America’s Republicans are dysfunctional. Chaos is their political religion. Ethical bankruptcy is second nature to them. The bitterly-divided Republicans have succeeded in removing Kevin McCarthy as speaker of America’s House of Representatives, just nine months after he was elected. He is the first speaker ever to be removed in American history. His sacking proves chaos to be the new normal in American politics.
Corroding the Vital Tenets
The unprecedented removal of Mr McCarthy on October 3rd was a moment of great reckoning. The sacking shows how American politics is replete with bumps and breakers, with little chances for consensus. As chaos and confusion reign supreme in American politics, divisive Republicans were able to hold democracy to ransom. What has brought American politics to this sorry state of divisiveness?
Beyond doubt, the undisciplined grand-old Republican Party should take the blame. The Party has no respectable rules. The fissiparous nature of its followers is corroding the vital tenets of American democracy. For evidence, Mr McCarthy has been ousted by his own Republicans. Worse, they have booted him out on the same day the Party bigwig and America’s ex-president Donald Trump was in the court for charges of fraud. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/06/us/politics/republican s-trump-mccarthy.html
Video Courtesy: YouTube/CBS Mornings
Consumed by Limitless Hate
Nothing is more ironical than the fact that Mr Trump is an aspiring presidential nominee of the Republican Party. America’s new reality is rife with former presidents who have moved to the centre of crime coverage. Even president Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden was in the court for hearings in the criminal case related to firearms. Sadly, presidents, former and current, are diminishing into subjects of unsavoury debates in America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe4_u8dOqog
The Capitol Hill insurrection of 2020 and the incitements behind that shocker are the most notable among them. There are Republicans even today who firmly believe the presidential election was stolen by Mr Biden. For the far-right Republicans, Mr McCarthy not completing a full year as speaker of the House did not matter. Consumed by limitless hate politics and driven by desperation, they just forced Mr McCarthy’s unethical exit. https://poliphoon.com/united-states/
The Probe Seems Motivated
Divisive Republicans say their grouse was about Mr McCarthy’s collaboration with the Democrats for the short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown. The Democrats accuse Matt Gaetz, a hardliner from Florida and Mr McCarthy’s associate, of attempting to force the shutdown. Ironically, Mr Gaetz is being probed by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misbehaviour and misapplication of funds. The probe seems motivated.
Yet, Mr McCarthy is unlikely to be replaced by a Republican of his calibre. His successor may turn out to be a disaster for the Party. Contenders like Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise may be unable to deal with the divisive forces polarising American politics. Can any of them deal with such a shutdown after the deadline for more funds expires on November 17th? Unlikely, again. That is when Mr McCarthy’s absence will be felt by Americans as a whole. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/us/politics/scalise- jordan-trump-speaker.html
Politics Gets More Chaotic
Consider Mr Gaetz. He leveraged his vote to remove Mr McCarthy. Mr Gaetz was using his vote as an instrument for fundraising. This portends more Gaetz-triggered storms in the House in future. Viewed from any angle, the Republican Party is in a full-blown chaos. Despite their pet hatred for debilitating political chaos, Americans may find themselves thrown into the deep end of the slushy pool called American politics.
The House has a new temporary speaker. As North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry takes over, he must be knowing that he is stepping into a dangerous territory. Mr McHenry will have to face an acrimoniously divided House with both the Republicans and the Democrats baying for each other’s blood. As American politics gets more chaotic, the bitterness its politicians engender is sure to transcend the boundaries of the House. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/patrick-mchenry- new-speaker-pro-tempore-kevin-mccarthy- ouster/#:~:text=In%20a%20move%20so%20swift,was%20ousted%20from%20the%20speakership.
An Era of Major Uncertainty
These fears are real. Chaotic politics has reached even the doorsteps of holier-than-thou Democrats. They are salivating at the possibility of Republicans falling apart due to infighting. Whoever calls the shot finally, one thing is clear. Americans are realising that their politicians are no good and not delivering, irrespective of their party affiliations. It is high time America learns to cope with the chaos called American politics.
Speaking in Washington, DC, Republican Mike Pence, a former vice-president, was turning emotional. He said, “Chaos is never America’s strength and it’s never a friend of American families that are struggling. I’m deeply disappointed that a handful of Republicans have partnered with Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House.” His words hit all the right chords as an era of major uncertainty unfolds in American politics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg9YWzkk6rs
More Entertaining Than Vaudeville
The sounds of his scepticism are echoing across America. No American politician has a plan. Viewed through this political prism, the vote ousting Mr McCarthy is a vote for chaos. The vote mirrors the Republicans’ aversion to govern. They seem to dislike anyone else to govern either. This dog-in-the-manger attitude is pushing them to trust the destructive power of misinformation. Perhaps this is making American politics more entertaining than vaudeville shows.
For American politicians, politics is a huge entertainment with big stakes. This is a jarring aspect of American democracy today. The ouster of Mr McCarthy will have global consequences too. Alarmingly, it may obstruct American military aid to Ukraine. Republicans are likely to oppose the speaker of the House for continuing aid to the embattled nation. Fresh from their success in ousting Mr McCarthy, they are sure to focus more on cutting aid to Ukraine now. https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2023/10/go p-extremists-house-ukraine-aid/675527/
The Poliphoon’s Last Word
Emblematically, the Republican support for aid to Ukraine, which was around 80 percent at the start of the war, stands at 50 percent now. Backing the Republicans, the American right-wing media is harping on about tax-payer money being wasted. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is Elon Musk of X, who is delighted to mock Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, for soliciting military aid repeatedly. Will American politicians ever realise the dangers of excessive perversion? Probably never, as they seem to love storms.
