{"id":594685,"date":"2023-10-17T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/forget-governance-dysfunctional-republicans-are-putting-on-a-show\/"},"modified":"2023-10-17T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T11:30:00","slug":"forget-governance-dysfunctional-republicans-are-putting-on-a-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/forget-governance-dysfunctional-republicans-are-putting-on-a-show\/","title":{"rendered":"#Forget governance: Dysfunctional Republicans are putting on a show"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/mace_nancy_10112023_AP_AP23284526192613.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Addressing the 1960 Republican Convention after Vice President Richard Nixon acceded to New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller\u2019s demands to adopt more liberal positions in the party\u2019s platform, Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz)<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1057\/9781137014795_14\">\u00a0addressed<\/a>\u00a0his dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ointed supporters:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s grow up conservatives! If we want to take this party back \u2014 as I think we can someday \u2014 let\u2019s get to work!\u201d To that end, Goldwater articulated a conservative philosophy and built an organization that reached its pinnacle of success during the Reagan years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>But if Barry Goldwater were to be resurrected from the dead, he would be aghast at today\u2019s Republican Party. This month, a querulous group of eight Republicans ended the<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/10\/03\/politics\/house-speaker-shortest-kevin-mccarthy-dg\/index.html\">\u00a0269-day<\/a>\u00a0speakership of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Instead of acting like grown-ups, who understand that compromising with Democrats who control both the White House and the Senate is essential, this Gang of Eight, in the words of Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), acted as \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2023\/10\/04\/republican-votes-kevin-mccarthy-ousted\/\">chaos agents<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The childishness of today\u2019s Republican Party is an outcome of our performative politics where outrageous statements generate <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> clicks and campaign donations from aggrieved base voters. A recent example came from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) who emblazoned a\u00a0large scarlet A\u00a0on her white shirt after she petulantly voted to oust McCarthy. MSNBC host and legal contributor Katie Phang called Mace\u2019s publicity stunt \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KatiePhang\/status\/1711895138694283690\">performative nonsense<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The politics of outrage, as perfected by Donald Trump and practiced by would-be Trump imitators, is augmented by <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> election outcomes that are often predetermined. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), the leader of the anti-McCarthy coup, is in a<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2023\/10\/04\/republican-votes-kevin-mccarthy-ousted\/\">\u00a0+19 percent<\/a>\u00a0Republican district which provides him with a reelection insurance policy. Taken together, the eight Republicans who ousted McCarthy represent just<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2023\/10\/04\/republican-votes-kevin-mccarthy-ousted\/\">\u00a01.8 percent<\/a>\u00a0of the U.S. population. For them, satisfying the id of their Republican base voters is paramount, while producing successful legislative outcomes and seeking compromise often takes a backseat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy\u2019s<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Business\/wireStory\/speaker-mccarthy-hard-line-conservatives-hopes-solving-government-103436702\">\u00a0get along, go along persona<\/a>\u00a0is often cited as a reason for what Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) derisively called his \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/09\/13\/pelosi-mocks-mccarthys-ever-incredibly-shrinking-speakership-00115841\">incredibly shrinking Speakership<\/a>.\u201d In May, McCarthy broke his<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/05\/29\/whats-in-the-debt-ceiling-deal-struck-by-biden-and-mccarthy.html\">\u00a0promise<\/a>\u00a0to President Biden to keep discretionary spending \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/05\/29\/whats-in-the-debt-ceiling-deal-struck-by-biden-and-mccarthy.html\">roughly flat<\/a>\u201d for the coming fiscal year,<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/05\/29\/whats-in-the-debt-ceiling-deal-struck-by-biden-and-mccarthy.html\">\u00a0rescind<\/a>ed\u00a0COVID spending and imposed new<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/05\/29\/whats-in-the-debt-ceiling-deal-struck-by-biden-and-mccarthy.html\">\u00a0work requirements<\/a>\u00a0for SNAP recipients \u2014 all in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. The Biden-McCarthy compromise would have avoided a government shutdown and the GOP\u2019s present-day drama over McCarthy\u2019s speakership had the California Republican stuck with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Following his decision to keep the government open until<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/live-blog\/live-updates-government-shutdown-set-begin-midnight-rcna118172\">\u00a0Nov. 17<\/a>, McCarthy<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/10\/01\/politics\/mccarthy-government-spending-fight\/index.html\">\u00a0told reporters<\/a>, \u201cThere has to be an adult in the room.\u201d And<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/interactive\/2023\/house-vote-government-shutdown\/\">\u00a0every member of the Democratic minority save one<\/a>\u00a0acted as a responsible adult and supported McCarthy\u2019s measure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Inexplicably, the next day after calling the vote to keep the government open,<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FaceTheNation\/status\/1709268731539423478\">\u00a0McCarthy blamed House Democrats<\/a>\u00a0for wanting to shut down the government. Had McCarthy simply lived up to the deal he negotiated with Biden, it is likely that some Democrats would have<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/democrats-torn-vote-speaker-mccarthy-job-gaetz-rcna118439\">\u00a0voted present<\/a>\u00a0on the motion to vacate, allowing McCarthy to keep his job. Honoring deals may not be popular with Republican base voters, but it is the coin of the realm in Washington, D.C. To most Democrats and many Republicans, McCarthy\u2019s backtracking meant that he<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stanforddaily.com\/2023\/10\/05\/why-deal-with-someone-who-cant-be-trusted-stanford-political-experts-on-the-fall-of-kevin-mccarthy\/\">\u00a0could not be trusted<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The childishness of many House Republicans is only half the problem. Handing control of the party to Donald Trump, and all of the\u00a0hucksterism and showmanship that came with that decision,\u00a0has created its own ideological incoherence. Trump\u2019s policy somersaults \u2014 and the willingness of most Republicans to go along with them \u2014 are mindboggling.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Consider that:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In 1999, Trump<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/05\/donald-trump-2016-contradictions-213869\/\">\u00a0declared<\/a>, \u201cI am totally pro-choice,\u201d only to reverse himself in 2011<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/05\/donald-trump-2016-contradictions-213869\/\">\u00a0telling the Conservative Political Action Conference<\/a>, \u201cI am pro-life.\u201d Today, Trump is stepping back from his ardent pro-life position, calling a six-week ban on abortion \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-desantis-abortion-ban-republican-primary-5bdbba55f9c2f328d49b5fbe9727677e\">a terrible mistake<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In 2016, Trump called NATO \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/05\/donald-trump-2016-contradictions-213869\/\">a good thing<\/a>,\u201d only to reverse himself six days later, saying, \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/05\/donald-trump-2016-contradictions-213869\/\">I think NATO is obsolete<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Trump once<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/05\/donald-trump-2016-contradictions-213869\/\">\u00a0strongly supported<\/a>\u00a0a ban on\u00a0assault-style weapons\u00a0only to later call himself \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/05\/donald-trump-2016-contradictions-213869\/\">the strongest person running in favor of the Second Amendment<\/a>.\u201d As Trump<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2016\/05\/donald-trump-2016-contradictions-213869\/\">\u00a0revealingly stated<\/a>\u00a0at the time, \u201cI\u2019m very capable of changing to anything I want to change to.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Instead of making any pretense at ideological coherence, the governing philosophy of the Republican Party seems to be whatever is good for Donald Trump.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Republican subservience to Trump\u2019s whims and outrageous statements is stupefying. For example, when Trump called for the<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/09\/28\/politics\/milley-donald-trump-execution-comment\/index.html\">\u00a0\u201cexecution\u201d<\/a>\u00a0of former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, the response was muted. Asked if Trump\u2019s comment should be disqualifying, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/the-reidout\/reidout-blog\/nikki-haley-milley-trump-meet-the-press-rcna119490\">\u00a0meekly answered<\/a>, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to say things like that.\u201d Although President Biden noted that \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2023\/09\/28\/remarks-by-president-biden-honoring-the-legacy-of-senator-john-mccain-and-the-work-we-must-do-together-to-strengthen-our-democracy\/#:~:text=I%20have%20come%20to%20honor,Americans%2C%20regardless%20of%20political%20affiliation.\">a majority of Republicans<\/a>\u201d don\u2019t believe Milley should be executed, he said the party\u2019s silence on the subject was \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2023\/09\/28\/remarks-by-president-biden-honoring-the-legacy-of-senator-john-mccain-and-the-work-we-must-do-together-to-strengthen-our-democracy\/#:~:text=I%20have%20come%20to%20honor,Americans%2C%20regardless%20of%20political%20affiliation.\">deafening<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In many respects, Donald Trump\u2019s Republican Party is undergoing something akin to the<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2022\/sep\/23\/little-evidence-screaming-helps-mental-health-say-psychologists#:~:text=Primal%20scream%20therapy%20(PST)%20was,release%20and%20resolve%20the%20pain.\">\u00a0primal scream therapy<\/a>\u00a0of the late psychologist Arthur Janov. The unhinged cries from distraught Republicans are loud and clear and threaten the stability of our democracy. At a time when the world is in crisis and challenges are mounting at home, House Republicans cannot even perform the mandated tasks of governing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Taking note of yet another \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/10\/04\/1203732983\/republican-montana-congressman-on-the-speaker-of-the-house-vacancy\">we\u2019ve never been here before<\/a>\u201d situation, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.)<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StevenTDennis\/status\/1712443866589155348\">\u00a0said<\/a>: \u201cIt does seem like we\u2019ve opened the Pandora\u2019s Box of unrestrained ambition. People feel no loyalty to this institution.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>This is what happens when a major party becomes dysfunctional and cannot govern.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>John Kenneth White is a professor of Politics at The Catholic University of America. His forthcoming book is titled \u201cGrand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism.\u201d He can be reached at johnkennethwhite.com<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4258424-forget-governance-dysfunctional-republicans-are-putting-on-a-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Addressing the 1960 Republican Convention after Vice President Richard Nixon acceded to New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller\u2019s demands to adopt more liberal positions in the party\u2019s platform, Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz)\u00a0addressed\u00a0his disappointed supporters:\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s grow up conservatives! If we want to take this party back \u2014 as I think we can someday \u2014 let\u2019s get&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":594686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/mace_nancy_10112023_AP_AP23284526192613.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134344,146485,134343,73798,4941,73014,90482,137606,136218,991,35813,134702,22409,137829,54077,115,4947,141939,70289],"class_list":["post-594685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-administration","tag-ashley-hinson","tag-campaign","tag-defense","tag-donald-trump","tag-health-care","tag-house","tag-house-republicans","tag-house-speaker-vote","tag-joe-biden","tag-kevin-mccarthy","tag-mark-milley","tag-matt-gaetz","tag-mike-gallagher","tag-nancy-pelosi","tag-news","tag-opinion","tag-politics-of-the-united-states","tag-senate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}