Tag: republican congress
Who Will Replace Kevin McCarthy? Just Keep Your Expectations Low

Who Will Replace Kevin McCarthy? Just Keep Your Expectations Low

Having bounced poor Kevin McCarthy out of office — a moment that might have been painful if the former speaker possessed a spine — House Republicans now face the difficult prospect of choosing a replacement. Perhaps we can look forward to another clownish spectacle like the 15 rounds of voting and haggling that produced Speaker McCarthy, whose only distinctions are how briefly he served and how humiliating his historic departure turned out to be. (Getting punked by the likes of Rep. Matt Gaetz is truly special.)

For the rest of America, the question that inevitably arises is whether the upcoming contest really matters at all. Will it make much difference when McCarthy is replaced by his former deputy Steve Scalise, whom he reportedly loathed, or Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, whom he unaccountably liked, or some other zany far-right legislator? Probably not, although Scalise is reputed to be more "reasonable" than Jordan, who appears to be certifiable.

Neither of these would-be leaders — or any alternative candidate — will lift the House Republican caucus out of the mental and moral chaos that they have made the new normal for Congress.

Whatever Scalise or Jordan may promise, we already know what congressional Republicans will do, because we've watched this movie for decades and nothing has changed except some of the names. We know what they will do and what they can't or won't do.

Among the many things they don't do well is pass legislation, no matter how vital to the nation's security and prosperity, because they have failed to absorb any of the basic lessons of group dynamics that most people learn in kindergarten. Not only do Republicans reject compromise, but they're offended by the very idea.

That's why so many of them admire Jordan, who has literally never passed a single bill during eight terms on Capitol Hill and is rated one of America's least effective legislators. (It's worth comparing him to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader who is rated among the most effective members in either party.)

The Republican allergy to legislative achievement — unless they are cutting taxes for wealthy donors — also suggests that Jordan and Scalise aren't serious about reducing deficits, defending our borders or fighting crime, which they proclaim as their priorities. The problems defined by those buzz phrases require complex solutions that reflect the realities of a large, diverse country, not Fox News sound bites. It's not what they do.

Among the other things that these Republicans won't do is protect the institution of Congress. Jordan flaunted his lack of respect for constitutional principle when he dodged a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Instead, he displayed his sympathy for those who attacked the Capitol — and did his best to undermine confidence in our elections. As for Scalise, he is best known for the tragic shooting that almost took his life several years ago, and for an unfortunate but pithy moment of self-awareness, when he told someone that he is "David Duke without the baggage." Coming from the Klan leader's home state of Louisiana, he knows exactly what that means. Neither he nor Jordan are suitable figures to unite their caucus, let alone the Congress or the country.

Over the past few decades, Republicans like Jordan and Scalise have displayed a knack for certain categories of congressional action (or inaction), and we can expect more of the same from either of them. They're quite adept at shutting down the government they are supposed to steward, and that will surely be their first big achievement under a new speaker. They're always ready to back down from bullies, such as former President Donald Trump or the National Rifle Association, no matter how wrong and damaging that may be. They're well practiced at enabling extremists, authoritarians, crooks and bigots, notably including their own members like Reps. Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, George Santos and Lauren Boebert. They're perennially eager to isolate and punish vulnerable minorities, from impoverished immigrants to gays, lesbians and trans people.

Just keep your expectations low and these Republican "leaders" will never disappoint you.

To find out more about Joe Conason, editor-in-chief of The National Memo, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

A Republican Congress? It Will Be Showtime -- And Not Much Else

A Republican Congress? It Will Be Showtime -- And Not Much Else

As Election Day approaches, I often find myself thinking of H.L. Mencken. Particularly during off-year contests. “The Sage of Baltimore,” as he was known, expressed lifelong disdain for politicians, and his mordant wit made him very funny about it. “Democracy,” he wrote, “is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

Mencken’s heyday was the 1920s, in the shadow of the Great War. Unlike most contemporary pundits, he felt no need to express false pieties or flatter his audience. “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people” he argued.

Decades before the birth of Donald Trump, he anticipated the great man’s arrival on the American scene:

“As democracy is perfected, the office [of president] represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people….On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

And an ignorant blowhard at that. If that opinion makes you feel personally affronted, well tough. Send me an insulting e-mail if it makes you feel better. But there won’t be much point arguing about it until 2024—assuming we’re both still here and that Trump himself hasn’t dropped dead or gone to prison.

Because the real deal on the mid-term elections is that they just don’t matter a whole lot in terms of serious changes in the body politic. The U.S. Constitution is pretty much set up to prevent it.

A recent, typically solemn New York Times headline: “Democrats, on Defense in Blue States, Brace for a Red Wave in the House.”

“Reality is setting in,” reads the subhead.

Meanwhile, what’s a near-certainty is that neither party, in either the House or the Senate, will win anything close to a veto-proof majority. So that even if Republicans do take over the House of Representatives—as the opposition party normally does during midterm contests—all they’re really going to do over the next couple of years is put on a show. A Fox News-themed extravaganza.

They’ll shut down the January 6 House Select Committee in favor of investigating Hunter Biden, the president’s troubled surviving son. You’ll learn more about Hunter than you ever wanted to know. There are even said to be titillating videos, although their provenance is unclear. The younger Biden’s purloined laptop was out of his hands for more than a year, making suspect any revelations it holds.

What relevance this has to the actual governance of these United States—unlike the Trump offspring, Hunter Biden holds no public office and has never been taken to meet the Queen—will likely also remain unclear.

Theatrical indignation, however, is almost certain. Look for putative Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to do the job President Trump tried to strong-arm Ukrainian President Zelensky into performing. He won’t be able to help himself. They could even end up turning Hunter into a sympathetic figure.

Did I say “Speaker McCarthy?” There’s even loose talk among GOP stalwarts of electing former President Trump as Speaker of the House. There’s no constitutional requirement that the Speaker be a voting member, nor free of criminal indictment, for that matter. So, it’s theoretically possible, and if the Big Man wanted it, I can’t imagine GOP congressional invertebrates denying him.

Yowza! Talk about getting value for your entertainment dollar What a spectacle that would be.

Back in what passes for the real world, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), currently the third-ranking Republican in the House, has expressed enthusiasm for the idea of impeaching President Biden for crimes as yet defined. QAnon-friendly Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), of “Jewish space lasers” fame, has reportedly filed five congressional resolutions to that effect.

On his part, Kevin McCarthy has said he doesn’t believe the public would tolerate a presidential impeachment.

As there’s zero chance of getting 67 Senators to convict, impeaching Biden would seem an obvious non-starter.

But that implies a degree of political realism that may or may not be found in a Republican Congress. Even so, far more likely are what Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times calls “government shutdowns and debt-ceiling hostage dramas.” Several GOP congressmen have made it clear to reporters that they will demand deep cuts in domestic spending, which they say are needed to shrink the federal budget deficit and stifle inflation.

Never mind that the Biden White House recently announced that the budget deficit this year dropped by $1.4 trillion—the largest annual decline ever. Last year it fell by $350 billion. Under Trump, of course, the budget shortfall increased by $400 billion annually, due to his corporate and millionaires tax cuts—pretty much his only legislative accomplishment.

But GOP voters either don’t know that or refuse to believe it, so it looks like we’re in for another fiscal high-wire act.

Danziger: Rolling On The House Floor, Laughing

Danziger: Rolling On The House Floor, Laughing

Jeff Danziger lives in New York City. He is represented by CWS Syndicate and the Washington Post Writers Group. He is the recipient of the Herblock Prize and the Thomas Nast (Landau) Prize. He served in the US Army in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal. He has published eleven books of cartoons and one novel. Visit him at DanzigerCartoons.com.

Danziger: The Elephant In The Room

Danziger: The Elephant In The Room

Jeff Danziger lives in New York City. He is represented by CWS Syndicate and the Washington Post Writers Group. He is the recipient of the Herblock Prize and the Thomas Nast (Landau) Prize. He served in the US Army in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal. He has published eleven books of cartoons and one novel. Visit him at DanzigerCartoons.com.