Regardless of the results of the Speaker of the House election today, the far-right extremists who cannot stomach Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is himself a far-right extremist, are lighting the path forward for the Republican Party.
It’s right into an abyss.
Fly away! Get off my back!
But, in the meantime, how is this going to play out? This is a classic example of a Party pulling itself apart, as power hungry ideological extremists claw for power. Right now a faction of convenience, called the Freedom Caucus, has McCarthy by the neck, wringing concessions out of him in his moment of weakness.
OK, so he’s had years of weakness, but you get my point.
But this breakup of the Party will be delayed, because the base of the Freedom Caucus’ power is, of course, their positions in Congress. If they choose to leave the Republican Party, how can they guarantee they’ll continue in their positions.
They can’t. If presented with two conservative candidates, district voters may choose the other one, the one with (R) after their name on the ballot.
So watch for the Republican Party to continue to lurch along, parts rattling loudly and smoke coming out where it shouldn’t. Can the Democrats take advantage? We’ll have to wait and see.
