It would be generous to say that the Republican Party is a
chaotic manifestation of political madness.
Eight miscreants toppled House Speaker Kevin
McCarthy (R-CA) and could not select a speaker
for nearly two weeks. Indeed, at this writing,
Republican leadership is in the untested hands
of Mike Johnson (R-LA), and both former
speaker McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have scolded
Congressional Republicans for their
embarrassing immaturity.
In some ways, this is the work of the former President,
who was implicitly on the ballot for speaker.
McCarthy was deposed because Trump ally Matt
Gaetz (R-FL) called for a vote on his
leadership. It then took three weeks to elect
another Speaker. It is amusing that
Republicans blamed Democrats for this
nonsense, insisting that it was “Democrats
joining with eight Republicans” to oust
McCarthy. The chaos resulted from an internal
Republican fight, and Democrats had nothing to
do with it. But that’s the Republican way,
isn’t it, inspired by the former President?
When things don’t go your way, blame somebody,
anybody, for your troubles.
While Congressional Democrats have behaved quite in
contrast with disorderly Republicans, ably led
by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), we
Democrats have problems of our own. The
Biden-Harris administration has done good work
(which I don’t always agree with, especially
around the Middle East). Still, there is an
uncomfortable silence from Democrats around
the 2024 election and its prospects. All of
the good Biden-Harris is doing is swallowed by
troubling imagery, poor communication, and
voter apathy. We are months before caucuses
and primary activity and a year before a 2024
election, but the tepid Biden approval polls
have to cause concern. A Bloomberg/Morning
Consult poll says that 51 percent say the
economy was better under the previous
President (what!), and the President can’t
seem to get past a 40 percent approval rating.
Democrats have shut down any potential opposition to Biden
almost as effectively as Republicans have
allowed the previous President to squash any
Republican opponent. In both parties, though,
there are whispers and even shouts about the
weaknesses of the frontrunners. In the Biden
case, a little competition might help our
present leaders sharpen their saw and
demonstrate their strength to doubters.
Imagine that a California governor, Gavin
Newsome (D), a leader who plays progressive
but is a centrist moderate, showed up on the
debate stage with Biden. I imagine President
Biden could strongly and forcefully make a
case for another term. Biden might emerge from
such a debate elevated and ready for a
November race. Instead, the silence of the
Democrats and the surrender to a Biden
inevitability weakens, not strengthens, the
Democratic Party. I’m a believer in PROVERBS
27:17, “iron sharpens iron, and one man
sharpens another.” It suggests that opposition
forces us to “up our game" and improves us.
A turn on the debate stage will benefit Vice President
Harris, as well, if she takes advantage of it.
Some of the chatter about our Vice President
is ugly, misogynistic, and racist. She’s not
perfect – no politician is. But she is
intelligent, riveting, brilliant, and
experienced. She has met with foreign leaders,
repairing relationships that the previous
President trampled on. She has been a
spokesperson and a kinetic leader. Her HBCU
tour this fall has galvanized young people, a
desperate need for the Democratic Party. She
deserves applause, not derision. The debate
stage, challenged by a strong Democrat, is an
opportunity for her to strut her stuff.
The questions that many are asking about President Biden
and the Biden-Harris ticket need to be
addressed. Democrats don’t gain anything by
quelling dissent. Instead, we should encourage
it so that our leaders can answer criticism
with vigorous enthusiasm and information. And
while Republican internal dissent is amusing
and embarrassing, it is presently unhelpful
and a barrier to national progress. We have
less than a month for a budget deal,
emergencies in Ukraine and the Middle East,
economic challenges, and other matters. The
House now needs to move forward. Dissent is
one thing; dysfunction is another. How can we
fix our broken political system?
