The Tea Party 2 & McCarthy
It took him 15 tries, and he had to give up a whole lot to get there, but will it matter?
Look, any time the House stalls for 4 days is a Good Thing for the Republic. I wish it went on for another 40!! And to the extent the resurgent Tea Party movement was able to secure concessions from the ultimate Uniparty maggot, Speaker McLuntz, well, alleluia.
Unfortunately, his ascendance does spell the end to one of the funniest memes I’ve seen in a while. Behold:
Hats off to the rebellious Tea Party 2 group. Because that’s really what this was — a new Tea Party rebellion. In many ways, anger over McConnell’s deal with Senate democrats to saddle our next generation with a $1.7TRILLION spending bill, taking budget authority from the House until September, led to the events of the last 4 days. This reaction to unfettered spending and crippling debt led to the original Tea Party revolt — which, you may recall, McConnell was adamantly against.
That same rebellion led to Trump in 2016 and, in 2022, the House in R hands, if only by a slim margin. No better opportunity for a little rebellion.
Gaetz, Biggs, Bishop, Boehbert, et al, were the sand in the gears this time, carrying the Tea Party banner. How wonderful to, in full view, debate the very meaning of the People’s House and by extension the direction of this Republic. Will the House continue the Pelosi-like dictatorial approach, where the Speaker and a cadre of 9 Rules Committee members dictate everything — every bill brought to the floor, every committee assignment — or will the Speaker be responsive to all members (and, by extension, the true will of the American people)? Will the House remain an arm of the administrative state, or will it represent the populace?
To hear if from the “insurgents”, or “terrorists” per swampster extraordinaire Ben “McPatch” Crenshaw called them, they got a good deal. The terrific newcomer from FL, Anna Paulina Luna, touted the concessions McCarthy coughed up.
This is mighty fine stuff. But people question: what is the enforcement mechanism? What’s to keep McCarthy honest? He didn’t give these up proactively, after all. The dumbass could have early on rescinded many/most of Pelosi’s Politburo-like rules. It took 15 embarrassing votes to get the dumbass to acknowledge the inevitable. The Motion to Vacate provides the teeth but more on that later.
Judicial Watch’s Mister Muscleman kinda digs the deal, if measured by the administrative state’s negative reaction.
America’s Pravda, CNN, describes some of the mechanics, esp Trump’s support for McCarthy all the way to the 15th vote. I still shake my head at how Trump stuck with this loser, esp after said loser accused Trump of “insurrection” re: Jan 6th.
Speaking of McCarthy endorsements that cut against the brand, I fail to see what MTG gains from her early and steadfast endorsement of this swamp creature.
One wonders what’s in store for us come Monday when the mechanics of the agreement come into play — esp the composition of the Rules Committee. Maybe the universe’s greatest grifter, Zelensky, knows something we don’t know.
“Common victory”. Hmmmmm.
On Monday, the work really begins. We will soon see if McCarthy is trustworthy. (Sorry, I just barfed in my mouth when I typed that.) Or, if his cadre is willing to cede authority, esp with regard to the Rule Committee makeup. The Rules Committee is all-important in shaping what and when makes it to the floor, the schedule, and so much more. The Rules Committee is an extension of the Speaker’s office.
Likewise, will we actually have a Jeffersonian Motion to Vacate (kinda like our No Confidence vote)? (This is the real enforcement tool.) Will we (the Freedom Caucus, actually) really end up with a veto-enabled 3 of the 9 Rules Committee seats? If either of these are weakened, everything else doesn’t matter one iota.
Lose these two items and the term will be another round loser hearings held by controlled opposition losers:
I’m skeptical. I think the Gang of 20 did all they could do over these 4 days. And, to be sure, the battle is sometimes more important than the outcome. The visibility given to this arcane process has been terrific. The weakening of McCarthy has been great. Exposing maggots like Crenshaw has been illuminating. FoxNews has shown itself to be the anti-Tea Party, anti-America First network it has long been.
So, I think the battle was won but the war sure as hell ain’t over. I think the Uniparty forces are too strong to expect immediate miracles. The events of these last days (weeks, really), like those a decade or so ago with the original Tea Party, and in 2016, most assuredly have changed the game, however, and this is a very important outcome in its own right.