Working the concession stand

How to become Speaker of the House

At last Kevin McCarthy can occupy the office of Speaker of the House without being labelled a squatter. The latest D.C. drama has finally concluded, after fifteen rounds of balloting, with McCarthy securing 216 votes.  In order to secure those votes, however, McCarthy had to serve up concessions to the Republicans of the House Freedom Caucus. Among the concessions made were:

• Allow a single member of the party to call for a vote to oust the speaker

• Keep the Conservative Leadership Fund (a pro-McCarthy PAC) out of open primaries

• Take a strong position to not raise the debt limit

• Bring a vote to the floor on term limits

• Bring a vote to the floor on border security

• Increase Freedom Caucus representation on committees

• Require voting on individual spending bills rather than an omnibus

• Require at least 72 hours to review bills before bringing them to the floor for a vote

• Put a cap on discretionary spending

• Create a committee to investigate the weaponization of government agencies (i.e. the DoJ)

As some friends and I have discussed, none of these should be considered concessions. The fact that they are exposes the lack of conservatism in party leadership. Most of these are things that benefit we the people, things that we the people should want.

Under Nancy Pelosi, rules for vacating the Speaker’s chair were instituted that would require a party caucus or conference. She set this rule in order to maintain power, to make it more difficult to remove her. McCarthy has put himself in a position where a single disgruntled Congress-critter can call for a vote to remove him. Since those who get power and hold on to power usually have authoritarian tendencies, this change of rules is a good thing.

Border security? Even mayors of so-called sanctuary cities are feeling this one. While Kamala Harris and Alejandro Mayorkas assure us the borders is secure, some liberal mayors have declared major crises after receiving only hundreds or tens of illegal immigrants. If a non-border town doesn’t have capacity to handle an influx of 70 illegals, what do these leaders thing is happening to cities acting as entry points? How are they to deal with the thousands pouring in daily? Illegal immigration hurts everyone and everyone should want to see it brought to a halt.

It is not news that the omnibus is a bloated bag of bovine fecal matter, and this is because there is so much to it that no one knows where our money is going. Congress has been spending our money like a drunken sailor on shore leave after 6 months on a submarine. These changes are a triple-threat - to Congress - that will potentially save us money. Requiring appropriations bills to be voted on separately, mandating more time to consider the bills before voting, and capping discretionary spending only stands to benefit the American people. The majority of their spending is unconstitutional anyway, so maybe this will help reign it it, but I’m not holding my breath. Nonetheless, since Congress has refused for years to produce a balanced budget, these three particular concessions are a major step in the right direction.

As for the weaponization of government, there are likely many who do not want investigations because of the implications (or those who will be implicated). This is, however, something about which all Americans should have grave concern. If any government agency can be weaponized against an opposing political party (this can be done by any party), then agencies can be weaponized against we the people (again, by any party). There has been an egregious effort to overstep the bounds of Constitutionally-granted authority, along with an abdication of the actual purpose of these agencies. It must stop, and while I don’t have much hope that investigations would bring about the necessary change, at least, like the release of the Twitter files, such investigations would for the public shine a light in some dark corners.

At this point it should be clear that, not only should these items not be considered concessions, but they should be lauded by all as long-awaited necessities. One thing this side show has shown us is that the Congress critters care little for the American people or what their actions do to or for us; they simply care about their power and ability to enact their own agendas.

This act may be over, but these guys have more tricks than P. T. Barnum. This circus isn’t leaving town anytime soon. So buckle up, because the next part of the clown show is about to begin. McCarthy may have finished jumping through the balloting hoops, but he is still working the concession stand, so may as well run over, get some popcorn, and watch the show.