Republicans deserve to be the minority party
Kaylee McGhee White
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House Republicans have dumped Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as their speaker nominee after he failed to win a floor vote for the third time on Friday morning. That means Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who was empowered to act as the House’s temporary speaker until at least January, is nominally in charge but without any legislative powers.
It also means Republicans have squandered whatever credibility they had to govern as the majority in the lower legislative chamber. Their inability to unify around a candidate, whether that be Jordan, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), or former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), has left the caucus in a state of dysfunction and voters with little confidence that the representatives they sent to Washington last November will be able to deliver on the promises they made.
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Those promises were very important. As the country grapples with an unprecedented border crisis that is draining border towns and big cities of resources, an economy heading toward collapse, and unyielding inflationary pressure that is forcing everyday citizens to go into significant debt and even declare bankruptcy at alarming rates, we need people in government who not only recognize these crises but have the determination to do something about them.
Republicans promised to be those people. But their petty squabbling over the past few weeks — the blame for which should be almost entirely placed on Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and the seven other feckless Republicans who ousted McCarthy in the first place — has proved they never cared about the problems facing the public. They care about their careers and whether they’ll win reelection next year if they vote for Jordan for speaker. They care about making political statements that only their colleagues down the hall will understand.
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Meanwhile, the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, remain completely unified and eager to take advantage of the weakness Republicans have shown. Say what you will about their policies, but at least they know what to do with power when they get it.
And voters, tired of a party that seems to prefer to be the opposition, might very well give Republicans their wish when election season rolls around next year.