The last few days have been a humiliation for both Republicans and Democrats. For all Americans, this GOP is a motley collection of extremists and chaosmongers who have failed repeatedly and historically to choose a House speaker, who will ruin the entire country.
It's not just the inability to compromise and govern, it's also the pursuit of breaking rules for the sake of owning the libs. There are a lot of ways things can go wrong.
Some services are being affected. Members-elect aren't sworn in to the new Congress so they can't get security clearances to do their jobs.
Those are just temporary problems. There are a number of fiscal deadlines coming up this year. Congress needs to take action to prevent dire consequences that affect people's pocketbooks.
Don't take the debt limit. It will need to be raised this summer so that the government can pay bills for decisions made by past presidents. Default, missing payments and shaking faith in the United States are all consequences of the debt ceiling debate. Biden administration economists said a broad default would likely cause a financial crisis.
The House speaker battle is bad for Republicans.
They said thatGDP would fall, unemployment would rise, and everyday households would be affected by increased interest rates on mortgage and credit card debt. Veterans benefits, national defense, transportation, national parks and the public health system are all at risk. Financial markets would lose faith in the United States and the dollar would weaken.
Consider the budget crisis in the fall. Kevin McCarthy endorsed a campaign to punish Senate Republicans who supported a budget bill that funded the government through September. He said "hell no".
The GOP senators ignored the threat that their legislative priorities would be blocked by the House. The Democratic House passed the bill last month and it was done in time to prevent a government shut down.
The House Republican rebellion was stopped.
A group of nihilistic ultraconservatives from safe districts and members of the Freedom Caucus can dictate terms to the rest of us.
The CDC abandons pain patients.
If they were able to hold America hostage, what would they do?
Most of the work Democrats have done to solve problems has been undermined.
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Hard-liners will have to settle for talking points instead of achievements because of the Democrats and the White House. Meeting Democratic conditions is necessary for that to happen.
Ro Khanna told Fox News that he would consider voting for a Republican speaker if certain conditions were met, including no hostage-taking on the debt limit or government funding.
This is quite funny and sad at the same time. I laughed out loud when my son sent me a meme that said "I am not a robot" and instructed me to use speakers. You can guess which images weren't looked at.
Imagine if the GOP senators caved to the House GOP and voted against the bill. It would not have been possible. Imagine putting the fate of that bill into the hands of the people who couldn't get a speaker elected.
This week has taught us a lot. House Republicans can't count votes, they can't solve problems and they apparently can't abide each other
No matter who the speaker is, we will have to put up with them.
She is a columnist for USA TODAY and author of The Art of the Political Deal.
There's more fromJill Lawrence.
She doesn't fit in US politics.
There wouldn't be a Trump campaign if our systems worked.
Don't vote for any Republicans if you care about your country and rights.
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The speaker vote saga shows McCarthy isn't the only one who lost.
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