Why are the most radical Republicans blocking their own party in Congress?

The unprecedented situation is monumentally dramatic. The toughest wing of the Republicans is boycotting their own party and has prevented the election of the new speaker of the House of Representatives for two days. USAa position that supposedly seemed destined for the Californian kevin mccarthy.

On Wednesday, after the sixth round of voting, Republicans disagreed in an election that should have been a mere formality but has now turned into a political scandal, plunging Congress into chaos and humiliation. Something that hadn’t happened in a century.

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Voting began on Tuesday, the same day that the new congressmen elected in November were to take the oath of office in both the lower house and the Senate. In the House of Representatives, Republicans had to choose their speaker, a position held for two decades by Democrat Nancy Pelosi. McCarthy he had been the head of the Republicans in the previous legislature and this was his moment to become the most important politician in Washington, after the president and the vice president.

Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, is one of those who has voted against McCarthy and even called on former President Trump to stop supporting him. EFE/EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS (MICHAEL REYNOLDS/)

But, unbelievably, his own Republican congressmen have turned their backs on him six times: three on Tuesday and three on Wednesday. McCarthy he had to get 218 votes, something that was presumed simple given that they occupy 222 seats. But he has not been able to because 20 legislators, members of the Freedom Caucus group, located on the extreme right of the party, preferred to support their colleague Byron Donalds, a Florida legislator elected for the first time in 2020.

“America wants a new face, a new vision, a new leadership”said one of them, Chip Roy, from Texas.

Faced with the obvious division, the donald trump he urged congressmen to close ranks around McCarthy. “Republicans, don’t turn a huge win into a giant, embarrassing loss. It’s time to celebrate. They deserve it. Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a great job.”wrote the former president on his social network Truth Social.

But neither the words of their own leader have convinced them, nor the concessions that McCarthy has made to them in recent days to get their votes.

“Now is the time for all of our great Republican members of the House to vote for Kevin, close the deal and take victory,” said Trump, who is pictured in this 2018 photo alongside Congressman McCarthy. (KEVIN LAMARQUE / REUTERS /)

Thus, the crack in the Republican Party continues to open, while the Democrats are taking advantage of the moment to confront them with this disaster. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that the legislative deadlock is not his “problem” but warned Republicans that the spectacle was “embarrassing” and that “the rest of the world is watching.”

“While the Democrats are passing historic laws for the people, the Republicans can’t even pick a spokesperson.”Pelosi said with a sneer.

Without alternatives

This situation completely paralyzes the institution. Without a president of the lower house, congressmen cannot take the oath and therefore pass any bill. As there is no legal way out of the blockade, voting will continue until a winner is found, something that is presumed to be very complicated due to the stubbornness of the rebellious Republicans.

McCarthy, a representative from California, has said that he will continue to present his candidacy and that he will persist until he becomes the spokesperson, something that could take more days, or weeks, as happened in 1855 when legislators had to repeat the vote 133 times.

What can explain the attitude of these Republican legislators?

“I think there are several reasons. First, it’s partly due to the perception that McCarthy is a Washington insider among the twenty or so members who oppose him within the Republican Party.” explains to El Comercio James Riddlesperger, professor of Political Science at Texas Christian University. ‘Insider’ because they consider him part of the ‘establishment’, which will not be able to challenge the rules of Washington or ‘the swamp’, as they contemptuously call federal institutions.

Congressman-elect Matt Gaetz of Florida is one of McCarthy’s fiercest opponents and represents the most recalcitrant wing of the Republicans. (Photo by WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP) (WIN MCNAMEE /)

“Secondly, there are personal issues. Among those who oppose McCarthy are some who simply don’t like him or think he’s not up to the task of leadership. And thirdly, there would be a symbolic question. Those who oppose him want to signal that they are not going to follow the Republican agenda unless they really like it.”adds the expert.

Among these 20 Republicans, twelve have denied Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 elections, according to a count made by “The New York Times”. In other words, they are Trumpists who continue to talk about fraud and consider that McCarthy is not genuinely loyal to the ex-president.

And that McCarthy defied a quote from the parliamentary commission that investigated the Capitol Takeover in 2021, and promised that he would open investigations into the Biden family and government, as well as the FBI and CIA. The problem is that McCarthy can’t make concessions that pit him against the more moderates in the party, whose vote he also needs.

“Trump is probably a symptom of the divisions that have been building for decades in the Republican Party”Riddlesperger continues. “Both George HW Bush and George W. Bush began to see unity within the party fray as the rural/urban divide began to control change within America. The party of balanced budgets, low taxes, and the promotion of economic growth began to compete with the party of social conservatism, closed borders, and religious conservatism. That competition has only accelerated over time.”details.

Under this scenario, the Republican divisions could benefit Joe Biden, who could announce his decision to run for president again in the coming months. A river uprooted, gain of fishermen.

Source: Elcomercio