who had changed her response to the server issue at least three times as the questions became more focused. Many of these issues were raised by left leaning media, not the right.
How the right did the same thing us superfluous. It does not excuse her actions...
When your own side finds you lacking, you've got issues.
Your point is of course valid, and IMO part of the problem.
Actually, for a third party to succeed it would need a presence at the local and state levels and be effective getting elected at both local and state levels. It would then have a legislative and executive record which gives credibility.
Of course all of that is easier said than done. But a three party system would essentially would bring us more in line with a parliamentary system, something I view as being positive.
Requiring coalitions to be formed to govern effectively may have its problems but the two system in my view is broken.
Sometimes I wonder why I care as in 25 years I likely won't be around.
Time for a craft IPA and football. At least that all makes sense Jerry.
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