Friday morning, time Second anniversary of the attack on the Capitol by a mob harassed by donald trump, just a republican congressman, ex-FBI agent brian fitzpatrickattended an event organized by the Democrats that day to commemorate the victims of political violence and pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who confronted the aggressors. Then, at another commemoration event at the White House, the president Joe Biden he recalled: “America is a country of law, not chaos.”
Hours later, at the night of the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, it was difficult not to reflect, or to see the situation as such, the radical rift and drift of the Republican Party, which illustrated Fitzpatrick’s sad loneliness. The tension and drama accumulated in four days of unsuccessful voting led to an unfortunate uproar that was broadcast live on television.
The coups were about to come. And the image of a Republican congressman, Mike Rogersbeing stopped to prevent it from launching itself into the Republic Matt Gaetzit remained a symbol of the civil wars between conservatives that marked and slandered the electoral process. Kevin McCarthy as ‘speaker’.
Frustration
Days of unsuccessful voting fueled the frustration. Only the intense negotiations and concessions that McCarthy made to twenty congressmen from the most extreme wing of his party seemed to have brought him closer to victory, and by Friday morning he was able to break through the rebellion and leave. only six “rebel” votes against him. And after suspending the session to continue negotiation, the night returned to celebrate the fourteenth vote. “I have the votes,” McCarthy said confidently before entering.
However, something did not go as planned. Four of their opposition colleagues voted for the other candidates. Lauren Boebert changed the game to “present”. And when Gaetz cast the final vote, his “gift” ruined the victory.
The pressure cooker that the bowl had turned into was about to explode. McCarthy himself parked the stoicism of the previous days and approached Gaetz and Boebert and made angry comments with them. Rogers went even further (reportedly shouting “you’re done” to Gaetz). In a lower house filled with young children of congressmen awaiting elections to be sworn in, some Democrats cried out helplessly: “Be civilized!”
Trump is on the line
Chaos lasted for long minutes. Marjorie Taylor Greenea radical Georgia congressman associated with QAnon conspiracy theories He was calling colleagues from the extremist Freedom Caucus, who had been ousted by the Democrats from their positions on the committees but would take them back after allying with McCarthy, who still opposed the Californian’s attempt to give them the cell phone he was calling. “DT”, Donald Trump. At least one of them refused to enter the device.
The motion to postpone until Monday was about to be passed, to give McCarthy more time to negotiate with six of his opposition colleagues. suddenly Gaetz and Boebert voted to continue voting. Votes were exchanged for red cards. And came the fifteenth ballot, with the last six Republicans who opposed McCarthy changed to present their votes.
With 216 votes, the new ‘speaker’ was certified at 00:38 on Saturday.
When he gave his first speech on duty, he wanted to joke: “It was easy huh?”. But what Democrat Representative Dean Phillips said before the 15th vote and after the close fight felt more appropriate: “Wow.”