For a sense of how acrimonious and personal things have gotten among House Republicans as the multi-round Speaker vote saga dragged on, look no further than comments from Texas GOP Congressman Dan Crenshaw. In a blistering series of comments on my Fox News Radio program, Crenshaw absolutely unloaded on the 20-or-so holdouts who are blocking Kevin McCarthy from becoming Speaker of the House -- and therefore forestalling any House business on literally anything else, including getting members sworn in. He said the members of the so-called McCarthy Mutiny have no actual plan or endgame and are not operating in good faith. He said discussing their position with them is like dealing "with children," and said they're operating like "terrorists." Listen to the full interview (which was briefly interrupted when he went to the floor to vote, before returning) right here:
One short clip:
Here’s part of Crenshaw teeing off earlier on the @GuyBensonShow (Tucker just played a small snippet from the full interview, which is linked below, on TCT): https://t.co/uDQKL4A1Mf pic.twitter.com/17nxh0Z6md
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 5, 2023
I asked him about using the term terrorists in this context, and this was his response:
It is obviously, obviously a figure of speech, but it's you know, it is what it is. I mean, you're holding a gun to our head. What do you want? You know, and I don't want to hear - I've already been attacked by them because I've used harsh language and I'm like, 'you started this fight. If you don't want to get into the Octagon and get punched in the face and don't get into the Octagon.' That's how I feel about it. I mean, this is because there's no good faith here. The good faith has been lost. They keep talking about good faith. And they want to play victim. No. No. So I'm not going to apologize for harsh language. You guys know me. That's how I am. I speak boldly. You know...this is terrorism tactics. It is what it is.I'm not the first one to use that term, by the way. You know, it's this is getting out of control.
Crenshaw also singled out a few of the members for specific criticism, including Virginia's Bob Good (a 'loser" and "absolute dud") and Colorado's Lauren Boebert (whom he said would have lost her Republican-heavy district without McCarthy's financial help, and whom he said just told former President Donald Trump to "F-off" by ignoring his pleas for Republicans to rally around McCarthy). It is true that Trump going all-in for McCarthy achieved nothing over the subsequent votes:
McCarthy — and now Trump! — did not move a single vote.
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 4, 2023
Trump just put out multiple ALL CAPS demands on McCarthy’s behalf… and the entire holdout contingent of ‘ultra MAGAs,’ or whatever, didn’t even blink. https://t.co/ICO5pppPYb
Agree or disagree, Crenshaw came loaded for bear, and teed off with very little filter, underscoring the high internecine tensions raging among lower chamber Republicans. As the beat goes on, I have very little to add to my Wednesday morning commentary on all of this:
"Many 'normal' voters expect the people they send into government to govern. Some gridlock and checks and balances are acceptable, if not expected. But nihilistic standstill is not what these voters want."
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) January 4, 2023
Good read on the speaker snafu from @guypbenson:https://t.co/emLNydyeUP
Last night, House Republicans notched their first "win" of the new Congress, with zero votes to spare:
So the House Republicans’ first ‘successful’ vote of their new majority was to…
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 5, 2023
…adjourn the chamber for 15+ hours, so talks can continue ahead of a seventh ballot for Speaker. And they barely pulled it off.
How’s that for a vibe check?
There is talk of some progress behind the scenes, perhaps aided by this breakthrough agreement between two prominent center-right organizations who play heavily in House races. We'll see. The chamber reconvenes at noon.