The House Rules Package – So Much For the ‘Moderates!’

I tuned in MSNBC a little after seven pm (I live out east) to watch a floor fight over the already infamous Rules Package the “Freedom” Caucus crazies forced on McCarthy as their price for allowing him to become Speaker.

It was already over. A done deal.

Apparently some discussion had taken place on the floor (again, my understanding was they’d take this up tonight starting at seven – my bad) but in the end only one, just one freaking Republican voted NO.  Rep. Gonzales of TX (I think) had said last week he’d vote against what was being agreed to and he followed through.  Rep. Mace had made noise like she might be a NO vote but meekly went along when the time came.  And all those “moderates” many though might stand up and say “wait just a damned minute” went along with McCarthy’s deal with the crazies too.

Here’s where things get technical and by technical I mean secret weird.

Much was evidently made during a floor speech by some GOPer that the proposed rules package wasn’t all that different than what had been released a couple of weeks ago.  In fact he said, there was only ONE change to what folks were being asked to approve.  That provision allowing for a single person to vote to “Vacate the Chair” which in practice means oust the sitting Speaker.  After what happened with Boehner GOPers looked at the wreckage and decided that wasn’t such a good idea after all, but we’ve been through Trump and crazy is the order of the day these days.  Nubjobs have real power again to cause major problems.  I’m reminded of the line from Poltergeist where the kid says “They’re baaaack!”

There is some truth to that floor statement that that was the only change to the proposed rules package put out a couple of weeks ago.  Which was rather problematic in and of itself even before the new provision about vacating the chair.  But here’s where it gets weird:

We’ve been seeing in the news for days all the stuff McCarthy was promising to corral those votes from the crazies.  And man are there some truly awful things in that set of cave-ins to their demands.  Things we should all be worried about.  BUT, apparently what was reported publicly has been included as a SECRET attachment to the Alfred E. Newman “What Me Worry” stuff talked about on the floor before the vote!  Got that?  GOPers have apparently approved a rules package containing a bunch of “OMFG McCarthy agreed to that?????” provisions most of them don’t see in the package they held in their hot, grubby hands as the voted “Yea.”

Again, it’s not like this stuff wasn’t all over the news.  So any “moderate” who wants to play Championship Wrestling referee and go claiming (when the squishy turds start hitting the fan) “I didn’t KNOW about THAT!”  Bullshit.  They knew damn well what they were approving.  Even if it isn’t in some super-double-secret-probation attachment to the rules package that was printed up and given to everyone there’s a list of stuff McCarthy agreed to somewhere.  And if he fails to deliver on his Faustian bargain with the Devils and Demons of the “Freedom” Caucus that first motion to vacate will cause the measurement we know as a “Scaramucci” into a “McCarthy!”

We will know soon enough.  And Committee assignments will tell the tale.  I fear that tale will be one of the worst horror movies ever created except this will be real life.

As for those “Moderates” so many placed hope in (and while I wasn’t convinced I had hope at least a half-dozen or so would balk) we now know we can’t can’t on them for a f*cking thing.  My guess is that promises have been made, especially to all who come from districts that voted for Biden is that they will have VERY healthy war chests long before the end of this year.  And if they want to retire then fine.  Or not spend anywhere near all of it that’s fine too.  And after the dust settles and voters send them packing and their seats go to Democrats they can take advantage of our ridiculous campaign finance laws and turn all that PAC/Super-PAC money over to a private entity they don’t have to name.  Which will of course be themselves.  Stephen Colbert showed how this scam works back in the days of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central and that sh!t is still legal.

I grew up and lived my first 26 years eight miles into Illinois on that side of the Mississippi River.  But when it comes to counting on House GOP “Moderates” in some key fights that are coming I’ll be like I’m from the other side of the River – as in from the “Show Me” State of Missouri.  Because as of tonight all they’ve shown is that they will be (not for the people) “good little GOPers” and do what they are told.  And the crazies will be the ones doing the telling them what to do!