The absurd political conditions in Washington lead to an extraordinary scenario. Of all people, the Democrats could save the Republicans and destroy them at the same time.
The internal Republican drama is reaching new heights in Washington this week. Because Matt Gaetz, probably the most active Trumpist in the House of Representatives, wants to overthrow his own leader, Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The absurd thing about it: the right-wing radical Matt Gaetz, of all people, is begging for the help of the Democratic representatives. And what’s even more bizarre is that Democrats are actually close to endorsing Republican Kevin McCarthy.
What is happening in the US political system a year before the upcoming presidential election has never happened before. How could it happen that suddenly Republicans are fighting against Republicans and Democrats are fighting for Republicans?
A demolished party
The most important answer to this: Republicans are not just Republicans. There have always been significant political differences within the Republicans and within the Democrats in the country of the two major parties. Since the beginning of the so-called Tea Party movement in 2009 and then during the administration of Donald Trump, considerable parts of the Republicans have become radicalized.
This so-called MAGA base of Trumpists (“Make America Great Again”) has become increasingly influential in recent years. Some of their political views can hardly be placed in the traditional spectrum. Because they are specifically directed against the established system. The said representative Matt Gaetz from Florida, but also figures like Lauren Boebert, Byron Donalds and Marjorie Taylor Greene are the leaders of a group in parliament that calls itself the “Freedom Caucus”. They act against their own people and have primarily declared Kevin McCarthy to be their enemy.
Their accusation: The Speaker of the House of Representatives is not radical enough and too often joins forces with the Democrats. Most recently, when it came to preventing the impending, so-called “government shutdown”, the shutdown of the federal administration. McCarthy, together with moderate Republicans and Democrats, passed an interim budget in the House of Representatives and Senate so that it would be possible to continue governing in Washington for at least 45 days. To the dismay of Matt Gaetz and his colleagues. (Here you can read more about it)
The Democrats are on the verge of two victories
Because Matt Gaetz announced over the weekend that he wanted to vote out Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House of Representatives, there could be a showdown this week. The political end of Kevin McCarthy is closer than ever before. It would rock the whole system. A few days ago he himself had accused his opponents of wanting to “burn the whole house down.” But the result is far from clear yet. At least two scenarios are conceivable.
Kevin McCarthy’s downfall succeeds
When Kevin McCarthy was elected in January of this year, Matt Gaetz and the other members of the radical Freedom Caucus won the right to request his recall at any time. This made the Republicans vulnerable to blackmail from the start. Now it could actually be that time. Because McCarthy hasn’t done what the radical faction wants, Matt Gaetz and the others could, so to speak, ask for a vote of no confidence, similar to a vote of confidence from the Chancellor.
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Matt Gaetz is unlikely to get his own majority among the Republicans to vote out McCarthy. There are far too many Kevin McCarthy sympathizers and allies for that. That’s why Gaetz must hope to persuade as many Democrats as possible to vote against McCarthy. If he succeeds, it would be McCarthy’s political end. The Republicans could then use their slim majority to elect a new speaker. Finding a candidate who would convince everyone would be just as difficult as it was with the election of McCarthy.
