NEW YORK – “I don’t belong to any organized party. I’m a Democrat.” The cruel joke that the comedian Will Rogers He used to torment his chaotic political companions, but now unexpectedly turns against the Republicans. So far, the Gop has always claimed to be a model of responsibility and moderation in national and international decisions. But the ambush its members laid on their own leader in the Chamber yesterday Kevin McCarthyblocking his rush to the speaker’s chair demonstrates the chasm and confusion that has dominated him in the era of Trump card.
On three occasions, the California congressman failed to get the majority needed to take the Democrat’s seat Nancy Pelosi, forced to resign after narrowly losing the November midterm elections over opposition from the GOP’s far right wing. In doing so, the Republican Party has confirmed the criticism of those who accuse it of being too divided to govern the United States: now in Congress, but also in the White House in two years.
The November narrative predicted a red wave that should have rolled over Democrats. An avalanche was to shake them in the Chamber, and the Senate also appeared to be on the verge of a leadership change. This would have defined the triumph of Trump, who chose the line and most candidates, and paved the way for him to return to the White House in two years’ time. Biden, on the other hand, would have been forced to abandon dreams of confirmation, leaving Democrats in chaos to search for a credible alternative.
It was almost the opposite. The president’s party retained its Senate majority, even increasing it by one seat, before Sinema (the Arizona senator who decided to join the independent group) was betrayed. The GOP retook the House of Representatives, but by just nine majority votes. Because in the referendum between Biden and Trump, the weaknesses of the former, such as skyrocketing inflation, weighed less than those of the latter, i.e. legal scandals and eternal confusion.
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by our correspondent Anna Lombardi November 17, 2022
Any sane person would have learned their lesson and realized that the message sent by voters was an invitation to return to responsibility. Republicans had to show they understood the third office in the state, starting with picking the new speaker. Their natural candidate was Kevin McCarthy, minority leader during the Pelosi years. Not exactly moderate, because in order to keep alive the ambition to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, he had often bowed to Trump. For example, after the January 6 attack on Congress, he vowed he would never have anything to do with Donald again, only to repent and return to his defense. However, that stance has irritated die-hard Trumpists, who have promised to make him pay and denied him the votes to become spokesman.
Horse-trading continued for weeks, with extremists demanding concessions such as chairing key congressional committees, but also a promise that McCarthy would resign if even one congressman asked him to do so. In the end, no agreement was reached, so we continued with the blind vote yesterday. In the first ballot, 19 Republicans betrayed their presumptive leader and chose more extremist candidates like Biggs or Jordan. Given the slim majority, 5 defectors were enough to convict McCarthy, but things got worse. Something like this, i.e. the defeat of the majority party leader in the first ballot, has not happened since 1923, a hundred years ago. He insisted, however, and immediately called for a second vote, and Jordan himself backed this up, speaking to his peers in the classroom: “The things that separate us matter a lot less than the things that separate us from the Democrat laws that.” the country needs”. But nothing. McCarthy also lost the second ballot, except this time the dissidents banded together to support Jordan himself. Then the third was held, with another rejection.
In 1853, 153 ballots were required to elect the speaker. It may not end that way this time, but even if Republicans eventually accept a compromise candidate, the policy data is clear. The party is so divided that it probably won’t be able to pass many laws with its slim majority. At best, he will conduct targeted investigations to derail Biden in hopes of using her as the Benghazi against Hillary Clinton. Trump has thrown the GOP into chaos, and no one can predict if and when Lincoln’s party will come to its senses.