Turnabout Is Fair Play
A lot of folks are busy looking ahead to this time next year, when they assume Republicans will control at least the U.S. House, if not both chambers of Congress. That’s pretty dangerous stuff, counting your votes before they’re cast…but a new interview given by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy looks that far ahead, perhaps with an eye toward firing up the base today.
McCarthy would likely become Speaker of the House if the GOP retakes a majority of the chamber. And he’s now publicly promised that if he’s Speaker, then he’ll remove two California Democrats—Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell—off the Intelligence Committee, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota off the Foreign Affairs Committee. That’s in retaliation for the current Speaker removing certain Republicans from committees in the current session.
Schiff has been accused of being less than truthful in his selective leaks from confidential committee documents…Swalwell is accused of having an affair with a Chinese operative…and Omar has been clear that Israel should be destroyed. Given those things, you can see why having those members on the Intelligence or Foreign Affairs Committees might be an issue.
McCarthy is trying to gin up support among the base…not only in getting cash on hand early in the cycle, but to cement his future position. Some in the GOP right think he’s a little too soft for the job, and this is designed to show he has the fire of retaliation in his belly.
And many Republicans agree, do unto others as they have done unto you. But at some point, there has to be action in Congress that helps citizens of the country, and if they spend all their time “getting even”, real work for Americans won’t get done.
Retaliation is fine…but perhaps there is a point at which the sides can call the score even, and hit the reset button. No, I frankly can’t think of a time in the near future when that might happen given the sorry state of affairs these days. But it’s a good goal.
