House Republicans descend into total chaos
The word “chaos” does not even begin to describe the fallout from ousting Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. Now that Jim Jordan has thrown his hat in the ring, expect utter chaos should he take over the role. We’ve seen him at “work” as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, trying to stick his nose into investigations where it doesn’t belong. All he has achieved so far is getting embarrassed and dressed down. Yeah, he’s going to make a great leader. That horrible, possible outcome aside, the temporary speaker, Patrick Henry, is trying to throw his weight around the House.
Henry notified Nancy Pelosi that she must immediately vacate her office in the Capitol. When she heard about it, she made a very true statement: “With all the important decision that the new Republican Leadership must address, which we are all eagerly awaiting, one of the first actions taken by the Speaker Pro Tempore was to order me to immediately vacate my office in the Capitol.” It is a ridiculous request by an obviously ridiculous man. She went on to say: “Office space doesn’t matter to me, but it seems to be important to them. Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter, let’s hope they get to work on what’s truly important for the American people.” Pelosi hit the proverbial nail on the head. The Republicans have done nothing for the American people, and it appears they have no time for such triviality. All they want to do is flex their power.
Republican attention now turns to electing a new speaker. Both Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan announced their bids. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others want to nominate Donald Trump. According to the Hill, however, Trump has no interest in the job. He’s too busy fighting off all the criminal charges against him. Besides, Trump wants the ultimate power of the White House. CNN mentioned that Tom Emmer and Kevin Hern might run for the position, though Emmer is interested in another leadership role. Steve Scalise doesn’t need to be in the House, let alone in a leadership position. While Scalise has health issues, the most important reason he doesn’t belong is his 2014 speech to a white supremacist group headed up by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. Anyone who associates with that trash has no place in our government. He claimed to have regretted it, but such a terrible decision cannot be overlooked.
Meanwhile, the Senate is not happy with Tuesday’s turn of events. They are concerned about the 2024 election and what all this chaos looks like to the voting public. That should be obvious. They look like a bunch of hacks. The House can think what they want about Kevin McCarthy, but he got the stopgap passed, and all Americans should be happy about that. Most Americans aren’t down with the far right. They can do enough to get elected in their districts, but they are useless. Whoever takes over the speakership had better have a plan to rein them in or chaos will continue.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years