This is spiraling completely out of control

| 8:24 pm EST November 16, 2023
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Republicans are out of control, and it might end in bloodshed. First, Tim Burchett of Tennessee recently accused Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the kidneys as they passed in the hallway. McCarthy has, of course, denied it. It is interesting to note that Burchett was one of the 8 who helped to oust McCarthy, so plenty of bad blood is flowing between the two. One would hope that McCarthy wouldn’t do something so childish and unprofessional, but he is a Republican. According to Burchette, he was in the hall, talking to a reporter when McCarthy walked behind him and elbowed him in “a clean shot to the kidneys.” Burchett told CNN’s Manu Raju that McCarthy is like “a kid [who] would throw a rock over the fence and run home and hide behind his mama’s skirt.” McCarthy claimed that if he had hit someone, “they would know it.” Even as this controversy is swirling, the media reported on Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) challenging a witness to a fist fight, which was ultimately broken up by Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who told Mullin he’s a “U.S. senator and not a cage match participant.” Sanders called the display “pathetic” when asked about it by Anderson Cooper. It looks like the next target may well be the new speaker, Mike Johnson.

Johnson successfully passed his first bill as speaker-with help from Democrats. Interestingly, Johnson did virtually the same thing McCarthy did, but as of today, he still has his job. The far-right is said to be “furious.” Of course, they’re furious. They are not there to do anything for the American people, and this stopgap helps a whole lot of citizens, including the millions who work for the federal government. That doesn’t matter to this group, as Politico reported, some are “privately entertaining other ways to retaliate.” Republicans are a HAM-hot ass mess. They obviously don’t care how they come across to the public. Kevin McCarthy is likely feeling some kind of way since Johnson did virtually the same as McCarthy-he reached across the aisle to get a bill passed. Apparently, they just weren’t into McCarthy, especially Matt Gaetz. Reportedly, it was mainly a trust issue, and they don’t feel the same about Johnson. Politico quoted Morgan Griffith (R-VA): “I think most people are willing to give him some time, but we need to see something different.” Something different than passing bills that benefit the public? This abject refusal to work with Democrats merely signals that many Republicans do not belong in Congress. They are there on their own personal agendas.

At the same time, centrist Republicans believe that this childish behavior is going to push them to work more with Democrats. What a novel thought. Don Bacon (R-NE) said: “It just forces us to work with Democrats-these guys play checkers; they don’t play chess.” That’s about the size of it. We can breathe a little easier for now, but we will revisit these issues again in January and February. They need to get this done once and for all.