Escape From MAGA-World

Helping Republican moderates (and Democrats) leave the madness behind.

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Note: This site can also be accessed by entering FeathersOfHope.net in your browser window.

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For new readers, here are links to a few previous posts that will bring you up to date on what the Feathers of Hope network has been doing :

Wait, Exactly How Will We Do This? — (January 28)

Replacing McCarthy - A Progress Report — (February 16)

Moderate Republicans? Really? — (March 2)

Spread The Word, Write or Call Today — (April 6)

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Feathers of Hope is a network of ordinary citizens committed to advocating for the removal and replacement of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, thereby diminishing the power and influence of MAGA extremists in the chamber.

We are urging moderate Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives to form a temporary bipartisan majority voting bloc for the purpose of passing a motion to “vacate the chair” and elect a new Republican Speaker who owes nothing to the minority MAGA group.

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Last week, Speaker Kevin McCarthy finally scraped together enough votes to pass the Republican’s spending-reduction/debt-limit-increase bill.  Not surprisingly, It did not go well at all. 

As we noted last week ( You’ve got to be kidding, Kevin! ) the bill was designed primarily as a repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  It had been crafted to meet the demands of MAGA extremists to whom Mr. McCarthy traded his authority in exchange for their support last January. 

But much of it was completely unacceptable to more moderate Republican Members.  One after another, they objected to proposed repeal of various subsidies and tax incentives from the 2022 Act that are benefitting their home districts. Even after hours of trying to accommodate everyone by making several changes to the text, it was clear that there was scant common ground shared by moderates and the far-right MAGA Members.

Unable to bridge this chasm, Speaker McCarthy finally gave up on negotiations altogether.  But rather than recognize the reality facing him, he chose to redefine the measure as merely a symbolic gesture.   As Catie Edmundson and Carl Hulse at the New York Times reported:

“The process of pushing through the measure highlighted the deep divisions among Republicans on fiscal matters. Beseeching his colleagues privately to back the bill, Mr. McCarthy repeatedly told them to ignore the substance of the measure, which would never become law, and instead focus on the symbolic victory of passing any legislation to show Mr. Biden they were serious about their demand for spending cuts.”

Lawmakers were told to “ignore the substance” of the legislation they would be voting for.  So rather than embarrass their impotent “leader”, the Members voted for symbolism over substance.  They passed the bill, but it was all a meaningless gesture.  Worse, it was one that will haunt the moderates when they have to defend their vote back home in districts not infected by MAGA madness.

Of course, the Speaker promptly declared victory. But this is not even a pyrrhic victory, as the word victory implies the absence of defeat.  For Kevin McCarthy it was a glaring defeat.  His inability to deliver enough votes to pass anything of substance was exposed for all to see.  Whatever legitimacy he may have previously enjoyed as a negotiator for the Republican majority in the House, it now lies in tatters.  Why would anyone take anything he says seriously?

It appears that whatever happens next, Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership is in its final weeks.  The only question is who will make the first move – disillusioned moderates or chronically angry extremists? 

Here at Feathers of Hope, we’re urging Republican moderates and Democrats to be bold, and take the steps needed to finally escape from MAGA madness.

People Have Started Talking About Replacing The Speaker  

Keep writing and calling -- it's paying off. 

Ever since January we have had a two-part strategy to help bring about the removal and replacement of Speaker Kevin McCarthy:  

1. Contact Members of the House of Representatives, urging them to form a bipartisan majority that will pass a motion to vacate the Chair, and elect a moderate Republican Speaker who owes nothing to MAGA extremists. (House Members’ contact information, along with thumbnail bios can be found here:  Now's The Time )

2. Contact members of the media, urging them to introduce the above proposal into our national media narrative. (Suggested guidelines and media contact info can be found here: Spread The Word and here: Spring Break is Over )

The two parts mutually reinforce each other.  As media personalities write columns, post online or broadcast segments on the subject, its plausibility becomes ever more apparent.  Public support grows, and reluctant House Members are reassured that ordinary sensible voters will reward them for taking this bold step. 

We timed our effort to correspond with the passing of a raise of the debt ceiling because that is when the weakness of Kevin McCarthy's leadership would be most exposed.  And it’s when a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives will already be in place to pass a debt limit bill that can also pass the Senate.  

For the past few weeks, the Feathers Of Hope network has been implementing our strategy. 

We are calling and writing the 17 House Members identified as influential and potentially receptive to the proposal.  Likewise, we've been contacting media personalities and posting comments online.  As word is spreading, our network is growing and the number of calls, emails and posts is steadily increasing.

It's crucial now that all of us continue calling and writing to Members of the House and to members of the media. Raisng the subject in the comment sections of publications you subscribe to can get a lot of attention as well.

Keep in mind that repetition and follow-ups can be as important as the first contact. Persistence is persuasive. We want the prospect of McCarthy’s removal and replacement to become a regular part of the national media narrative.

What had originally seemed like a radical idea is beginning to be seen as a common sense solution to the chaotic and obstructionist behavior of MAGA extremists emboldened by their control of the Speaker.  People are talking.