Preach it Jamie, preach it! I can listen to this all night. Kevin McCarthy will soon be gone, but definitely not forgotten. He’s made a lasting and memorable impression upon the institution in which he served. And not for the better, unlike many statesmen and women who make genuine contributions and are sorely missed when they’re gone. Those kinds of people, the John McCains, the Harry Reids of the world represent an era. Speaking of McCain and Reid, McCain said, “This is not a nice business we’re in,” and Reid said, “Politics has always had a feral side to it,” but they knew where the lines were drawn, unlike Donald Trump and his ilk.
But I suppose we could say that McCarthy represented his era as well. He started out as one of the three Young Guns and was the last one to backfire. Eric Cantor washed out in 2014, when he got primaried even though he was self-identified as a breed of new, young conservative, along with Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy. Ryan bailed after backing Trump turned out not to be such a great idea and McCarthy is now gone as well. So much for that generation of new conservatives. Here’s Congressman Raskin to hammer the nails in the coffin.
Yeah but he made Jeopardy tonight pic.twitter.com/ZAq89iSrFV
— March 4, 2024 WILL BE WILD!!! (@OnTheWater55) December 7, 2023
And McCarthy had his chance. He had a moment of clarity on January 6 when he said that Trump was responsible for the insurrection. That was leadership. And like the proverbial candle in the wind, that momentary burst of courage flickered and died. When it came down to taking a moral stance, McCarthy knew what had happened as well as anybody else who was there that day. But he was all too willing to forget it when it became more convenient to bend the knee to Trump at Mar-a-Lago in order to have a shot at the House Speakership.
He got what he wanted but didn’t hang onto it for very long. So where does he go now?
His new job! 👏🏻👏🏻😂
— OK Susan (@susanan23080452) December 7, 2023
There’s always room for a coffee boy on the way up to omelette chef, n’est ce pas?
And do you remember this? This will always be burned on every dendrite in my brain.
This is who Trump is, right here. And all the Republicans know it. And they knew it then. That’s why a GOPer’s reaction to Trump post-January 6 has become the litmus test that it is. A few Republicans stood up for the rule of law and against Donald Trump. There’s a handful of them, Kinzinger, Cheney, Romney, a few others. But the vast majority went along with Dictator Donald.
And they will go along with him if he manages to get back in. They’re all fine with a dictatorship. This was prophesied back in 2018 when an Atlantic staff writer named David Frum said, “If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”
At the time that statement was made, just a handful of years ago, it had a chilling, dystopian sound to it. Now, in 2023, we are on the cusp of seeing just how true it is. Conservatives, so-called conservatives in any event, are willing to throw in the towel on democracy and try fascism.
You wonder how Adolf Hitler came to power? Wonder no more. Bad things happen when good men do nothing. Or when mediocre men will sell out everybody else and even their own souls to gain power. This is the truth of the GOP during the Trump years.
We either hang together or surely we will hang separately. Benjamin Franklin
The sheer will of our founders to take on the most powerful military, including a formidable navy, without having an established army and no navy, boggles the mind. Mr. Franklin was astutely correct. Had they failed, George Washington would have been shot or hung along with the rest. Our country wasn’t founded by cowards. Just the opposite. You can make a case they were crazy, but you could never say they were feckless cowards. Contrast what we know about them with the slime sitting in the halls of congress today. We, as a nation, should be ashamed of the quality of persons we have placed in power. That is why we’re on the brink of God knows what if we lose next November. There is no exaggeration, or flight of evil fantasy that will begin to approach the hell awaiting us if we fail. We either fight and hang together or surely we will hang separately.
Well said! First time I’ve heard this tid bit , (albeit important part) of history or quote from Washington. I’m absolutely terrified there is the actual possibility Hitler-wanna-be could return to White House. And the fact so many cult following brainwashed Americans want to put him there. 😱😨
Quite the epitaph when he goes toes up. Embarrassing to be sure but still one heck of a send off.
McCarthy lied all the time. (Reading Chenye’s book.) McCarthy may have said 45 was responsible for the coup but he then kept his promise to Jim Jordan and 45 – he voted to reject the electoral college votes. So many need to go – soooooooo many!!!!