Thirteen months before the US presidential election, the American political system is in turmoil. On one side of the divide is a tired Democratic president, whose signs of age (Biden will celebrate his 13st birthday this November) are clearly evident, and whose standing in opinion polls is now at an all-time low (and fomenting unrest within the party).
But even on the Republican side of the political divide, not everything is calm and relaxed. Although candidate and former President Donald Trump is now confidently leading the Republican pack (and is even in a promising starting position against Biden despite and, perhaps because of, his mounting legal entanglements), the events of the past 24 hours should cause concern in this camp.
US History: House Speaker McCarthy Ousted by Republican Party Members
This is an unusual and highly unusual legislative move, initiated by a group of lawmakers from the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican majority faction in the House of Representatives. The goal of this initiative, led by Matt Gates, is to unseat Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. This comes against the backdrop of McCarthy's efforts to reach a temporary bipartisan compromise on the fraught issue of the federal budget.
Red sheet for Republicans
Although McCarthy's version of the compromise was hard to digest even for the Democratic caucus (in part because it froze the supply of additional military aid to Ukraine for 45 days), its passage in the House of Representatives was nothing less than a red sheet for the Republican rebels, who came out strongly against their party colleague, the House speaker. It should be remembered that the group of guardians of the wall and tower among the Republican base, which is backed by Trump, has also been deeply suspicious of McCarthy in the past, since the current chairman is among the group of Republican lawmakers who initially expressed reservations about Trump's inflammatory and inflammatory moves that led to the mass and violent storming of the Capitol compound on January 6, 2021. This residue of suspicion and deep resentment led to McCarthy's election becoming an embarrassing and humiliating saga for McCarthy. For it was only in the 15th round of voting (!) that he succeeded in being elected.
Waving a red sheet. McCarthy, Photo: AP
Against this confrontational backdrop, it is not surprising that the issue of approving the budget became a lever for Gates, who carried the banner of rebellion, to directly challenge his opponent McCarthy. Gates accuses him of accepting some of the basic positions of the Democratic faction (such as, for example, on the issue of budget cuts, which were not extensive and deep enough in his eyes and in the eyes of his supporters).
But beyond the specific arguments raised by Gates and his supporters, their challenge was grounded in their view of McCarthy as a centrist of the establishment path, who can be seen as the distilled embodiment of yesterday's politics, which rested on a constant pursuit of bipartisan compromise. In an era of deep and unbridgeable moral, cultural and political division and polarization, McCarthy's positions and conduct were therefore perceived by the hard ideological core of the party as an anachronistic and dangerous standard deviation.
Accuses McCarthy of accepting some Democratic positions. Gates, photo: Reuters
Thus, we have before us a partial reflection of the great tectonic rift, which now threatens (and not for the first time) the stability and governance of the legislative branch in Uncle Sam's country.
A sharp skirmish is expected
Now, in the face of McCarthy's impeachment, the baton of leadership in the House is likely to pass to the radical and uncompromising Gates (or one of his associates). In light of this, a sharp and constant clash between the two factions of the House is expected, which will make the possibility of paralysis of the administration in about six weeks almost certain.
At the same time that the strengthening of the radical and partly separatist faction will further increase Trump's power within his own party, the question remains about the implications of this rift on the standing of the Democratic Party and its leader, President Biden. Will this intra-Republican earthquake give the opposing camp its longed-for lifeline at a time of sluggish polls and questions about whether the occupant of the White House will be able to bear the heavy burden for another term? Time will tell.
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