I wasn’t disappointed when Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House. He wasn’t the worst speaker ever, obviously superior to any Democrat (Pelosi) who has held the post in recent years, but he was still a little too Swamp for me, a little too RINO, a little too gutless, a little too...Washington...and not enough America. The country needs some serious changes, especially in Washington, D.C., and McCarthy would never have led those changes. It was going to be business-as-usual as long as that man was overseeing the House of Representatives.
So, frankly, I think his ouster was a positive. Now, whether Jim Jordan, or whoever ends up being Speaker, will start the country moving in the right direction remains to be seen, but McCarthy wasn’t going to do it. Give somebody else a chance. I actually liked the idea of Donald Trump as speaker; he could have caused a lot of apoplexy and that would have been a good thing. But apparently, Trump-as-speaker isn’t going to happen, so Americans will just have to take pot luck and may have to wait for The Disaster to happen before any serious amendments are enacted. We’ll see.
Interestingly, even a lot of conservatives are now claiming the Republicans made a huge mistake in removing McCarthy. They say the Republicans look like a bunch of bumbling fools now, unable to unite on a speaker, divided, leaderless, clueless, Washington is unable to get much done (that’s a bad thing?); Matt Gaetz just caused a general malaise that makes the Republicans look stupid and incompetent. Well, the latter point—Republicans look stupid and incompetent—is always true, so the McCarthy ouster doesn’t alter that much. It can be granted that, currently, the Republicans do resemble a directionless horde of clowns running around the arena avoiding bulls, but again, that isn’t really anything new. However, I don’t think the results, the consequences, will be as bad as it appears at present. If the Republicans (Democrats mostly) were going to remove McCarthy, this was the time to do it. There will be a new speaker soon, the next national election is over a year away, and by November 2024, this whole mess will be long forgotten. It won’t hurt Republicans in the long run (although that might depend upon who the new speaker turns out to be—unknown as of this writing).
But, is the bumbling really as bad as it looks? In one sense, yes (described above). But in another sense, no (described forthwith).
The Republican Party, folks, has something the Democratic Party doesn’t have, something very American. And that something is dissent, debate, the First Amendment freedom to speak what one believes regardless of how stupid or erroneous it might be. The Democratic Party, as I, and many other pundits have repeatedly noted, has become a totalitarian political party. And that is exactly what they want to create for the United States—a Leftist, totalitarian government, with them in charge, where freedom of belief, thought, and action is supervised and controlled by a Leftist elite. And, as in every other Leftist, totalitarian government in the last 100 years, any opposition and disagreement would be crushed and destroyed. Stalin didn’t tolerate it, Mao didn’t tolerate it, Castro didn’t tolerate it, and Pelosi doesn’t tolerate it. And if you don’t believe that, ask Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.
Remember how big a mouth AOC had not too many years ago? And much of that criticism was aimed at the leadership of the Democratic Party. How much do you hear from her today? Oh, her and her “Squad” still speak up, but when they do, they toe the Democratic Party line. Just as in the Chinese Communist Party, dissent, free speech, different ideas are not endured in the Democratic Party. Did any Democrat “break ranks” and vote for Jim Jordan? Not one. (They all voted for Hakeem Jeffries, who actually received 12 more votes than Jordan did). The Democratic Party is a totalitarian institution that does not allow people to think for themselves. In other words, does not allow freedom.
You and I may not like RINOs (and I don’t), but I do like the fact that the Republican Party still allows debate, still allows dispute, still allows people the freedom of choice. I may disagree with many of these Republicans, but I absolutely support their First Amendment right to speak their mind—something that no longer exists in the Democratic Party, and will cease to exist for ALL Americans if they ever get the power they crave. As Voltaire once said, “I don’t agree with a word you said, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” What is going on in the House of Representatives, as it is being portrayed all through the media, is not a “defeat” for “conservatives.” No, it is a victory, because these are the very principles upon which we stand, and for which we ought to be willing to die. I don’t like RINOs, but I do like the fact that an America still exists where they can say what they believe, where debate and discussion, and even disagreement, can occur. No, you and I don’t like RINOs. But there are a bunch of them. It’s our job to try to get them to see the truth more clearly, and to support true American values over the Washington Deep State Uniparty slime pit they too often support. That debate is healthy, and essential, and the American people need to hear it, and they have a right to hear it. And the Democratic Party now exists for one reason—to deny the American people that very right.
How many DINOs—Democrats in Name Only—exist?
We’ll get a new speaker soon. Hopefully, he (she) will be a good one. But what is going on in Washington now is healthy for the country, not a disaster.
Check out my substack, mklewis929.substack.com, and listen to my “Wisdom from Our Founders” series, especially my current podcasts on the Declaration of Independence. Many other articles/podcasts as well. Sign up for free. Read my western novels, Whitewater , River Bend, Return to River Bend, and Allie’s Dilemma all available on Amazon. Follow me on Twitter: @thailandmkl.