Why The Drama, Republicans?

Is This The Best The Freedom Caucus Can Do?

I get that many in the GOP did not want Mike Johnson to be Speaker.

Frankly, I wanted a different Speaker.

After the fustercluck of the CR last month I have no confidence that Johnson has the leadership skills to move the President’s agenda through Congress—and that is the mission the Republicans have at this point.

What I don’t understand is what any of these tantruming toddlers thought they were accomplishing with all this protest posturing.

Massie voted for Emmer—but when since the November election has he been publicly politicking for Emmer to be Speaker? He hasn’t, which tells me that it was a purely symbolic vote—symbolic of Massie being Massie (and not classy).

Chip Roy waited for his name to be called a second time and then voted for Johnson, as did five other Republicans. I get that they were sending the message that they had the votes to oust Johnson at any time—but what does any of them think they are accomplishing with a threat like that? Besides not a damn thing?

One would hope Mike Johnson already knows how to whip and count votes. If he didn’t already know that Chip Roy and the Freedom Caucus had the muscle to cause him grief then he’s even more incompetent than the CR mess made him look.

Why was Chip Roy and the Freedom Caucus “sending a message”? Because of the CR fustercluck—and gee, I must have missed all of Chip Roy’s exhaustive efforts to put forward an alternative to the bills presented by…wait for it…Mike Johnson.

If you lopped off all the fingers of my right hand I could still count on that hand the number of alternative candidates seriously proposed by either Massie or the Freedom Caucus. I could still count the number of serious CR alternatives put forward last month by the Freedom Caucus.

They claim to want change from business as usual, but, by pontificating and not proposing, business as usual is exactly what they’re doing.

I don’t like the idea of a Speaker Johnson. I like the idea of a Speaker Jeffries a whole lot less. I watched the Speaker voting on CSPAN, and I listened to the full roster of candidates nominated for the position of Speaker: Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries.

Which means when it came to putting forward alternative candidates (viable or not), Massie and the Freedom Caucus were completely MIA.

If this is the best politicking the Freedom Caucus can do then the GOP is going to have a rough time in the 119th Congress. Chip Roy and the rest of the holdouts need to put on their big boy pants and start behaving like serious legislators. It will be a nice change of pace for them.