Bitter Infighting Grips Republicans
Author: Greg Valliere
April 10, 2023
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been openly derisive toward his own GOP leaders, including Rep. Steve Scalise, for their inability to come up with a budget or a debt ceiling solution. The dysfunction is intense; a government default is still very much on the table.
The party is deeply divided over abortion; the Wall Street Journal and other traditional conservatives have warned of more electoral defeats like the one in Wisconsin last week. Polls show most Americans believe Republicans are
far too strident on the abortion issue.
The House has not moved on legislation that Republicans promised to address, like illegal immigration and crime. And the threat of investigations — especially against Hunter Biden — has fizzled.
The Tennessee House fiasco has given the Democrats an opening to boost their standing among African Americans and gun control advocates.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas faces scrutiny over his apparent violation of court ethics rules — and his attempt to hide those violations.
And, of course, the likely Republican 2024 nominee, Donald Trump, faces more indictments. Next comes Georgia, where officials may move against him by May.
AS CONGRESS RETURNS THIS WEEK after a long recess, the focus will be on the GOP party leadership. McCarthy made promises last fall to win the Speakership, but his five-seat majority looks increasingly shaky. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has not been seen in Congress since his injury last month.
THE DEMOCRATS, NOT SURPRISINGLY, ARE LYING LOW: President Biden will be in Ireland for much of this week, a visit perhaps worth a point or two for his mediocre job rating.
BIDEN FACES HIS OWN HEADACHES — the leak of secret documents, which has irritated U.S. allies, who surely must wonder whether their private dealings with the U.S. can be confidential. And Biden also faces a gradually sinking economy; a recession by late this year looks increasingly likely.
BUT THE MAJOR HEAT IS ON McCARTHY, whose troops are defecting over issues like the debt ceiling and aid to Ukraine. McCarthy was willing to promise anything to win the Speakership, and now that he has it, a suspicion is growing that he can’t handle budget issues.
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