Run By Narcissists

GOP extremists trying to call the shots

Normally, we would only pay scant attention to the procedural new US House of Representative leadership election. But this year, it is a drama that needs to be watched closely. The election started yesterday, and because of the far right extremist GOP members, the ones who are there because of Trump, it has become a chaotic mess. Usually, in an on-the-floor vote takes just one session, the GOP didn’t elect a speaker yesterday, Rep Kevin McCarthy did not get enough votes due to about 20 extremists blocking him. So no one has the clear win at this point, they will take the vote again today at noon. The last time the House had to take numerous votes to elect a Speaker was in 1923. Kevin McCarthy is undoubtedly out, but who will they put forward? It can’t be an extremist because such a person could not win. The extreme GOP faction in the House is trying to hold it all hostage to get what it wants (whatever that is, I am not sure), and what happens with this vote (it may take days, there is a lot of deal making going on behind doors) may forshadow the next two years of our legislature.

The Dems elected their speaker, and it was historic: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY) will be the first Black man to hold the minority speaker position. I have this funny dream that the moderate GOP House members will vote for Hakeem today and thus elect a Democratic Speaker in a GOP majority House. Is that possible?

Many news sites are of course covering it and you can watch it live. But fellow Substacker, Heather Cox Richardson is writing about it with such clarity, I recommend you read her and subscribe to her if you aren’t. She is a historian and often puts what’s going on into perspective historically, plus she writes with such clarity and provides links and quotes.

Here is one quote Richardson posted on her newsletter today about the GOP extreme that is quite telling:

“On the other hand are Republicans like the one who spoke to CNN’s Jake Tapper last night, saying that the holdouts want ‘procedural trickery that no one in America gives a damn about, but that might give these few loudmouths just a little bit more of the attention and power they crave…. None of these narcissists—and that’s what they are, pure narcissists—did a damn thing to help us win the majority. Nothing. If anything, many of them were liabilities, requiring outside help from Kevin McCarthy, ironically. So they contribute nothing to the team, and then have the audacity to demand outsize influence and power.’”

I will be watching today.