The U.S. House of Representatives sits on one side of the Capitol building, and the Senate on the other side. It’s a long walk from one chamber to the other but in many respects they might as well be in different zip codes. The Senate, which used to tout with no small amount of smugness their being “the world’s most exclusive club” has pretty much always looked down their noses at their counterparts over in the House. As unruly, uncouth, rowdy etc. while Senators conducted themselves with decorum and good manners. It’s not a stretch to say that many a Senator (if not most) have considered themselves better than mere Representatives in every way. More educated, refined and so on. And for the purposes of this discussion more honorable.
Which brings us to the respective scandalous sagas of Representative George Santos (R, NY) and Senator Robert Menendez (D, NJ). As the Washington Post reports:
Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is set to face expulsion from the House as soon as Wednesday, possibly becoming the first congressman in more than 20 years to be removed in a motion brought forth by Republicans from his own delegation.
This effort is being led by Santos’ fellow NY Congressional Republicans. Many know how lucky they were with the mess the new redistricting maps created, and some rode a proverbial perfect storm of circumstances to narrow victories in the Red Trickle 2022 election. Their re-election prospects aren’t good and they know it. Voting to make Johnson Speaker isn’t going to help. Not one bit. (I’ll return to that) So they need to make a grand gesture and Santos is an easy target. Truth be told it’s likely most in the House GOP wishes Santos was gone. They’ve put pressure on him to resign but he’s not about to give up that Congressional paycheck.
Voting to expel him however is another matter. As you know there are about twenty Republicans elected from Districts President Biden won in 2020, many of them first termers. As PZ’s Murfster keeps noting there are at least 50 and probably 60 House seats the Cook Report says will be competitive next year. Remember what I said about voting for Johnson for Speaker? With the revelations coming out about him I’m betting all their offices are getting flooded with lots more calls from Democrats and Independents than from MAGAs. I doubt the majority of this potentially endangered group wanted to vote for Johnson any more than Jordan but every one looked at next year. A political calculation was made to fall in line to keep the MAGA Primary Monster caged up.
Voting to expel Santos might open the cage door. However, Santos has as we know been so huge a f**kup and national joke that even the normally shameless GOP is embarrassed by him. Also let’s face some ugly truths. There are personal traits of Santos that MAGA goobers despise. So these GOPers I’m talking about can probably “sell” to MAGAs in their districts that dumping Santos was a good thing that would give the Party “credibility.”
Still, not all of them will come to that conclusion. My guess is a few dozen, perhaps forty or so. Add in all twelve to fifteen of the “Biden District” Republicans (some have I believe decided to toe the MAGA line and take their chances next November)and maybe, possibly that’s roughly fifty five GOP votes to expel Santos. It’s not enough:
It remains unclear whether Santos will be successfully ousted given that expulsion requires approval from two-thirds of House lawmakers voting — or 282 of the chamber’s 423 current members, if all are present. Democrats have repeatedly called for Santos’s ouster, and fewer than 10 among the party’s 212 House members remain hesitant to vote in support of his removal, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal party whip counts.
That’s why if I had to bet right now, the motion to expel Santos will be tabled. I don’t think Hakeem Jeffries wants to hand the GOP a talking point on a silver platter. Only if a majority of House Republicans go on record as willing to expel Santos will Jeffries encourage Democrats to get on board.
Now let’s turn to the Senate. The exclusive “club” who look down with bemusement at their counterparts on the other side of the building. Senators, even those who have despised each other still have made a point, even usually these days of, prior to calling a fellow Senator a dumbass (or worse) prefaced criticism with “to my distinguished colleague” or some other such puffery. I don’t think it’s an actual rule but it might as well be. Given that, the very thought of them turning on one of their own and expelling them is damned near unthinkable. Even when they damned well should.
This, this situation with Menendez is one of those times.
If you’ve forgotten, Menendez got hauled up on federal charges years ago but got off on a technicality. A former Virginia Gov. had his conviction on bribery charges overturned and the ruling gave Mendez’s lawyers a way to get him off the hook. He should have resigned back then because he was guilty. Everyone knew it. But he didn’t and even kept running to keep his Senate seat. Worse, he didn’t thank his lucky stars and change his corrupt ways. Oh hell no. He kept right on being a corrupt P.O.S. and it caught up with him again. Once again prosecutors have got him cold and it looks like this time he’s going down. The evidence that’s already public is appalling. It’s a black eye not just for Senate Democrats who face a tough task holding on to control of the chamber next year, but the entire Party.
The WaPo article goes on to mention that over in the Senate there have been calls for Menendez to resign but with Chuck Schumer not among the “get him out” crowd Menendez is still there:
Leading a fragile Democratic majority, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said that Menendez “has a right to due process and a fair trial” and commended his decision to step down as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Senators have not discussed expelling Menendez, instead calling for his resignation before a conviction because they believe the evidence against him is enough to have lost the trust of his constituents.
From where I sit Schumer is serving up some pretty effing weak tea. Or to be more blunt a heaping plate of smelly brown organic matter. Here’s the thing that’s driving me crazy. Among calls for Menendez to resign, unless one has popped up I haven’t heard about not one single Republican has called for him to so! Senate GOPer are LOVING this. Get ready because Menendez will be featured in Every Single Republican Senate campaign ad next year after each state’s primary. All will be centered around the theme “Vote for (insert candidate name) to prevent corrupt Democrats like Robert Menendez from controlling the Senate”, with a line or two about Schumer refusing to call for his resignation, or a separate set of “Take the Senate back from corrupt Democrats” featuring Schumer, noting how Schumer refused to try and push Menendez out.
I fear Schumer and Democrats are handing the Senate over to the GOP on a platter Menendez stole from the house of someone bribing him! Menendez, with Schumer’s cover isn’t just resisting calls from fellow Democrats to resign, he’s sneering as he flips “double-birds” to everyone.
There is however a powerful action that could be taken that would take every bit of wind out of the GOP’s sails. Move to expel Menendez from the Senate. If they do it soon, Democrats can hold the seat including in a special election. But Schumer SHOULD pull the pin on the grenade and toss it across the aisle in Republican’s laps. Put THEM on the spot. I truly believe most Democrats would readily vote to expel Menendez. That is the last thing Senate GOPers want. I would enjoy the hell out of watching them squirm trying to figure out what to do. Do they vote to expel and give us a good shot at keeping that seat in Democratic hands? Or do they vote to let Menendez stay and lost a huge messaging advantage they are counting on having next year.
Think about that last point. Once the primaries are done, ANY Senate Republican who voted to retain Menendez is in trouble. Perhaps even with MAGAs. Our ads write themselves, around the them of “Senator (insert name) voted for honor and integrity in the Senate by voting to expel a fellow Democrat who was corrupt. Senator (insert name) voted to let him stay!”
Sadly, Chuck Schumer doesn’t have the kind of backbone to do this. He never did. Once again he’s proving that while he’s useful in leadership, Democrats could and should have a FAR stronger and more capable Majority Leader.
