The GOP’s infighting and inability to elect a House speaker means the lower chamber cannot get to work, potentially delaying crucial legislation

The repeated failures by House Republicans to elect a new speaker are making the federal government more likely to shut down next month, as the GOP’s weeks-long internal dysfunction threatens to delay vital legislation.

The House has been mostly closed for business since Oct. 3, when a band of far-right rebels ousted then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Republicans since have not coalesced around a replacement, running through multiple options without electing anyone. Without a speaker, lawmakers can’t bring bills to the floor.

Policy discussions have ground to a halt, even as war has broken out in Israel and federal funding is weeks away from expiring. Congress has until Nov. 17 to approve a deal to fund the government, or members of the military risk missing paychecks, national parks will close and the Internal Revenue Service will run shoestring operations.

    • treefrog@lemm.ee
      242·
      1 year ago

      I don't know. They frame other budget crises as fighting the good fight.

      Here they look like squabbling clowns who can't get their own party in line.

      Is it going to sway tribalists to vote Democrat? Fuck no. But it is costing them donor money and it makes them look weak politically.

      I bet they care. If this goes into November, which it might due to habit energy and stubborn idiots, they're all going to have a lot of trouble spinning this as someone else's fault.

        • treefrog@lemm.ee
          161·
          1 year ago

          Not this. They get into brinkmanship over the budget often. And in that case it's easy to blame Dems for not giving into their demands.

          This is different. There's no demands. They can't even agree amongst themselves.

          And it's a political weakness that will cost them votes and donations. Some of them at least are smart enough to care.

      • spamfajitas@lemmy.world
        4·
        1 year ago

        There are certainly some factions within the Republican party that would look at the current situation with glee, but I think you're right.

        I remember reading some analysis back when Grover Norquist was having Tea Party members sign pledges/get others to sign pledges, that those pledges would eventually create a lose-lose situation for the opportunistic Republican candidates that signed them. They seemed to be beneficial from a populist standpoint, but were fundamentally incompatible with the reality of politics requiring some amount of give and take.

        Basically predicting a situation somewhat similar to this.

    • HuddaBudda@kbin.social
      191·
      1 year ago

      They do, but only in the last hour, when people start preparing the consequences to their actions:

      • When people start shorting the USA stock market

      • When CEOs start hiding their USD overseas

      • When rich folk start pulling their money out of the stock market.

      • When rich folk start investing in foreign capital.

      Whether or not Republicans can admit it, something has changed in the dynamics of this argument. Where originally shutting down the government was an option. Now, it is the last thing they want to do. Which means American citizens just have to keep up the pressure on politicians. And this turkey will cook itself.