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House Republicans Just Showcased What 2023 Could Look Like

Photo credit: Win McNamee - Getty Images
Photo credit: Win McNamee - Getty Images

In the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon, as they debated whether or not to censure Rep. Paul Gosar for sending out a piece of doctored anime in which a character with his face appeared to kill Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and threaten the president with swords, we were gifted with a look at what the House will be like if the majority changes hands in the midterm elections in 2022. It will be all rage and vengeance.

Gosar was not defended on the merits; he’s been an embarrassment to the caucus since he hit town, and his own family cuts campaign commercials on behalf of his opponents back in Arizona. What he posted about Ocasio-Cortez was despicable. It was not only unbecoming a member of Congress, it was unbecoming a seventh-grade art student. That wasn’t really what the Republican position on Wednesday was all about. When Gosar compared himself to Alexander Hamilton, I thought the chamber might collapse from the weight of his audacity. But, hell, Gosar wasn’t what Wednesday was about, either.

It was about getting to yell about inflation, the border crisis, and the “tyranny” of public health measures. It was about making sure that some of their D-listers got a chance to fume about all of the above so they’ll have B-roll for their commercials next year. And it was almost entirely about threatening the Democrats with the promise that 2023 will be a year of revenge. This became plain through the opening remarks of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who would feed his own fingers into a woodchipper if that would make him Speaker.

What they have started cannot be easily undone. Their actions are forever changed the way the House operates. It means that the minority rights that have served this body as well are the past and furthermore, it means under the Pelosi precedent all the members that I have mentioned earlier will need the approval of a majority to keep those positions in the future. What was interesting is, not just the Speaker that's making those decisions. When the chairwoman in spite of those ideas three times, everyone in the Democratic Party had ability to vote what they thought. Because of those standards.

I contacted the member and he took the video down and says he does not believe in violence to anyone. But you see others on the side of the aisle incite violence, it's ok because it's rules for thee and not for me. Unfortunately, this body has suffered greatly. And the new standard will continue to be applied in the future. I yield back.

The rest of the afternoon was divided between Democratic members speaking about the issue at hand and Republicans talking about anything but. The latter side was enlivened by Rep. Lauren Boebert, who took her one-minute time allotment and used it for a wild tirade so radioactive that it probably sterilized frogs in the Tidal Basin.

This is a dumb waste of the House's time. But since the Speaker has designated the floor to discuss members' inappropriate actions, shall we? The Jihad Squad member from Minnesota has paid her husband and not her brother-husband, the other one, over $1 million in campaign funds. This member is allowed on the Foreign Affairs Committee. While praising terrorists. A Democrat chairwoman incited further violence in the streets outside of a courthouse. And then the cherry on top. My colleague and three-month presidential candidate from California, who is on the Intelligence Committee, slept with a Chinese spy. Let me say that again. A member of Congress who receives classified briefings was fraternizing with the enemy.

If things go a certain way, that’s the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, folks. Buckle up.

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