I've been glimpsing the news through the day as the House speaker situation continues to play out. Various thoughts:
1. It's getting boring and tiresome. Same votes repeated again and again. Same results.
2. One comment that stuck out above many others was "The Republican Party has been captured and is being held hostage by the extremists."
3. One commentator mentioned there are 18 Republican congressmen/women-elect that got elected in blue districts. McCarthy has sealed their reelection death warrants by failing to yield as he has. That will change the math a bit in the next Congress.
4. Since I'm not a Republican, I have no dog in this fight. It matters little to me who the Republicans elect to be their speaker, but it does matter that they elect someone. They've not done that. Instead, they are running a "McCarthy v. The 21" spectacle in which the contestants are in a stalemate. Worse, all other Republicans are tolerating or contributing to the stalemate instead of taking quick action to resolve it. The larger group is not without options but they choose not to exercise them. They seem just fine letting the fire burn.
5. As this drags on without a resolution in sight, I'm growing increasingly irritated by the utter selfishness these Republicans manifest. NOTHING matters more to them than winning this fight; and they're willing to shut down the House of Representatives to do it, no matter how many fellow Republicans and how many others get harmed by the delays they cause.
6. Now that The 21 have discovered their power, a Republican-led House governing well seems increasingly less likely.
7. I don't claim to understand how the MAGA extremists who helped elect these clowns think. But I'm thinking even they are disappointed. They're eager to see the House begin their oversight, issuing subpoenas and humiliating all Trump enemies as they haul them in to testify before their committees. Instead, the MAGA rank and file are watching their elected heroes form a circular firing squad and take shots at each other.
8. In the meantime, the Democrats are basking on easy street as this Republican goat rodeo proceeds. They are clearly enjoying themselves as local and national media put them on TV to share their reactions to these developments. I believe they are inwardly saying, "Thank you so very much Kevin McCarthy et el. Keep up the good work! This is great for us! Thank you for the free boost! Yes, it would be better for the country if you got your act together, but we're having a great time at the moment and it's fine with us if you keep the show going just a little longer. This is just too much fun to let it go."
9. I don't know how realistic it is to even think this, but a way out I see is 20 or so moderate Republicans band together to work with Democrats to elect a moderate Republican Speaker, a Speaker with whom most Democrats and Republicans would be willing to work. Rules can then be adopted that disempower the extremists and allow all other representatives to actually do something good for the country.
