As Donald Trump watched the presiding judge in New York impose a gag order on him earlier in the day, House elected officials who claim to be him raised their voices and chased away Speaker McCarthy.
We suspected last week that one of the mutineers would eventually make good on his threat after the speaker worked with Democrats to resolve the budget crisis. It was the unseemly Matt Gaetz who went on the attack.
Make a deal with the devil
You probably remember that Kevin McCarthy won his election for speaker after a record number of rounds of voting. No one had been so humiliated since the Civil War.
After intense negotiations with Trump radicals, McCarthy gave in to almost all demands, including changing the rules that allow a motion to recall the speaker.
It was this rule change that doomed McCarthy. All it took was one way to start the process, and Matt Gaetz didn’t miss this great opportunity to be in the spotlight. He claimed Trump approved of him.
If this entire scenario were predictable, I wonder how voters, elected officials, donors and lawyers can still fall into the Trump trap.
How often do we have to prove that anyone who trusts Trump and his henchmen will end up paying dearly? For them there is no loyalty, only interests that converge for a relatively short period of time.
If you sell your soul to the devil, you should expect him to demand what is rightfully his. If we are interested in Faust and Mephistopheles, this ancient story from the 16th century, we should know that fame is fleeting and damnation is too high a price to pay.
McCarthy dreamed of becoming a speaker, he lost his credibility.
Surreal heartbreak
For years I have argued that Democrats are the undisputed champions of family strife and that they are more often than not their own worst enemies. If this party is still torn apart, it’s nothing compared to the internal war we’re waging among Republicans.
The most moderate elements have had enough of the tricks of the Trumpists, who have nothing to offer other than promoting their personal interests and enriching themselves.
For them there is no ideology, no national cause and no search for a solution. Ambition may not be a defect, but it is not a manifesto.
Here’s what Chip Roy, a conservative elected official who probably won’t be mistaken for a woke person, had to say to Matt Gaetz. After McCarthy’s election nearly came to blows between elected officials, they attacked again after his departure. The 2023 Republican Party is beautiful.
Chip Roy lashes out at Gaetz: “If you wanna come up to me and call me a RINO, you can kiss my ass!” You walk around, talk about your big game, and beat your chest on Twitter. Come to my office and discuss, mother-!” pic.twitter.com/mk6Qv6PfC6
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 3, 2023
