Is This a Republican Turning Point? Did the prolonged fight for the Speaker’s gavel create circumstances for change in Washington – especially in the Republican party? For the first time in over a century, it took 15 rounds of voting, cajoling, compromise and almost one fistfight to select a Speaker of the House. The MSM gleefully reported on the “Republican clown show,” predicting that the conflict would split the party. They even fantasized that it could result in a Democrat Speaker, in a majority Republican House of Representatives. What a sweet victory that would be. Well, the Republicans didn’t break up, the Democrats didn’t pull off an upset, and the MSM was blind to something much more significant.
The Dems screwed up – again. They had an opportunity to pick the kind of Speaker they’d like to work with, and they squandered it. If they’d had their thinking caps on, they would have realized that it was to their advantage to vote for Kevin McCarthy – the Republican. They probably could have even negotiated some concessions from McCarthy for their support – because he wanted the job really, really bad. Had the Democrats done so, they could have pulled McCarthy over the finish line, and he would have become the Speaker in spite of resistance in his own party – before he had to make concessions to that resistance.
It would have been business as usual in the House. The Republican leadership would talk big, but do little – just the way the Democrats like it. The republican base would become disillusioned, frustrated, and start thinking about sitting out the next election. There would continue to be no accountability for broken promises. Return to Democrat control would be a short 2 year wait. For the Dems, it would be like a nice long vacation before returning to work.
But instead, the Democrats unanimously and consistently voted for someone who was never going to be voted the Speaker – regardless of how many rounds of voting occurred. Their rabid base would rather see childish defiant gestures than shrewd tactical maneuvering. They’re beginning to see the cost of that tactical error.
The Republican Freedom Caucus refused to vote for Kevin McCarthy until they got concessions – and boy did they get them. McCarthy wanted the job so bad that he was willing to give up almost anything to get it. The Freedom Caucus figured that out, and played a masterful game of chicken. They got a lot. And what they got may end up changing the mindset of the whole Republican party.
The Freedom Caucus got:
- A promise to push several conservative pieces of legislation
- A commitment to fiscal constraints
- Investigations of deep state corruption
- And most significantly, rule changes
Those rule changes include such things as actually coming to work to do the job voters elected congressmen to do, and reading bills before voting on them (yes, they’ve really been passing bills without reading them for years). Perhaps the most significant rule change is one that enables a single House member to call for a vote to remove the Speaker. If McCarthy steps out of line, they can start the contest for his job all over again. They got the ability to hold the Speaker accountable. What a novel concept – accountability in government. I don’t think we’ve ever seen that.
So, what happens when Speaker McCarthy tentatively takes a few steps to the right (politically and morally), and his popularity explodes? Will he go from being a hostage of the conservatives, to being an enthusiastic supporter of their agenda?
He is beginning to take those baby steps. He’s preparing to remove several of the most repugnant Democrats from their committee assignments. The base is ecstatic. Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, and Ilhan Omar can thank San Fran Nan for setting that precedent – another tactical blunder.
He’s making good on his promise to bring bills that the base wants to the floor. Bills that the House has passed so far include everything necessary to give the Democrats ulcers.
- Rescind certain balances made available to the Internal Revenue Service
- Born alive abortion survivors protection act
- Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act
- Establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
Granted these bills will likely be killed in the Senate or vetoed by the President. At least the Speaker is doing what he does have the power to do – getting every House Democrat on record supporting the killing of newborn babies (aka abortion survivors). Letting the constituents of those Democrats know where their representative’s moral compass points is also a measure of accountability – no?
McCarthy is even talking about releasing all 14,000 hours of security footage from the January 6 insurrection of unarmed cosplay nuts and selfie photographers. Panic is setting in with the Dems. Apparently, they don’t want the public to actually see what happened on that day.
The conservative base is beginning to praise Speaker McCarthy – and he loves it. Will any other Republicans learn from McCarthy’s experience. Will they see that it’s safe to stop being the battered wife of politics? That they can fight back, and win? Will the Republicans finally realize that when one side wants freedom, and the other tyranny, it’s not a time comity and compromise? It’s a time to fight. Will they come to realize that Trump’s success was not an anomaly? His fighting spirit was how he succeeded – and they can do the same.
How different will Washington be, if the Republicans stop playing victim, start listening to the voters, and fearlessly deliver for them? I know that’s a lot to ask – and it won’t happen overnight. But we’re seeing those baby steps. The next couple of years may be very interesting – thanks to a colossal tactical error by overconfident Democrats.
This article appeared previously on American Thinker.
Author Bio: John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He has written for American Thinker, and American Free News Network. He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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Excellent piece, John.
One of the most important and significant proposals to come out of this is the support of the GOP for The Fair Tax. Of course, the Democrats can be counted upon to attempt to lampoon the proposal as a “Proposed 30% national sales tax.”, which is, in traditional Democrat fashion, a MASSIVE LIE in that they refuse to acknowledge that the very first result of the ratification of The Fair Tax would be the disappearance of payroll withholding, which would result in a massive increase in take-home pay for most Americans. But, if you can believe it, it gets even better. Not only do those 85,000 ARMED Tax Collectors go away, the IRS, in its entirety, goes away because the Fair Tax must also see the repeal of The Sixteenth Amendment before it can take effect. After all, what is the point of converting to a consumption tax if Congress still retains the power to “…levy and collect taxes from all incomes, whatever the source…”?
Here’s looking forward to the debate of that proposal which, as you point out, is doomed to die in the Senate, so long as Democrats and Republican squishes control the chamber. But let’s hope that is gets revived when actual conservatives are back in control of the elected branches of the federal government.
His works are short, but well in the right direction. If he continues in this fashion, I will happily eat all my words of criticism I have thrown at him.
The Democrats sure did throw away an opportunity, by their continuing support of radicalism, through Hakeem Jeffries. By going in that direction, elected Democrats could continue to see a shift away from support for their party. The constant and focused radicalism makes the Democrats a criminal political organization.
With a mixed Congress, knowing the House will be a blocking force, the shift should be for the state legislatures to get rid of all those corrupt voting laws and push away, through state legislation, Zuck Bucks influence pedaling and everything like it.