It’s almost unanimous. Not totally, but close enough. Nearly everyone, Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, dogs, and cats, is vehemently condemning 20 or so Republicans who are holding back the election of a new Speaker of the House. “Terrorists,” they have been labeled, among other things. As if the whole world is going to end if it takes a week to put somebody at the head of the House of Representatives.
Has everybody gone mad? Was Rome built in a day after all? You’d think it was, given that this Speaker election must happen RIGHT NOW, or the country will crumble.
I expect the Democrats and their media cohorts to condemn everything Republicans do; that politics. But Republicans are joining them, and that is bad news indeed. Can we have a little calm, please? My thoughts:
1. The 20 House Republicans are doing exactly what is supposed to be done in a democratic republic!! Please let me repeat that. The 20 House Republicans are doing exactly what is supposed to be done in a democratic republic!! The whole idea behind our system is debate, argument, give and take, (supposedly) honorable people coming together to work out solutions that are best for the citizens they serve. That’s the theory, and it used to work fairly well. And that is exactly what some Republicans are doing. The Democrats, who no longer care what democracy is, surely think these Republicans are engaged in fascism, but in truth, this debate the GOP is having is very healthy for the country; exactly what is supposed to happen to make sure the best things are done and the best people serve. Congress rarely does that anymore, and as a result, THAT is what is threatening democracy.
2. Is McCarthy the best choice or not? I don’t know all that much about Kevin McCarthy, having never researched his voting record, etc. Until this Speaker thing broke out, I always thought he was a pretty good guy. But what I read now is that many die-hard conservative Republicans think he is a RINO, and in the absence of any evidence I can give to the contrary, I can’t argue with them. But I’d like to know, and the country needs to know.
Isn’t that what our elected leaders should do, help people like me understand what is best by thrashing out these matters in discussion, debate, and argument? How will we ever know if Kevin McCarthy is the best choice if nobody is there to challenge him AND MAKE HIM PROVE THAT HE IS?? Am I just required to take Dan Crenshaw’s word that McCarthy should be elected and that every Republican who opposes him is a “terrorist”? Excuse me, Congressman Crenshaw, if I prefer to have evidence and think for myself. Will a few days of discussion, debate, and negotiation destroy America? Who do these people think they are? More frightening, who do they think WE are?
3. Democrats are nothing but robots. When was the last time any Democrat went against anything their party did? We might briefly remember Joe Manchin, and AOC voted against the omnibus because it wasn’t totalitarian enough for her. Manchin, of course, eventually wimped out and caved, and everybody knows AOC is insane. Again, I ask, when does the Democratic Party ever truly practice democracy?
And this scares me because now it is supposed to be the model for both parties. Too many Republicans are willing to go along with this kind of fascist approach—you accept what we say, everybody toe the line, quit contradicting or questioning us, you are nothing but a deplorable peasant. We know that is what the Democratic Party thinks. But now, is the Republican Party accepting that paradigm, too? Thank God for Matt Gaetz and his freedom caucus that is demanding some answers and protections for the American people.
The Democratic Party is gone; we all can see that. That party seldom has anyone break ranks anymore on important matters. They are robots. They do what their leadership tells them, and currently, that message is “100% against McCarthy.” The Democratic Party, perhaps next to the Chinese Communist Party and Zelensky’s Ukraine, is the most un-democratic, pro-totalitarian pollical institution in the world. Which is why they love the CCP and Zelensky so much. And Mitch McConnell and too much of the Republican Party are more than willing to follow that archetype. Let the Washington establishment decide everything. This would indeed be the end of democracy.
4. There will be a new Speaker soon. I don’t know who it will be and have no inside knowledge or input. But if that decision takes a few more days of doing what is supposed to be done in a democratic republic, then that’s fine with me. If the hearings on Hunter Biden don’t start tomorrow, I don’t think America will come crashing down the day after tomorrow. I will have much more confidence in whoever the new Speaker is now that some courageous, bold, America-loving Republicans have stood up and DEMANDED answers and negotiations. The Speaker of the House is third in line for the Presidency. It is an incredibly important position that demands thorough investigation and proper vetting. The Democrats, obviously, never do that and never will because they gave up democracy long ago. For America's sake, it is imperative that the Republican Party not follow suit.
If the Republicans follow Mitch McConnell and the Democrats, then what few vestiges we have left of democratic republicanism will vanish. Probably forever.
Keep the fire stoked, Matt, until you get what we need. Let the belly-achers belly-ache.
Don’t miss out on some good American reading from the good ol’ days. My western novels, Whitewater and River Bend, are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Eliva.com. A third western, Allie’s Dilemma, is available for Kindle only. And read some different posts on my blog at thailandlewis.blogspot.com.