Squeaker of the House Kevin "Qevin" McCarthy's conference of feral fascists is in chaos:
Tensions are flaring inside the House Republican conference as it barrels toward a government shutdown, with the infighting spilling out into public view and growing increasingly nasty.
“This is stupidity,” New York Rep. Mike Lawler said of GOP hardliners’ demands on spending, prompting the Republican freshman to privately float a new plan to work with Democrats and force a vote keeping the government open past September 30.
At the center of much of the drama: Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, attacking Speaker Kevin McCarthy in personal terms. But he’s also engaged in social media spats with fellow hardline conservatives who helped broker a House GOP plan to fund the government first revealed on Sunday evening.
Rep. Byron Donalds, also a Florida Republican, shot back at Gaetz’s criticism of the plan, writing on social media: “Matt, tell the people the truth. … What’s your plan to get the votes to defund Jack Smith? You’ll need more than tweets and hot takes!!”
Rep. Chip Roy, a conservative from Texas who helped reach the deal, also slammed hardliners’ opposition, saying on a conservative radio show: “I don’t know whether we’ll have the votes or not, because I’ve got a lot of conservative friends who like to beat their chests and thump around going, ‘Oh, this isn’t pure enough.’" (our emphasis)
Of course, what they're proposing isn't passing the Senate anyway, making this exercise in futility even more delicious for watchers of Republicans in disarray, but bad for keeping government open and the economy recovering.
Here's more Republican- on- Republican verbal violence:
Meanwhile, Rep. Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican, put out a statement Monday blasting McCarthy as “weak” and saying they need party leadership who wants to fight for the country, not just fight for “power and a picture on the wall.” [snip]
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has also been forceful in pushing back on her GOP colleagues who are supporting the government funding plan. She posted a lengthy video refuting Donalds, who called Greene’s understanding of the bill “wrong.”
Greene also blasted out inflammatory social media posts – and “Shrek” memes – to lambast support for Ukraine funding and criticized her colleagues who wore Ukraine pins to show support for the war-torn nation. Gaetz, too, seemed to mock McCarthy for wearing a Ukraine pin by posting a picture of the speaker wearing one, which was then shared by Rep. Eli Crane, a conservative Arizona Republican.
And the ongoing feud between Gaetz and Rep. Dave Joyce continued Monday, with the moderate Ohio Republican calling Gaetz “a special person.”
“I mean, in the how many years he’s been here, what has he ever accomplished other than running his mouth?” Joyce told reporters as he exited McCarthy’s office. (our emphasis)
In summary:
Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican from Arkansas, summed up the situation on NBC’s “MTP Daily” on Monday: “It’s an unmitigated disaster right now on the majority side.” (our emphasis)
Hey, it's been an unmitigated disaster ever since this dysfunctional Congress of crackpots, charlatans, sex traffickers, coup plotters, and Putin pals barely took over in 2022. It's just that now we're seeing the cravenness, stupidity, and insanity playing out for all to witness a little over a year before the election. Voters (those not in a tribal bubble) take note!
BONUS: The disarray also extends to many State Christofascist parties, most recently the debacle in Texas involving the failed impeachment of corrupt Attorney General Ken Paxton.
(Photo: Drew Angerer, Getty Images)
