If we saw a government as profoundly dysfunctional as the House GOP in any third-world nation, the U.S. and the U.N. would send humanitarian aid by the container ship-load. We’d fly in NGO governance specialists to train people to administer a country.
Paralyzed, ungovernable, locked in a torturous spiral of grotesquely negative incentives, the MAGA GOP’s end-state is in sight: a majority without the will, discipline, or courage to govern in even the most cursory way, a profound willingness to deadlock over purity, and an eye to the Fourth Branch of Government, Fox News.
Kevin McCarthy’s ascent to the throne was clearly shaky from the jump. The Scalise flop, the Jordan dumpster fire, and now whatever hybrid clown show is in effect at the moment of this writing seems like it’s been going on forever, but we’re really only two weeks in.
We’re nowhere near Belgium yet, which deadlocked for 589 days without an elected government, which the Google Machine tells me is a world record for the longest period of time a democratic country has been without a government.
Why? This time, it was the eternal Flemish-Walloon language battle, obviously. It’s been at the root of Belgian crises in the last 500 years. Henry De Man once called it “the balance between Teutonic and Gallic influence at the most vital spot of their time-honored battlefront.” And you think MAGA vs normie conflict is something.
Wolves smell fresh meat, and Israel’s series of deadlocked elections, political uncertainty, and Bibi’s moves to politize the Israeli Supreme Court (who does he think he is, Leonard Leo?) were, as the lawyers say, an attractive nuisance. The current war in Israel wasn’t inevitable, but it's worse given the shaky coalition of Bibi Netanhayu’s government.
The chaos to come cannot be overstated. The weakness of the rudderless, leaderless House is beyond embarrassing; it’s dangerous. The world watches as the greatest democracy slides into chaos, infighting, and juvenile politics that would embarrass a middle school student government. Our economy and security are quite obviously secondary to the desires of the Republican chaos caucus, and that’s sadly a feature, not a bug.
My Take On What Happens Next
I’d tell you that no one really knows, but we really do.
Republicans follow the Ohm’s law of politics; they always take the path of least resistance. They’ll temporize and flail around until the next vote and the next and the next as the crazies call their homes and offices, as the news coverage puts its grim focus on their cowardice and eventually, painfully, reluctantly vote for…Jim Jordan.
Stop expecting heroes in the GOP. The incentives are inverted. Obedience, abnegation, and depraved cowardice are safer than courage, strength, and character. They know what they should do: make a deal with Democratic Leader Jefferies for a moderate caretaker speakership focusing on the budget and aid for Ukraine and Israel.
The gap between “should” and “will” has never been wider.
At this writing, another vote is scheduled for Thursday, October 19th, at 10 a.m. ET. The Jordan forces don’t have the votes, but the slow erosion of the normie caucus in the Trump era flows in only one direction: toward the worst of our politics and nation. The normies are confident and boast of their small-ball play against Jordan in private, but the madmen are loud, proud, and on television 24/7. Do not expect heroism.
The pain may continue for two, three, or a dozen more votes, but the smart money in Washington is on the darkest possible outcome. The GOP is a failed state, a husk of a party, a desiccated shell of an idea replaced by trolling, political arson, and an addiction to chaos and political destruction. Jim Jordan is its perfect apotheosis, exemplifying every bad idea, instinct, and motivation in the corrupt and low party the GOP has become.
The political abyss is calling, and the Republican party in the House is staring into its ebon depths and whispering, “This isn’t so bad.”
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Two-bites-at-the-apple for Independents and 3rd Party folks when pushing Left with Berniecrats in our next battle - the various 2024 state, Primary Elections.
===== Forget political parties, follow a political strategy. A Political Tactic for 3rd Parties and Independents in Primary Elections.
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The two major parties are only different in degree. The "lesser evil" is better, but basically the differences between Republicans and Democrats are the corporations they serve.
Corporate Left – Health Care, Hollywood, and Technology
Corporate Right – Oil & Gas, Real Estate, and Defense
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One does not support or join and become a member of any political party by registering with the state in order to vote in primary elections for progressives running on the Democratic Party (DP) ballot-line in local, state, or national offices.
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Independent and 3d-Party candidates do not have primaries in many states and in others are too few in number to affect the outcome of an election. Vote as you wish in a General Election. The Primary Elections are where candidates are chosen to run in the General Election.
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Berniecrats consider ourselves more of a 5th-column, surrogate, “3d-Party” working within the Democratic Party (DP) and driving out the influence of artificial entities,* and large, SuperPAC donors that influence the legislators in all levels of our government. Berniecrats are separate from the DP and not responsible for their actions; nor do we answer for them.
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Berniecrats use the DP ballot-line to vote on the party rules, the platform your state party uses, who represents your party on a state and national levels at the DNC in order to replace neo-liberal Democrats one-at-a-time. This tactic is also used by the Working Families Party (WFP), and supported by the Social Democrats USA (SDUSA), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and Progressive Democrats of America (PDA). (citations provided upon request). “I don't care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating.” ----- Boss Tweed
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Vote where it will be the most effective in electing candidates that take no SuperPAC money and will enact progressive legislation. The Democratic Party (DP) is weakest in red states and in red counties in blue states. Focus on these areas were the DP is the easiest to take over and change our world. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has.” (Anonymous)
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===== STRATEGY FOR THE LEFT.
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Jane Sanders: At the Left Forum 2018 Opening Plenary - A Broken System: How We Got Here - Streamed live on Jun 1, 2018. “Consider registering to vote in the Democratic primary." https://youtu.be/5vAewHKGxy8?t=3580
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Megan Day, staff writer at Jacobin magazine and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), talks about the future of the left and the importance of continuing to push progressive ideals in congress. Megan advocates for the Berniecrat strategy of the tactical use of the Democratic Party (DP) ballot-line as the best strategy at this time. https://youtu.be/P6Wf9fxGM2Q?t=315
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Let us work together in common-cause for our shared goals in Primary Elections then vote as you please in the General. Do not waste this opportunity to change the system.
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*Artificial entities include domestic corporations, non-profits, and unions; and foreign corporations and governments.
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/Berniecrats/
Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining. ------ Teddy Roosevelt