The Times They Are A-Changin'
Come Senators, Congressmen, Please heed the call -- Don't stand in the doorway, Don't block up the hall
Feathers of Hope is a network of ordinary citizens who have joined together around a shared commitment to diminishing the power and influence of MAGA extremists in the House of Representatives.
Since January, 2023, we have been urging moderate Republicans and Democrats to form a bipartisan majority voting bloc in order to conduct our nation’s legislative business, and to defend the institution from its internal enemies.
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The last week of the year always seems a little surrealistic, dream-like.
Frantic holiday preparations have given way to rest and recuperation.
Normal routines have not yet resumed.
There are no appointments scheduled, expectations decline.
And while in this suspended state we’re given a few days to reflect.
We’re allowed to pause, to take notice of the currents flowing around us.
The 118th Congress stands in recess until January 9
Of more than seven hundred bills voted on by the House of Representatives in 2023, only twenty-seven have become law. The reason for this pathetic performance is easily identified. A small MAGA extremist faction, joining forces with like-minded members of the Freedom Caucus, is refusing to govern. They have instead chosen to obstruct and disrupt normal order in the chamber.
On the first days of the 118th Congress, this faction masterfully exploited the mindless ambition of Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to become Speaker. His desperate hunger to wield the gavel was so all-consuming that no demand was too outrageous for him to accept in exchange for a vote. Thus, with the power of the Speakership effectively in their hands, MAGA extremists embarked on their mission to “burn the whole place down”, as Mr. McCarthy would later ruefully acknowledge.
But that’s only half the story. Unwittingly abetting MAGA’s assault on the People’s House, traditional Republicans welcomed the extremists into their conference. With a slim majority of only nine votes, the desire to maintain a united conservative team led to party-wide tolerance of what at first appeared to be just an ever-more rightward shifting power center under Speaker McCarthy.
It was not until the debt ceiling increase came due in May that MAGA’s true intentions became clear to the moderate traditional Republican majority. While going through the motions of negotiating conditions for an increase, the extremists had no good-faith intent to reach a compromise agreement. Their goal, as with the January 6 insurrectionists whom they proudly support, was to inflict grievous damage on the institutions of our democratic republic.
Echoing the call of former President Donald Trump, MAGA extremists actively sought a default on America’s indebtedness.
That was a bridge too far for more moderate traditional Republicans. With their support, Speaker McCarthy negotiated with President Biden to reach agreement both to raise the debt ceiling and to set spending levels for FY 2024. That agreement was codified into law as the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA).
Explicitly breaking with MAGA, 149 Republicans in the House voted for the FRA.
Within days, Mr. McCarthy was repudiating the terms of this agreement, in a frantic attempt to appease angry extremists. But his effort was doomed. When the House re-convened after a Summer recess, the MAGA faction began demanding a government shutdown. The Speaker and traditional moderates again rejected their call, leading to passage of HR 2680, a temporary measure (Continuing Resolution or CR) funding the government for 45 days past the October 1 deadline.
Despite his having drawn 126 Republican votes for the CR (vs. 90 against), MAGA retaliated by bringing Mr. McCarthy’s Speakership to an end.
I’m recounting this history to illustrate a point generally overlooked by left-leaning media and liberal/progressives generally:
As great a threat as MAGA is to the country as a whole, the front line of their assault is within the Republican Party.
A White Christian nationalist movement, under MAGA’s banner, is waging what amounts to an intra-party civil war against those they call RINO’s (Republicans In Name Only).
In reality of course, it is the MAGA extremists who are Republicans in name only.
Traditional Republicans need to re-claim their party.
As reflected in the House dynamics described above, there is a growing schism in the Republican Party. To no one’s surprise, Donald Trump’s continued hold on power has emboldened the most radical far-right elements of the party, while alienating more moderate conservatives.
During the debt ceiling negotiations, and again during the balloting for a new Speaker, those moderate conservatives found themselves under direct attack from MAGA extremists, nominally members of their own party. When the House reconvenes on January 9, with threats of a government shutdown looming, they can again expect to be on the defensive. But 2023 has taught lessons all round, and there’s reason to expect things will be different this time.
While we at Feathers of Hope make no secret of our liberal/progressive point of view, the focus here has always been to diminish the strength and influence of MAGA extremism in the House of Representatives. Ultimately, the Republican Party must purge itself of the enemies of democracy who’ve infiltrated their ranks. In the short term, helping them to do that is in all of our best interest.
The House of Representatives is where those who support convicted January 6 insurrectionists currently wield the most political power. And it's in that institution where we need to prevail.
As has been true throughout the first session of the 118th Congress, the most effective counter to MAGA obstruction in the second session is for the bipartisan majority, those representatives who are faithful to their oath of office, to govern cooperatively.
In October, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) writing in the Washington Post, suggested the same. He issued this invitation, which still stands, to moderate traditional Republicans:
“But what if (you) pursued a different path and confronted the extremism that has spread unchecked on the Republican side of the aisle? When that step has been taken in good faith, we can proceed together to reform the rules of the House in a manner that permits us to govern in a pragmatic fashion.
. . . The rules of the House should reflect the inescapable reality that Republicans are reliant on Democratic support to do the basic work of governing. A small band of extremists should not be capable of obstructing that cooperation.”
Mr. Jeffries continued with the following observation:
“The need to change course is urgent. Congress is in the midst of a Republican civil war . . .. Traditional Republicans need to break with the MAGA extremism that has poisoned the House of Representatives since the violent insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and its aftermath.”
Looking Ahead . . . 2024, A Blue Wave Rising
As we welcome the New Year, there’s every reason to believe that Democrats will continue to enjoy electoral victories, culminating in the Presidential and Congressional election on November 5.
It’s not only that President Biden has achieved a strong record of accomplishments. And it’s not only thar Democratic policies are broadly popular. But there’s also a significant structural advantage in the Democrats’ favor: a unified party.
As we’ve seen, the Republican Party is deeply divided. Donald Trump’s fanatic followers don’t just disagree with the party establishment, they see them as an enemy to be vanquished. Similarly, mainstream conservatives are appalled by MAGA extremists who dominate their party’s political landscape.
And while much is made of Mr. Trump’s commanding lead in various State primary races, that lead stubbornly hovers around 50%. This makes him the likely nominee, but there’s little reason to expect that those who don’t support him now will rally to him in the future. They may not vote for President Biden, but staying home will have the same effect. And if for some reason the Republican nominee is not Donald Trump, his MAGA loyalists will be outraged. They’ll never vote for someone else.
Winning a presidential election is hard in the best of circumstances. For Republicans, the 2024 election is certain to present the worst of circumstances.
This is a network of ordinary citizens. In a democracy, we exercise our power by raising our voices. To be silent is to be powerless
You're as optimistic as Simon Rosenberg, and your arguments make as much sense. All we need to do is keep the energy going and we can make it happen. Best wishes for a very happy New Year Jerry.
Jerry, Based on the House GOP caucus’s recent voting record (unanimous support for 1/6 co-conspirator Mike Johnson for Speaker, plus an impeachment inquiry into Biden, despite Rep Ken Buck affirming the lack of any predicating evidence), I don’t understand your belief that the GOP caucus continues to include traditional Republicans, who, in 2024, conceivably could join with Democrats to achieve bipartisan objectives.
Frankly, I would argue the opposite and advise we buckle up for a pre-planned unhinged 24 intended to foment so much chaos that a plurality would be willing to accept any authoritarian option in order to provide some sense of normalcy and security in their lives. Whether I’m right or wrong, my greatest concern is that we’re unprepared to level a monstrous blow, if warranted.