Tuesday, October 03, 2023

Will McCarthy Lose His Gavel?

 This morning the main news is that the House of Representatives will vote on Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s fate today.

In order to survive, he must be able to muster a majority (218) of the chamber’s 435 votes. That could be all Republicans, as happened back in January when he was first elected Speaker.

Or he could receive a combination of GOP and Democratic votes to survive what in Congressional parlance is known by the unfortunate phrase, “Motion to Vacate.”

While it sounds like an invitation to cough up your meal, it is in reality more like a summons to your political execution.

The main architect of this Republican crisis is Rep. Matt Gaetz, who also happens to be a certifiable nut job.

But you could also say that McCarthy is his own worst enemy, that by failing to keep his word on any number of issues he now confronts committing political suicide.

But at the root of the whole mess on multiple levels is the would-be dictator himself, Donald Trump. Ironically, his attention is not on the drama on Capitol Hill but a courthouse in New York City, where he’s been judged guilty of fraud, faces additional charges, and contemplates the complete destruction of his business empire.

Whatever McCarthy’s fate turns out to be today, the country’s fate rests on preventing Trump from regaining the Presidency. Should that happen, in the words of the retiring Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair, “God help us!”

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