Then There Were Fewer

(Then There Were Fewer)

How many times must one see lemmings run off a cliff ? How many movies are there where some alien or other malevolence systemically reduces the number or other cast members ? For the House Republican Conference, a combination of both lemming and unfortunate horror show cast members, who are charting a path to their own destruction. Like a runner that just needed to get to First Base, and stay there, but thinking he can manage a Home Run, makes the attempt and is put Out in short order. At this rate, the House GOP will find themselves out of power. At this rate, one not even need wait to November before, on certain days, the Democrats would have the "majority" and that would mean Democrat Speaker Jeffries. November would just confirm a new House Democrat Majority. Why now ? After all the in-fighting that saw the removal of Speaker McCarthy, the loss of George Santos and Ken Buck, and now, after another spending bill passed with bi-partisan support, Congresswoman Taylor Greene (R-GA), has issued another request to "Vacate the Chair." That would start the process of replacing Speaker Mike Johnson.

At this point, who would want the job ? Johnson himself was barely a consensus candidate and he was the only elected with the bare minimum. Ms. Taylor Greene is punching above her weight and if she pulls the trigger on Johnson's ouster, it would be one more indication that Republicans cannot govern, even with the House Majority. 

Naturally, the response given by this more conservative wing of the conference is that they were not elected to roll for Democrats. Pointing out that House Republicans do not have the power is at this point redundant but their abject failure to recognize that reality is why the Conference is imploding.

All things considered, with the various failures of the Biden Administration, the National Republican Party should prove insurgent this year. On paper at least, that should prove to be the case. But with the Republican House civil war and Trump being crippled financially, making his campaigning ability more problematic, Republicans are facing assaults from within but also from without.

There are silver linings, for Democrats. If Johnson is removed from the Gavel it will be a longer interval before a new Speaker can be decided upon. In time, such an individual will be chosen but it is becoming increasingly un-likely that person will be a Republican.