I cannot help but wonder if the GOP’s advantage in the House may become even smaller in the light of what’s rapidly becoming The Santos Debacle. This involves Rep-elect George Devolder-Santos (R-NY), who upset Robert Zimmerman (D-NY) in a race not including an incumbent. The district was won by Rep Suozzi (D-NY) over Devolder-Santos by more than 12 points in 2020, while Biden beat Trump in the district as well. This is via Maddowblog:
The New York Times reported this morning:
By his account, [Santos] catapulted himself from a New York City public college to become a “seasoned Wall Street financier and investor” with a family-owned real estate portfolio of 13 properties and an animal rescue charity that saved more than 2,500 dogs and cats. But a New York Times review of public documents and court filings from the United States and Brazil, as well as various attempts to verify claims that Mr. Santos, 34, made on the campaign trail, calls into question key parts of the résumé that he sold to voters.
First of all, it’s worth reminding ourselves that the toxic culture of the GOP created by Newt Gingrich and his successors, through the creation of and adherence to team politics, and near-religious faith to such tenets as taxes are always bad and so is regulation, has led to candidates for whom experience and adherence to truth are definitely of secondary or even tertiary importance.
Of primary importance is gaining and retaining power.
Following that are questions of vetting by both Republican and Democratic officials, who should be zealous in avoiding embarrassment; questions of how he could have won a safe Democratic district in the midst of anti-Trump land.
And then will come this very important question: if the mendacity of his campaign is confirmed, will Minority Leader McCarthy tell him to resign? Lead the effort to boot him out if he won’t?
Or will he solicit Santos’ vote for the Speaker of the House race?
