LETTER: House Republicans step on a rake
It never surprises me how Republicans seize defeat out of the jaws of victory. The GOP has a small majority in the House. But with friends such as Rep. Matt Gaetz, who needs Democrats for opponents? The House had a “vote of no confidence” for Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In the United States, it’s called a “vote to vacate the chair,” which is congressional-speak for ousting the speaker. Of course, now the work of the House comes to a halt until a new speaker is elected.
The small number of Republicans who voted in favor of vacating the speaker managed to get the Democrats in the House unified to vote for ouster. Why wouldn’t they? Now, President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats can excoriate the Republicans for putting governance in a state of chaos.
Here’s the one outcome that is 100 percent certain. Rep. Gaetz will not be the speaker in his political lifetime. The sooner he’s voted out the better.
