Paranoia strikes deep. Into your life it will creep, the song tells us and we are witnessing that very phenomenon in the House of Representatives today. The Republican party continues its slow but sure self-immolation with the latest firestorm being the resignation of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy is leaving the end of 2023, which will cause Gavin Newsom to hold a special election. Wow, do you suppose Democrats can pick up a seat there in Bakersfield? Or, will the MAGA who planned to primary McCarthy walk away with the seat?
While California Democrats are pondering that issue, let’s look to the rest of the mess that has been generated since Matt Gaetz decided it would be such a swell idea to drive McCarthy out of power. All that has happened since is a steady downhill ride, taking the slim GOP majority now down to one. That’s as slim as a majority can get, no argument there. And if the GOP loses that one, they won’t be the majority at all anymore, and that well may happen. Marge Greene is bemoaning this point.
MTG,
You need to accept the Grim Reality,
every Career Republican is jumping ship!
They all see the grim reality,
LOSING ELECTIONS for the next 16 years,
is a great reason to quit the GOP Team, lol. pic.twitter.com/u9SJmgOo4h— Truth or consequences (@dandersen9465) December 6, 2023
Is every “career Republican” jumping ship? Well, we know that Bill Johnson is. We know that Patrick McHenry is. GOPers are worried sick. And well they should be. My only question is, what took them so long? The handwriting has been not only on the wall for years now, but blinking in neon.
In any event, the paranoia and the infighting are going to be positively comical to watch. Here’s a case of self destruction that is incredible. The National Republican Senatorial Committee thinks that Matt Rosendale (R-MT) who is planning to run for the Senate next year is a “democrat plant.” Do you freaking love it? Is this insane enough for you? Raw Story:
Speaking to CNN Capitol reporter Manu Raju, Republicans speculated Wednesday if one of the Montana Republicans is a plant for the Democratic Party.
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) is one of eight Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Rosendale is facing a primary from Tim Sheehy as he makes a bid for the U.S. Senate.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is backing Sheehy over Rosendale.
“A lot of people are starting to wonder if Matt Rosendale is a plant from the Democrats,” an NRSC spokesperson told Raju.
“He is benefitting from millions of dollars in television ads from a Chuck Schumer-aligned super PAC and has been a great ally to Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi in their efforts to take back the House,” the committee spokesperson added.
Why in God’s name would the Democrats back Rosendale when the obvious play is to reelect Montana native and Democrat Jon Tester? Where are they getting these whacked out notions from? If you want to know Rosendale’s motivations, go ask Matt Gaetz. But then again, when you’re paranoid, common sense, let alone logic, doesn’t seem to fit in the equation.
And here’s a thought.
Reconciliation bill to secure robust spending, eliminate debt limit permanently, taxes on rich to pay for permanent child tax credit.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) December 6, 2023
One is the loneliest number that you ever knew, said another song. It will be interesting to watch the GOP-led House limp along, with its theocratic gay-bashing Speaker, it’s majority of one, and ornery incumbents like Lauren Boebert, who basically can’t function right now, because there is no more room for ornery in this caucus. The days of right-wing MAGA grandstanding are precisely what put the caucus in the situation it’s in now.
What a year in politics this has been. And watch December become one for the books and we’re not even one week in yet.
When one group has a very slim majority, I would think that it’s not the time for infighting. But that’s just me. This group doesn’t seem to have a lot of common sense. Seems like there should have been some way to rein in people like Gaetz and Green.
Gaetz and Greene (and Jordan and Gosar) can all run wild because they live in heavily gerrymandered districts and they don’t fear re-election like so many of their peers do. Gaetz is talking about running for governor of Florida. Let’s see how that works out. He’s hated outside of his district. Maybe he needs to learn that the hard way.
Now Hear This–Maryland Matt, what many of us who are non-‘pube/magat Montanans call the fool, is not now nor has he ever been a democrat, democratic plant, or anything even distantly aligned with democrats. He IS a magat fool and jumping on the trump train was as natural for him as taking a piss (which is what he does on Montanan heads every f*cking day).
In case any of you all had any doubts. It doesn’t make any sense given his buying the election lie and buying it big but I’m here to tell you he is as much of a magat as MTG, Bobo the Clown, Comer, Tuberville, etc.
The level of paranoia that it took for them to even think that Rosendale might be a “plant” (other than potted) is what dazzled me. My God, these people live in an alternate reality.
Sometimes paranoia is just having all the facts.
William S. Burroughs
My favorite is, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.”
The reality appears to be that MTG is going to be in charge of the kiddie pool.
They are getting their wildest dreams to come true: an election year where the lunatics clear the way for nothing but lunatics to run for office proudly wearing their lunatic dunce caps, especially during a Presidential election year when their chief lunatic will be in numerous trials for being a lunatic.
Just so no self respecting voter would notice, eh?….
It will be interesting to see who’s still standing a year from now. There’s some hope that Trump will perform a miracle, mostly because of crazy polls and legacy media saying that it’s going to be a tight race. I can’t see how the race could be that tight, when 1. Trump is no longer the incumbent and 2. He’s got all these trials and dirt.
Yes, his hard core supporters love him all the more. But he didn’t have enough hard core people turn out to vote in 2020 and I doubt he’s won over anybody new.
Who knows? We’re going to find out who America really is in November.
“But he didn’t have enough hard core people turn out to vote in 2020 and I doubt he’s won over anybody new.”
Huh? Trump managed to get some 12 million more votes in 2020 than he got in 2016. It’s just that without Biden facing nearly a quarter-century of a right-wing attack machine (not to mention a last-minute decision by an “impartial” FBI director to “investigate” new “allegations”–someone should remind Trump of that little decision whenever he pretends he’s being targeted), there was far less opportunity for third parties to bleed off support from the Dems or the GOP and allow for Biden and the Dems to get roughly 16 million more votes compared to 2016.
The REAL question will be how many “yellow dog Republicans” there are come November 2024. I would obviously prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress with another term for Joe Biden but, as long as GOP voters are willing to vote for “anyone but Trump” as President, they can vote for whatever party floats their boat down-ballot. (And, let’s face it: After witnessing this past year’s GOP fiasco in the House, I’m hoping that GOP voters will look at whoever wins their House and Senate primary races and ask “Do we really want an extremist who’s going to spend more time on social media and hosting their own podcasts and giving handies in public all-ages theaters rather than doing the work we’re voting for them to do” before actually voting for one of them. Either just not vote or do something productive and vote for the Democrat.)
I really don’t get your math. There are 213 Democrats. we would have to FLIP 5 seats to get the majority. Losing an R is not the same thing as gaining a D. They would have to lose more.
What is the math as you understand it? They had a four vote margin. They’ve lost three votes now, to wit, Santos, Johnson and McCarthy. That leaves one. And, if somebody dies, as Marge has said, then we’re tied.
And if Marge dies, as is our fervent prayer, we’ll all dance in the streets (and upon her grave).