Happy New Year. To those of us in California, I hope you are weathering the storm. It has been a crazy first couple of weeks for the national GOP. Speaker McCarthy has already been a trash fire. Here is my take on things.
First off, remember back to when Donald Trump was elected President. First thing he said to Congress was “Let’s get a plan to repeal and replace the health law.” Predictably they did nothing. The law stands in place today. I see this current Congress playing out the same way.
First, the Speaker vote was embarrassing on every level. How does it take 15 votes to elevate the Minority Leader to Speaker when no one else even ran against him? How can one be so tone deaf? McCarthy had to have known the hard right, aka the real conservatives, were tired of the status quo. Why didn’t he reach out to this group and negotiate behind the scenes with them? He only had two months to work out a deal, but it seems he did nothing until after he started losing votes.
Did McCarthy think being a smug prick was wise toward this group? They embarrassed him! The items the Group of 20 or so asked for aren’t out of line at all. A motion to dismiss the chair is never out of order, unless Madam Pelosi is Speaker, but McCarthy didn’t want to lose power. The members of that Group of 20 who lost committee assignments wanting them back, this isn’t out of line either. Term limits goes back to the old Contract with America circa 1994. I’m not seeing much out of order here. Put it up for a vote, when it goes nowhere…. say sorry, I tried but we must move on.
However somehow McCarthy was not the biggest clown in the circus these past couple weeks, that award goes to Sean Hannity of Fox News fame. Full disclosure, I do not have cable. I watch bits and pieces while I work-out daily, about 20 minutes max then I turn something else on. Hannity spent each night on his show trying to go to bat for McCarthy for reasons I do not understand. Hannity kept saying its “his turn.”
(Editor’s Note: this is the same logic that gave us such great political luminaries as Bob Dole and John Kerry as frontrunners for President. It was their turn. Yuck. Also, this was actually McCarthy’s second turn to try for Speaker, but he dropped out last time after it went public that he was poking interns on the side. Somehow, I missed the apology tour where he got the wife to “stand by her man” as he faked contrition for getting caught.)
Hannity’s argument was that the Speaker’s job is reserved for only the powerful elite. Hannity rolled out Newt Gingrich and a whole host of GOP establishment types to bully the Group of 20 to “just relent.” He even went as far while interviewing Lauren Boebert, one of the Group of 20, to tell her “You and your colleagues should stop your circus.” Little did Sean understand, no one else wanted the job of Speaker, they just wanted concessions on a couple of things.
Sean and Kevin got their way, but at a major price. McCarthy is wounded. First why hold a vote when you will not win, then decide to hold a “vote-a-rama” whilst watching your vote totals keep dropping? What is the definition of insanity? This shows an alarming lack of leadership. McCarty had to have known this would happen. Then he, just like Hannity, chose to sit back and insult and make fun of that group. This creates hurt that can backfire big time. Little does Hannity understand that Group of 20 is not a rubber stamp for McCarthy. Worse yet, if they vote in blocks against it, his “agenda” goes nowhere.
Speaking of which, what is the GOP agenda? I never heard a plan, let alone ideas. Seems to me the plan is just block Biden and investigate Democrats. While that is admirable, fixing the issues plaguing this country would be a better start. McCarthy and Hannity do not understand that voters want solutions not more inaction. I am seeing nothing out of either.
In closing I will say this Hannity looks and comes off as a total clown. I think he views himself as a kingmaker in the GOP, he is the opposite. I actually used to like him. He held the Democrats to the fire and held the GOP accountable. He does not hold the GOP accountable at all anymore. His ardent support of McCarthy proves one of two things; either Fox executives are telling him what to say, or he just wants to remain relevant with the GOP leadership.
It’s odd really. Hannity used to go on nightly monologues about lower spending, less regulations, lower taxes. Now he goes out of his way to elevate a CA moderate who at best likes to play nice with the other side. And folks wonder why no writer for this blog is registered as a Republican anymore? Hannity blew all of his credibility; or maybe he was always this way? At his best, maybe he just mimicked Rush Limbaugh for his nightly talking points and now that Rush is gone he’s showing his true colors. Makes you wonder.
The Chief
PS Wanna bet Hannity called McCarthy a “good conservative” as the Speaker votes were being held?