Republicans quit governing in exchange for social media status

Republicans are a hot mess, whether it be Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson (who owes his job to illegal gerrymanders), the House Republican caucus, or fresh Republican dysfunction in the Senate. We have a new generation of conservatives who think their job is to be Instagram influencers and TikTok stars, not legislators. The results are predictably disastrous.

Remember when Republicans claimed to be the party of national security? A handful of that dwindling caucus turned their guns on fellow Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, beginning what will be a days-long effort to force him to personally object to every single one of the more than 300 military promotions he’s blocking over an administration policy that has nothing to do with those being blocked. In short, the Pentagon pays for servicemembers stationed in abortion-banning states to get their health care in enlightened states, as it should be. But given the damage Tuberville’s blockade is doing to military readiness and morale, even anti-abortion Republicans are losing patience, and things are getting personal.

Tuberville is clearly getting his inspiration from the likes of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who directly attacked 23 Republicans who voted against censuring Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib over political disagreement. She got particularly nasty with Republican Reps. Chip Roy, Ken Buck, and (her words) “vaping groping” Lauren Boebert. Meanwhile, an internal “strategy memo” proves that Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, like the rest of those yahoos, is truly obsessed with being a media influencer.

In former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House, no one would ditch an important vote for a political rally, but that’s exactly what’s happening in the House as Republicans postponed a vote on aid to Israel so they could attend a Donald Trump rally.

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