Kevin McCarthy YOU are no longer Speaker of the House.
I almost feel bad for the dude, he’s not even the best Kevin at protecting the House. At least Kevin McAllister was able to stave off Harry and Marv in Home Alone– Mr. McCarthy over here can’t even keep Matt Gaetz at bay!
On Tuesday, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz banded together with 10 of the GOP’s most extreme members to bring the McCarthy Speakership to an end. After McCarthy struck a deal with Democrats to keep the government open, the MAGA extremists decided that he had gone too far. Yep… even keeping the government open is too far for MAGA Republicans.
Democrats swooped in at the Eleventh Hour to bail McCarthy out and keep the halls of Government open. However, surprise surprise, MAGA Republicans don’t like it when folks do what’s best for the American people, thus, prompting Gaetz and Co. to plunge us into chaos without a path forward.
The Adults are Talking
It’s the name of my favorite song by The Strokes (easily the best garage rock band of all time)– but it’s also how the American people feel when looking at this situation.
Does anybody really care which generic white dude the Republicans pick as Speaker? Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, Tom Emmer, does it really matter? They all support tax cuts for the top 1% of the 1%, none believe in climate change, and they would all vote to overturn an election.
The sad part is that this comes at a cost. While the House Republicans argue over this job title, the clock keeps ticking. Since the McCarthy deal only pushed the shutdown back 45 days, we’re only just over a month away from a government shutdown.
On this 45 day ticking time bomb, we’re going to waste 2-3 weeks of precious time because Republicans can’t play nice with each other.
Democrats are consistently having to be the mom of the group, somehow bearing the burden of government savior despite having a minority of votes.
It’s one thing for Republicans to have bad policy– we can disagree on tax brackets and all that– but what they’re doing right now is actively bringing the wheels of government to a grinding halt, sabotaging progress for the American people.
We won’t ever have a functioning government, by the people for the people, if one of the two parties is trying to make sure that government doesn’t function.
Newsflash Republicans: Nobody cares who is the Speaker– we just want cheap, high quality healthcare and climate solutions.
Who Cares?
It’s a genuine question– do Americans care? Does the small business owner from Hastings or the family farmer from Ord care who is the Speaker of the House?
I’d venture to guess no– but hey— I’m just a kid, what do I know.
A couple weeks ago in this blog, I talked about how politics have become hyper-polarized, and so many Americans talk about “the good ol days” of political discourse.
Along with that– I think a huge issue in modern political discourse is the hyper-nationalism of issues. Regardless of what issues you care about– your local officials have the biggest impact in your life. The school board and state legislature candidates representing you have a significantly larger impact on your day to day life than any single member of Congress.
Local officials, unlike national candidates, actually know what impacts you and your community. I doubt Kevin McCarthy could point out Hastings or Scottsbluff on a map of the USA if his life depended on it, yet he gets 1000x more attention, even in Nebraska media, than any of our local officials.
Everything is built from the ground up. You don’t put a roof on a house before the foundation– and the same can be said about political progress. We can’t just expect Nebraska to flip overnight. I’m well aware that Nebraska has a bad reputation as an intolerant extremist state, but progress is happening!
The total number of Elected Democrats has almost doubled since 2016, growing from 500 to 900! So, while we could waste our time yelling at Kevin McCarthy of California, I think we, as Democrats, should do what we do best. Organize. So, don’t waste your time scrolling on Twitter or Facebook arguing about Kevin McCarthy. Instead find out who your local candidates are, get involved with their campaigns, and help make real, tangible, progressive change in every Nebraskan community.
Around the Horn
In non-Speaker related news this week…
We get to see what local news is all about! THIS is what I want to read– please give us more hard hitting journalism like this! In all seriousness though– lighthearted (except for him) news stories like these make the news bearable and worth reading. Support local journalism!
The Huskers take on Illinois tonight in another Nebraskan event marred by weirdness. On Wednesday afternoon, firefighters at the University of Illinois responded to a fire within Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. Thankfully, nobody was injured and the stadium is good to go for the game– Go Big Red!
And to round out your week, Democrats look to gain a seat in Alabama! The Crimson Tide seems to be flowing blue for our southern friends, after a Supreme Court decision that ruled Alabama’s Secretary of State had stepped outside its bounds in redistricting. Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which Trump won by almost 40 points in 2020, is now projected to elect a Democrat to Congress in 2024!
Thank you for reading,
Please consider donating to the NDP here. The fight for the soul of our nation is on the ballot in 2024– and we need help in order to keep up with the corporate mega-donors of the GOP.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out at jack@nebraskademocrats.org.
All the best,
Jack Schiewe
