Life is frequently two steps forward and one step back. Kevin McCarthy may have gotten a standing ovation from his GOP cronies the other day, but look what sprang up in his congressional district. The Republican Accountability Project took it upon themselves to create these.
“In a focus group I recently conducted with Ohio Trump voters, no one had heard about the McCarthy tapes,” RAP executive director Sarah Longwell said in a news release. “So we’re going to jumpstart that conversation, starting in McCarthy’s district.”
Pause for just a moment and consider that this gigantic story, a blockbuster in the New York Times and something that would have ended a politician’s career that day, in an era not too far in our history, is something that a focus group of MAGAs had never even heard of. This is what is going to destroy this country, this isolation of people from the truth. I can only assume that the group being referenced here is the Fox News/Newsmax crowd.
These billboards may seriously be the only way to go in the future. We are two countries now but unfortunately there’s still only one federal government and it would be nice if people voting for federal offices, or whose representatives choose party leadership, could at least be apprised of bombshell developments as they occur.
McCarthy may not be completely out of the woods on this one, even apart from the billboards taunt. Daily Beast:
But the shrugs from House Republicans could quickly turn to wrath if Trump decides he’s had enough with McCarthy—something GOP insiders privately say remains a real possibility.
In that case, the California Republican, who has led the conference since 2019, may face an insurmountable roadblock to his long quest for the speakership. And even if Trump remains on the sidelines, the GOP leader may already have more of a problem than he recognizes.
Two sources close to House conservatives told The Daily Beast that McCarthy would have real difficulty during a potential Speaker vote on the House floor next year if Republicans perform worse than they hope in this fall’s midterm elections.
If a theoretical GOP majority had less than a 20-vote advantage over Democrats, these sources said, McCarthy’s critics would have outsized sway.One source noted there are a number of hard noes—likely in the “high single digits”—who won’t vote for the leader, as well as another 10 swing votes who would likely vote against him if they could deny McCarthy the speakership.
“If the margin is less than 20,” this source said, “they should be very concerned.”
Pretty much every Republican acknowledges, however, that the math for McCarthy taking the gavel isn’t static. Several GOP sources told The Daily Beast that if Republicans ride a “red wave” of 30 or more flipped seats, McCarthy’s speaker vote would probably be a coronation, not a challenge.
Much of the calculus will rely on Trump. As one Trump White House source put it, McCarthy has always seemed to believe he’s tighter with Trump than Trump believes he is with McCarthy. One of the sources close to House conservatives noted that basically every Republican waited to see what Trump would say about McCarthy’s comments before they themselves spoke out.
We have seen the knives sticking out of the backs of former Trump allies and devotees in the past. Just ask Josh Mandel to explain it, if you need clarification. It’s always good to remember the axiom, Everything Trump Touches Dies. We have seen it in the past, we will see it again.
I can’t understand why true conservatives haven’t reconstructed their party with a new name and a new platform and let go of the radical right magas. They cleave to TFG so they can get the votes of his followers and are now wallowing in the filth and muck along with loons and crazies. Surely there are more than enough sane, ethical R’s out there to build a new party and leave the GOP behind to rot and fester. Actual magas are outnumbered so I just don’t get why they are so valuable.
Actually, I do – without them the conservative R’s would never beat the Dems because their platform is all about returning America to the values of 1950. How pathetic to cling to antiquated ideals while the world around them moves toward the 22nd century.
Hey only care about power. TFG gives them power currently, so the praise Fat Donnie and cling to his coat tails. If his influence wanes, they will run, not walk, away
Yes, Trump is a problem McCarthy needs to worry about but he’s done a pretty good job of keeping his lips super-glued to Trump’s ass. If as has been said by quite a few people he was blowing smoke in private to Congressional Republicans and never actually DIRECTLY confronted Trump in the blunt terms he said he’d use (I’m sure he said something, but in a wishy-washy “I’ve heard some rumblings along the lines of…But don’t worry cause I’m on top of it and anyone who thinks such crazy shit knows I’ll crush them if they speak up”) even these latest revelations won’t hurt him with Trump. I say that because McCarthy almost certainly didn’t have the guts to directly confront Trump, and that’s why a “reach around” during a session of ass-kissing will mollify Trump.
However, the Tea (Bagger!) Party/Free-DUMB caucus types who have been around even before there was a Tea Party proved able to depose powerful Republicans in the House leadership including Speakers. Eric Cantor. John Boehner. Paul Ryan. And of course Liz Cheney. I think they are locked and loaded to take McCarthy out and their only question they’re debating among themselves is when to strike – before or after the mid-terms. However, even a thirty or forty seat advantage for Republicans won’t be enough to save McCarthy. He’s a political dead man walking as far as his Speaker ambitions are concerned because if the GOP makes those big gains it won’t be with a crop of semi-saner old-school Republicans but with a transfusion of crazies.
Well said Denis, well said! Couldn’t agree more!
What about the seeming self-implosions that happen now and then with both losers Ms, Green and Rusty Gates and McCarthy and Trump in their own special languages, barfing out the outrageous spin of detached word salads, Trump being the repeat offender, of course, seems to be lost and struggling to understand just what the interviewer said or how to skirt the question with a rage of indignant drivel, trying to look like the smarter man he thinks he is, even as he looks more rattled than ever and the only thing that keeps him alive is his worthless rants in front of dwindling crowds … [sometimes, I think his continued self-aggrandizing and repeated attacks on other people, have sullied his followers, and now, his health seems to be lagging, perhaps he is overdue for a stroke or cardiac event, especially when someone tells him his rants are the very thing that shuts down his follower’s attendance, (they have heard the same drivel so many times)] …
How can they still broadcast his shit storm rants when nobody cares to watch???
Besides, the rest of us can get physically sick, watching his hand waving, rubber face, shit-eating grin …
If reports are true, Mitch McConnell had hoped that Trump would be indicted by now, and could no longer wreak havoc within the GOP. The party’s failure to convict him in the 2nd impeachment trial is coming back to haunt them.
As far as breaking the MAGA information bubble, we can troll right-wing sites by dropping “truth bombs” and article links in the comments section. I’ve been called names and accused of being a bot, but I take that as proof that MAGAts can’t rebut
to the truth.
The one thing I have to say is that I wish people would stop just giving the election to the republicans. They ain’t won it yet.
True enough. The hearings haven’t started & although the hard core cult members will drink cyanide to see Jesus, maybe they will watch & learn.