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No one feels sorry for Kevin McCarthy right now. His dogged ambition to become Speaker of the House led him to cut the very deal with MAGA extremists back in January that led to his own downfall [ [link removed] ] this week. He made history twice in the process, by being elected only after the most rounds of voting in 160 years (15 ballots [ [link removed] ]!), and by being the first Speaker removed from office. So McCarthy truly made his own ignominious bed. Unfortunately, we all have to lie in it. Who’s up next [ [link removed] ]? Speaker Scalise [ [link removed] ]? Much worse, Speaker Jordan [ [link removed] ]? Or unthinkably, Speaker Trump? That last one isn’t likely [ [link removed] ], though it has been floated [ [link removed] ]. The speaker choices exemplify the problem with MAGA: There are no good options. McCarthy faced a similar dilemma last weekend. He could let the government shutdown proceed, as his MAGA colleagues wanted [ [link removed] ]. Or, he could risk his position to keep the government open [ [link removed] ] for another 45 days. McCarthy has done a lot [ [link removed] ] of less-than-stellar things [ [link removed] ], but ultimately, he was ousted from his coveted speakership for…striking a short-term deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. Yes, it serves him right [ [link removed] ]. But more ominously, it tells us everything we need to know about MAGA [ [link removed] ]—bipartisan governing, even for the sake of the public good, will not be tolerated. —The Mission: Democracy Team
Commotion to vacate
It’s been four chaotic days since MAGA Republicans [ [link removed] ] in Congress forced Rep. Kevin McCarthy out of the speakership [ [link removed] ], and just slightly less since Republicans blamed Democrats [ [link removed] ] for it. Now, the battle is on [ [link removed] ] to take over the gavel [ [link removed] ]. Leading the pack is MAGA Rep. Jim Jordan, who has earned the coveted endorsement [ [link removed] ] of one Donald Trump. Though Trump himself has been nominated for the role [ [link removed] ], he has said he would only accept it temporarily “if necessary.” Plans for a televised Fox News forum [ [link removed] ] with the Speaker contenders next week have reportedly fallen apart, but Trump intends to visit the Capitol [ [link removed] ] on Tuesday to meet with House Republicans about the decision. Talk about returning to the scene of the crime.
Meanwhile, former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney [ [link removed] ] isn’t mincing words about Jordan. “Jim Jordan knew more about what Donald Trump had planned for Jan. 6 than any other member of the House of Representatives,” she said. “Jim Jordan was involved, was part of the conspiracy in which Donald Trump was engaged as he attempted to overturn the election.” While she doesn’t expect Jordan to win the speakership, Cheney warned, “If they were to decide that, there would no longer be any possible way to argue that a group of elected Republicans could be counted on to defend the Constitution.” Stay tuned.
House Republicans fear loss of their ‘rainmaker’ Kevin McCarthy [ [link removed] ] —Financial Times
McCarthy behind move to kick Pelosi out of her office, sources say—so he can move into it [ [link removed] ] —CNN
Capitol Police investigating Jamaal Bowman’s pulling of fire alarm ahead of shutdown vote [ [link removed] ] —CBS News
Rep. Dean Phillips to step down from leadership position [ [link removed] ] —POLITICO
California Gov. Newsom will appoint Laphonza Butler to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat [ [link removed] ] —CNN
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Trump gagged
Donald Trump’s $250 million civil trial [ [link removed] ] over alleged business fraud [ [link removed] ] in New York began on Monday. Less than a day and a half into it, Judge Arthur Engoron issued a gag order [ [link removed] ] in the case, after Trump made a public post about a court staffer that included a picture of the person. That’s not all. Trump’s campaign sent out an email that called Engoron a “far-left Democrat judge,” and he has repeatedly attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James [ [link removed] ]. “This case is a political SHAM that should never have been brought,” he ranted on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump had sought to stop Engoron’s surprise summary judgment order [ [link removed] ] last week that found him liable for fraud and put his business activity on hold pending further appeal. On Friday, a New York appeals court judge rejected the attempt [ [link removed] ], but temporarily halted the process of breaking up Trump’s businesses. The ex-president was in court for the first three days of the trial, but headed back to Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday. James, who has attended every day of the trial, insists she won’t be bullied by him. “The Trump show is over [ [link removed] ],” she said.
After White House, Trump allegedly discussed potentially sensitive info with Mar-a-Lago member: Sources [ [link removed] ] —ABC News
Trump wants future Republican debates to be canceled after refusing to participate in them [ [link removed] ] —Associated Press
Texas Republican will nominate Trump for Speaker of the House [ [link removed] ] —The Hill
Jennifer Rubin: How fascism advances—the culprits are all around us
“Ignoring bizarrely unacceptable conduct depletes democracy’s defenses, but small acts of moral clarity can stimulate a democracy’s antibodies. Major media could seriously analyze Trump in the context of authoritarian movements, identify aberrant conduct, and press Republicans to defend it. The media could level with voters that Biden’s mental and physical fitness are not at issue; Trump’s cognitive abilities are. There is no excuse to avoid highlighting Trump’s deviant behavior [ [link removed] ].
Republican officials could say they will not vote for Trump under any circumstances. They could specifically denounce calls to violence. Respectable right-leaning pundits could stop carrying water for Trump’s legal defense team (First Amendment violation! The indictments aren’t so serious!). And corporations and other special interests could refuse to trade silence about Trump’s defects for economic and political influence. (They might even cut off support to pro-insurrectionist lawmakers.)
No one should be confused: Without these enablers’ subservience and moral obtuseness, Trump cannot prevail. With a modicum of courage, they can make sure he doesn’t.” —Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post [ [link removed] ]
Fascism is the theme of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign [ [link removed] ] —MSNBC
Far-right figures embracing the support of white nationalists [ [link removed] ] —Radical Reports
Influential anti-woke activist Christopher Rufo open to working with racists [ [link removed] ] —The Daily Beast
Man with a gun demands to see Wisconsin governor, is arrested and returns with rifle [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
Here’s what else happened this week:
U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 336,000 jobs in September in a sign of economic resilience [ [link removed] ] —Associated Press
Biden to build more U.S. border wall using Trump-era funds [ [link removed] ] —Reuters
Georgia judge rejects Kenneth Chesebro’s attempt to have charges dismissed [ [link removed] ] —The Hill
Sidney Powell must face criminal trial for Georgia election charges, judge rules [ [link removed] ] —Forbes
AR-15 style weapons banned under new Massachusetts House bill [ [link removed] ] —Boston Herald
One more thing…
MAGA Rep. Matt Gaetz surely enjoyed all the extra attention [ [link removed] ] he received this week for giving Rep. Kevin McCarthy the boot, but he might not have expected the backlash he received from some fellow Republicans. Sen. Markwayne Mullin [ [link removed] ], a former House colleague of Gaetz’s, was particularly vocal. Clearly exasperated on Wednesday evening, Mullin said about Gaetz:
“You’ve gotta think about this guy. This is a guy that the media didn’t give the time of day to after he was accused of sleeping with an underage girl. And there’s a reason why no one in the conference came and defended him—because we had all seen the videos he was showing on the House floor that all of us had walked away [from], of the girls he had slept with.
He bragged about how he would crush E.D. medicine and chase it with energy drinks so he could go all night. This is obviously before he got married. And so, when that accusation came out, no one defended him. And then no one in the media would give him the time of the day. All of a sudden he found fame because he opposed the Speaker of the House back in November. And he’s always stayed there. And he was never gonna leave until he got this last moment of fame by going after a motion to vacate.”
Yikes. No further comment.
Mullin accuses Gaetz of making lewd comment about S.D. Gov. Kristi Noem’s appearance [ [link removed] ] —Forbes
If you don’t live in Gaetz’s district, you can’t vote him out, but you can help us demote him. Mission: Democracy is taking back the national narrative from the MAGA extremists. Help us do it with a donation today!
‘Let Freedom Read’
Some good news out of New Jersey during Banned Books Week [ [link removed] ]. The Essex County School Boards Association (ECSBA) has taken an official stand on the controversial issue of book bans: “Protect the freedom to read.” During a special meeting on Sept. 27, the collective body of school boards, representing all 22 school districts in the county, voted 14-3 to approve a resolution [ [link removed] ] for adoption by the Delegate Assembly and inclusion in the New Jersey School Boards Association’s manual. The resolution “aims to ensuring that the education of students in New Jersey is balanced and inclusive,” according to the ECSBA. It also addresses the “contentious issue of book bans, making important strides toward safeguarding academic freedom and the diversity of thought in our schools.” Bravo!
It’s nice to get reminders that, at its best, government can still work for the public interest. Share a story of hope [ mailto:[email protected] ] from your community for a future issue of Democracy Defender. Please include your name and state with your submission. Thank you!
Looking for something to read this weekend? In this commentary, Max Boot describes how retired generals can do one more critical service for their country: ‘Trump’s generals’ need to warn voters that he is unfit to serve [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
Looking for something to listen to this weekend? Our own Stephanie Grisham gives a fascinating window into Donald Trump’s current state of mind, as he battles political, legal, and financial crises, on “The Back Room with Andy Ostroy”:
Mission: Democracy in the news…
Democracy group declares Trump and MAGA ‘fascist’ [ [link removed] ] —Flagpole
Mission: Democracy’s ‘Kick the Can’ video is a powerful call to defend democracy [ [link removed] ] —Medium
Former Congressman Joe Walsh on Republican efforts to oust House Speaker, Trump’s hold on the party [ [link removed] ] —WTTW
Who is Donald Trump?
“What can I add that has not already been said? A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family—for all Gold Star families—on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.
A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women. A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason—in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.” —Gen. John Kelly, former White House Chief of Staff, in a statement to CNN about his former boss, October 3, 2023 [ [link removed] ]
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