Another Republican Rep gave notice today. The latest defector from the ranks is Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who was once considered a GOP rising star. It’s hard to be a rising star in a party that is self-destructing and evidently today’s MAGA circus after the vote to keep the government open was the bridge too far.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) announced Friday he would resign from Congress before his term is up, shrinking Republicans already razor-thin majority in the House.
Gallagher, a four-term lawmaker who is considered a rising star within the GOP, announced last month that he would not seek reelection. But Friday, he said he would leave the House on April 19.
“I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party,” he said in a statement.
Interesting that Gallagher is choosing to cut and run and his final comment is addressed to a committee which fights communism, when MAGA can’t get in bed fast enough with Vladimir Putin, Xi Xiangping and all the rest.
Gallagher will be still around when the House reconvenes and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to vacate the Speaker is heard. He’ll most likely defend Johnson as will a lot of Democrats. This is how out of control the MAGA Republicans have gotten, that now their Speaker has to be saved by the Democrats.
Several Dems signaling they’ll save Mike Johnson — especially if he moves on Ukraine aid.
Tom Suozzi tells me he will vote to save him pic.twitter.com/8y53xNEb1j— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 22, 2024
And the most razor-thin majority in history shapes up for the GOP conference.
After a spate of early resignations from House Republicans such as Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), Gallagher’s early departure will leave his party with a single vote to spare on upcoming legislation, NBC reports.
The news outlet described Gallagher’s announcement as a “blow” for Speaker Mike Johnson, who on Friday received more news of a tenuous hold on power in the form of a motion to vacate him from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Gallagher’s move slashes House Republican’s thin majority from 218-213 down to 217-213, which could spell trouble should Democrats unite and vote together. House Republicans could only afford a single defection.
Gallagher, chairman of the select committee investigating the Chinese Communist Party, has reportedly grown frustrated with Republican antics that included the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, NBC reports.
The Wisconsin lawmaker received both praise and criticism from fellow lawmakers after he made his official statement.
“An outstanding member,” replied Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). “He contributed much to policy decisions and earned some respect for our nation from around the globe.”
Enjoy the plaudits from both sides of the aisle. If Gallagher’s seat gets filled by some psychotic MAGAt, who knows what the House will look like next year? This is just one more death knell for the GOP. You can’t keep a party in functioning condition when the best members say phuque it and hit the door.
Trump is not a GOP leader. If he was, he would talk to these people. He’s a MAGA cult leader and that’s all he can see. That’s all he’s ever been able to see is his MAGA cult and his bottom line. Nothing else means anything to him.
And this has interesting implications for the 2024 election. In 2022 as you well recall, the GOPers were riding high, predict red tsunami’s, a 40-plus seat takeover, being in the driver’s seat in a big way was on the horizon. And just like a mirage vanishes as you approach it, so did the illusion of 40-plus seat victory.
Nowadays you don’t hear a peep about a massive expansion of the House GOP conference. And on these facts you are not likely to.
What kind of country allows 147 lawmakers to take an oath to defend the constitution, then they turn and support a violent overthrow of the said government based on the constitution? What kind of country allows mindless fact denying cult members to make laws? What kind of country has the democrats having to save a christo-fascist as speaker because the alternative is worse? What kind of country allows a con man to steal an election with the PROVEN help of a war criminal and dictator of our enemy, is directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, and is NOW RUNNING FOR THE SAME OFFICE while under a slew of felony indictments? What kind of country inhabited by the descendants of immigrants, now let’s women and children be killed at the border fleeing the violence in Central America, violence caused by our corporate/military complex that destabilized their countries? What kind of country allows a traitor president to criminalize cannabis in 1970, based on political reasons, contrary to science, resulting in more incarcerations here than anywhere else in the world, while the Sacklers make billions off of oxycontin, resulting in tens of thousands of overdose deaths per year? I could go on, but an edifice built on laws based on evil, while letting the criminals run the deal, is a country ripe for fascism and self destruction. FACT. Cue up the rationalizations of those begging for an authoritarian murderous leader. Yeah…let’s save the guy who believes women should go to jail for a miscarriage and dinosaurs were saved on a boat during a flood. Geez phucking louise what a lunatic asylum.
A very worthy rant Scott.
In a March 13th Newsweek article, it says Ken Buck warned that this was gonna happen…”When asked by Axios whether he was coming under pressure from colleagues over his decision to resign, Buck replied: “I think it’s the next three people that leave that they’re going to be worried about.” 1 down, 2 more to go?