We are seeing how much easier it is to destroy than to create, plan, and build.
With the GOP, this began with Gingrich, and Trump put it on steroids. Jim Jordan, et al, have no idea of what they are for, they are there to disrupt, destroy and gloat.
Their only polices are for reckless individual freedom, greed, racism, and guns. Beyond that, nothing. They don’t need a Speaker. They don’t want a government, except to get on TV and raise money.
You know, Kevin did say in a closed door meeting that he earned this. Yes, Kevin, you did. Enjoy.
The Tea Party/Freedom Caucus/MAGA were never about governing. They were always about disruption. Not sure exactly what MTG's complaint is about. She got what she wanted.
The right-wing media got want they wanted.
Exactly what did any of them think this would actually look like?
Mona is right, this is one group of extremists fighting another" the Tea Party/proto-MAGA fighting against MAGA, and MAGA is winning.
What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that the Tea Party people who were all about the hat-wearing and shouting at liberals are in charge now, not the ones who were doing the cosplay for the tax cuts for the rich.
How did we get here and when did we get here? It started with Gingrich sure, but it really took off during the Tea Party wave when opposition politics against America's first black president arose and Mitch McConnel declared that "my job is to make Barrack Obama a one term president." Once a party accepts that its job is to stop the other party from governing, it has declared that culture wars are more important than governing. The Flight 93 Election mentality preached by the party elite was absorbed by its fear-motivated base and they have now blown past the party elite in taking compromise as a verboten word. The alligator is all grown up now and too big for its tub. It now sees anyone within its own party who is willing to "compromise" (govern really) as being hand-in-glove with liberals, and therefor much be ejected from the party because they're seen as sleeper cells for the liberals.
Congrats Mitch! You made Trump a one-term president by radicalizing the base so hard that they rejected compromise, and now your party is so radicalized that they can't win moderates over in the last three elections and they're on the struggle bus trying to pick a house leader who isn't seen as a dirty compromiser. This is your legacy Mitch, I hope it tastes good going down the hatch.
One of the features of this flavor of fascism that they're now stumbling over is that when you build a structure of hate and endless enmity, not only can it turn on its own, it ends up having to.
Sure you have your enemies list to point at outside, but at some point your enemies fortify and insulate themselves against your attacks.
So now you're stuck with a wrathful mob at your back, baying for blood, and no effective way of delivering them even the appearance of victory.
The mob has to be appeased somehow, right? Well obviously we would've won if Janet hadn't forgotten her car keys this morning. Or did she forget? She's one of them! Carl claimed he was picking up scrips for his sick mom last week, but I've never seen her. Does Carl even have a mom?
Admit defeat and the mob eats you. Fail to provide substitute victims and the mob eats you. Fail to provide satisfying spectacle and the mob eats you.
We've been getting a painful refresher on fundamental civics and why we have all the standards and conventions, as frustrating as they can be. Because the alternative is a mindless, frustrated mob convinced of its own supreme purity, devouring itself while accomplishing nothing.
Marge's tweet tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of the MAGA house: grab the speaker's gavel and control of the committees, engage in some performative 'firing' of Pelosi-appointed staff, and rev up the phony investigation machine.
Not a word about legislating. Nothing about how republicans will help the economy, fight crime, deal with the border, none of that.
These people have no interest in governing, which is good, I suppose, since they have no talent for it either.
The Carville quote and your opening paragraph are just brilliant. Then referring to the Young Guns as roadkill. Pure poetry.
The Trump endorsement certainly makes things more interesting. I'm surprised he went out on that limb, and if it doesn't get McCarthy more votes, Trump is going to look like a complete chump, and incredibly weak. I have no idea what was said on the Fox primetime lineup last night, but we'll see today if any of that had any effect. But Trump's endorsement, by my reading, was clear and resounding, and the members standing in McCarthy's way are some of the most sycophantic of the Trumpers, so I eagerly wait to see if it has any impact. If it doesn't, that's going to make the 2024 race even more interesting.
Agree with everything that Charlie and Mona said about Kevin McCarthy. Of the last four GOP Speakers, John “I cry everyday” Boehner is the only halfway decent person (grading by a curve here).
It drives me nuts when the media call the crazy 19 or 20 representatives conservatives. They should be labeled as right-wingers. I used to consider myself somewhat conservative and now I cannot fathom being labeled as such. But the way the media portrays things, Marjorie Taylor Green may belong to the moderate wing of the party in the future.
Right now, it's funny and fun. But if this goes beyond today, it stops being both. I'm serious, Ds - get together with the non-crazies and find 6 Rs to vote for Jeffries.
While watching the shit show yesterday the one phase that kept running through my head was, "Well, well, well, if isn't the consequences of my own actions."
Well, I was going to say Everything Trump Touches Dies, but this obviously pre-dates Trump. Grover Norquist always wanted to drown government in a bathtub, but it turns out too many people actually like what government does (Social Security et al), so now the only thing getting drowned is the GOP I guess.
How do you change a group of anarchic, anti-establishment, anti-government bomb throwers into a governing party, when every fiber of their being is to hate anyone who tells them what to do?
It doesn't matter WHO becomes the speaker, in a year they'll want to throw that person out too. It's just what happens whent the a party chooses the energy of extremist activists over the sensibility and compromise required to govern.
We are seeing how much easier it is to destroy than to create, plan, and build.
With the GOP, this began with Gingrich, and Trump put it on steroids. Jim Jordan, et al, have no idea of what they are for, they are there to disrupt, destroy and gloat.
Their only polices are for reckless individual freedom, greed, racism, and guns. Beyond that, nothing. They don’t need a Speaker. They don’t want a government, except to get on TV and raise money.
Charlie, my schadenfreude is lasting way longer than 4 hours. Can you please recommend a doctor?
It really is enjoyable watching the Republicans tear their own party apart. Unfortunately, it's the same approach the take with our country.
You know, Kevin did say in a closed door meeting that he earned this. Yes, Kevin, you did. Enjoy.
The Tea Party/Freedom Caucus/MAGA were never about governing. They were always about disruption. Not sure exactly what MTG's complaint is about. She got what she wanted.
The right-wing media got want they wanted.
Exactly what did any of them think this would actually look like?
Mona is right, this is one group of extremists fighting another" the Tea Party/proto-MAGA fighting against MAGA, and MAGA is winning.
What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that the Tea Party people who were all about the hat-wearing and shouting at liberals are in charge now, not the ones who were doing the cosplay for the tax cuts for the rich.
How did we get here and when did we get here? It started with Gingrich sure, but it really took off during the Tea Party wave when opposition politics against America's first black president arose and Mitch McConnel declared that "my job is to make Barrack Obama a one term president." Once a party accepts that its job is to stop the other party from governing, it has declared that culture wars are more important than governing. The Flight 93 Election mentality preached by the party elite was absorbed by its fear-motivated base and they have now blown past the party elite in taking compromise as a verboten word. The alligator is all grown up now and too big for its tub. It now sees anyone within its own party who is willing to "compromise" (govern really) as being hand-in-glove with liberals, and therefor much be ejected from the party because they're seen as sleeper cells for the liberals.
Congrats Mitch! You made Trump a one-term president by radicalizing the base so hard that they rejected compromise, and now your party is so radicalized that they can't win moderates over in the last three elections and they're on the struggle bus trying to pick a house leader who isn't seen as a dirty compromiser. This is your legacy Mitch, I hope it tastes good going down the hatch.
ALL CAPS should seal the deal... .
One of the features of this flavor of fascism that they're now stumbling over is that when you build a structure of hate and endless enmity, not only can it turn on its own, it ends up having to.
Sure you have your enemies list to point at outside, but at some point your enemies fortify and insulate themselves against your attacks.
So now you're stuck with a wrathful mob at your back, baying for blood, and no effective way of delivering them even the appearance of victory.
The mob has to be appeased somehow, right? Well obviously we would've won if Janet hadn't forgotten her car keys this morning. Or did she forget? She's one of them! Carl claimed he was picking up scrips for his sick mom last week, but I've never seen her. Does Carl even have a mom?
Admit defeat and the mob eats you. Fail to provide substitute victims and the mob eats you. Fail to provide satisfying spectacle and the mob eats you.
We've been getting a painful refresher on fundamental civics and why we have all the standards and conventions, as frustrating as they can be. Because the alternative is a mindless, frustrated mob convinced of its own supreme purity, devouring itself while accomplishing nothing.
Marge's tweet tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of the MAGA house: grab the speaker's gavel and control of the committees, engage in some performative 'firing' of Pelosi-appointed staff, and rev up the phony investigation machine.
Not a word about legislating. Nothing about how republicans will help the economy, fight crime, deal with the border, none of that.
These people have no interest in governing, which is good, I suppose, since they have no talent for it either.
Pass the popcorn, Ted Lieu.
The Carville quote and your opening paragraph are just brilliant. Then referring to the Young Guns as roadkill. Pure poetry.
The Trump endorsement certainly makes things more interesting. I'm surprised he went out on that limb, and if it doesn't get McCarthy more votes, Trump is going to look like a complete chump, and incredibly weak. I have no idea what was said on the Fox primetime lineup last night, but we'll see today if any of that had any effect. But Trump's endorsement, by my reading, was clear and resounding, and the members standing in McCarthy's way are some of the most sycophantic of the Trumpers, so I eagerly wait to see if it has any impact. If it doesn't, that's going to make the 2024 race even more interesting.
Veritable orgy of schadenfreude at The Bulwark today. Well earned.
“ a night of pizza, bitterness, and recriminations” Add in beer or tequila and you have my first try at college.
Agree with everything that Charlie and Mona said about Kevin McCarthy. Of the last four GOP Speakers, John “I cry everyday” Boehner is the only halfway decent person (grading by a curve here).
It drives me nuts when the media call the crazy 19 or 20 representatives conservatives. They should be labeled as right-wingers. I used to consider myself somewhat conservative and now I cannot fathom being labeled as such. But the way the media portrays things, Marjorie Taylor Green may belong to the moderate wing of the party in the future.
Right now, it's funny and fun. But if this goes beyond today, it stops being both. I'm serious, Ds - get together with the non-crazies and find 6 Rs to vote for Jeffries.
While watching the shit show yesterday the one phase that kept running through my head was, "Well, well, well, if isn't the consequences of my own actions."
Karma, amirite?
Well, I was going to say Everything Trump Touches Dies, but this obviously pre-dates Trump. Grover Norquist always wanted to drown government in a bathtub, but it turns out too many people actually like what government does (Social Security et al), so now the only thing getting drowned is the GOP I guess.
The GOP Leadership paradox:
How do you change a group of anarchic, anti-establishment, anti-government bomb throwers into a governing party, when every fiber of their being is to hate anyone who tells them what to do?
It doesn't matter WHO becomes the speaker, in a year they'll want to throw that person out too. It's just what happens whent the a party chooses the energy of extremist activists over the sensibility and compromise required to govern.